by Lara Yokoshima

This is an alternate universe (AU) fiction, based on the Project: Unigenitus main characters. It can also have some small appearances of characters from other of my stories. Nothing written on this story can be related to PU, except for some character behaviors and names.

VII. Spite & Malice

The arm of a fragile white haired child stretched out as long as it could. With unbearable frustration, tears escaped from his beautiful, big platinum eyes as he kept struggling to free himself from the hand that was holding him by his arm. He was trying to reach the hand of another small boy, same age, screaming and frenetically trying to release himself from the arms of an adult man who was telling him it was time to leave. Even though they both were shouting, not a single sound escaped from their mouths. Only the despair in their bodies was everything they could feel in that moment. A moment of pain that the little white haired child could not bare anymore, as he saw with sorrow in his eyes how the person he loved the most was taken away from his world.

Yamah couldn’t stop rolling on his bed, and a few moans escaped from his throat as he experienced that dream once again. His irregular breathing and frantic moves made his young roommate wake up. As Eiji rose from his bed and got closer to the young man, he immediately concluded that the silver haired teen was having a nightmare.

“Hn… no… don’t go…”

The brunette opened his eyes widely as he heard those words coming out from his mouth almost in a whisper. He wanted to know what was going on in his friend’s head, but he was no mind reader. Yamah moaned uncontrollably, and Eiji was becoming more desperate with each passing second. With a feathery touch, Eiji placed his hand over the other boy’s temple.

“…Ya-“

“Hn!” Yamah moaned loudly as he felt the hand touch him softly. Alarmed, he opened his eyes and with surprise he noticed that Eiji was there, sitting over his knees so close to him, caressing his silvery hair.

“It’s ok now,” Eiji said in a comforting tone, as he kept caressing his partner with a tranquil expression. Yamah tried to calm himself down, but a soft pink tone was appearing in his cheeks. To see Eiji this close to him made him feel strange, but undeniably pleased. Thank god it was dark so Eiji couldn’t see him blush violently.

“E-Eiji…?” the young man finally dared to speak. “Wha-?”

“I believe you were having a nightmare” the brunette responded, taking his hand away and resting his head over his now crossed arms on the bed. He had a slight smile on his lips, which made Yamah shiver at the mere sight of it. Why is Eiji staring at me like that? I don’t like it… it makes me feel nervous… or is it anxious?

The silver haired boy raised his naked torso from the bed, sitting and leaning his body on the pillow. He let out a soft sigh, while he placed a hand over his weary eyes, massaging them in circular moves with his fingers.

“Something wrong?” Eiji asked with interest to his rather confused partner.

“No… nothing”.

“You know…” the brunette stood up and sat down on Yamah’s bed, as if he wanted to be closer, “…this is not the first time I notice you were having those dreams”.

What? Does that mean he had already waked up several times in the middle of the night because of me? Yamah felt a bit guilty for not controlling his reactions when he was dreaming. Now Eiji knew that he was suffering in some way, a weakness he didn’t like. But it was just that lately he had been dreaming the same thing over and over again. It was supposed to be a forgotten dream by now, but somehow it had reborn with renewed strength. The weird thing is that he didn’t know what it meant, and he always tried to remember if he had a similar experience in the past, but always failed to.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up” Yamah murmured with a low face. Then he noticed Eiji was truly close, he could feel the warmth of his roommate’s body touching his own with subtlety. The brunette was brazenly staring at him with those amazing golden eyes, as if he was trying to peer into his soul and find out what was that dream that made Yamah feel so insecure.

“Umm… Eiji…” Yamah said a little scared, wanting to make his friend stop that stare. He didn’t like the way Eiji was looking at him. It made him feel uncomfortable… in a frightening good way.

“Hai?” the brunette responded quickly.

“I-I think I’m going back to sleep now” Yamah said as he tucked himself into bed, turning his back to Eiji. It was a rude act, but that way he could at least calm himself down and slow his pounding heart, which was about to explode. If he had been another person, he would have embraced and kissed his roommate savagely in that same moment. The pure thought of it made his heart beat faster and his cheeks turn red, as he tried to dismiss the provocative scene that later came to his mind.

“Ok… I guess I’m also going to sleep as well,” the voice of the brunette sounded a bit disappointed, and Yamah could notice. He heard how Eiji returned to his bed and accommodated his body so he could rest again.

I should thank him… but I can’t, the young man thought. Why can’t I? I’m such a loser.

“Oyasumi, Yamah-kun” Eiji softly whispered him a good night.

“O-oyasumi” the white haired youth shyly answered. You asshole! You should have thanked him for being so caring with you, and later apologize for being such a moron! Yamah thought, shutting his eyes. He has been so nice to me, and we have been communicating so well this last week… why am I acting like this then? I guess I’m a lost case anyway… I couldn’t even face him a while ago. Man, tomorrow is gonna be even harder. OK. Stop thinking too much and just sleep!

“Yamah”.

The young, silver haired man could have sworn that he heard his name, but he was too busy trying to stop thinking and getting some sleep and he may have just imagined it anyway.

“Yamah…” that voice repeated his name again. That was when he recognized the voice as Eiji’s. He turned his body around quickly to the other side so he could make himself sure it was Eiji who was speaking to him.

“Hn?” Yamah finally responded to Eiji’s calling.

“I know tomorrow is Monday, but…”

“But?” the young man asked with intrigue in his voice.

“Well, I am going to the sports store at the mall tomorrow to buy something I need for my swimming class, and I was wondering if you would like to join me” the brunette asked Yamah, half expecting a ‘no’ for an answer.

 “Um… sure, why not?” Yamah replied with an invisible smile. It was the least he could do after acting so rude to him, he thought. “What time?”

“I want to go just after school ends. Is that ok?”

“It is” the white haired boy answered. This was the perfect way to amend his recent mistake. At least Eiji wouldn’t hold a grudge against him the next day, so that made Yamah feel more relieved.

Both boys wished themselves good night one last time, as they fell asleep for the rest of the night.

“Ohayo gozaimasu!”

“Ohayo, Koji-kun” Yamah smiled a bit when he saw his blonde friend approach him that morning.

Koji noticed the brunette wasn’t there joining Yamah as he always did in the mornings, which made him wonder where was he. “So… where is Eiji?” the blonde questioned with interest.

“He told me to leave first” the other young man responded.

“Really? Why is that?” Koji showed more curiosity, while both boys kept walking towards their classroom.

“Don’t know. Seemed he was looking for something before I left” Yamah said trying not to sound upset. Even though Eiji and he now had some kind of healthy ‘relationship’, the brunette still liked to hide some things from him.

“And… didn’t you try to find out?” the blonde asked Yamah, who was now beginning to lose his patience.

“No” Yamah answered, as he glared at his friend with suspicious eyes. “Stop it Koji, I know what you are trying to do”.

“Who? Me? No, nothing…” Koji smiled, placing his hands inside his pockets and starting to whistle an unknown tune, walking again. Yamah still stared at him suspiciously. Lately, his friend was acting a little weird about Eiji. As if he didn’t like Yamah to hang around him and was trying to break the fine friendship the brunette and he already had.

“Oi, Yamah, did you see the cool-looking car outside our school this morning?” Koji spoke breaking the awful silence.

“Car? What car?” Yamah questioned, while the blonde just shook his head already knowing that his friend was distracted most of the time.

“A black one. I believe it’s a Mitsubishi”

Mitsubishi? Man, that can only mean one thing…, Yamah thought as he remembered the car’s owner.

“Ah, ohayo gozaimasu, Yamah-kun!” a voice greeted him when he entered the classroom. With unbelieving eyes, he recognized Sasaki Akira, an 18 year-old boy that was well known for his family fortune and rather odd behavior. The slim, black haired boy stood up from his usual sit at the back corner of the classroom, staring at Yamah with his piercing violet gray eyes. A sultry smile appeared in his lips, as he walked closer to the white haired young man.

“Sasaki…” Yamah muttered.

“Aw, c’mon, you can call me Akira” the taller youngster corrected his puzzled friend as he got a few feet closer. Koji didn’t say a thing; he just stared at the whole scene in utter silence.

This guy never shows up at school, he must think he is just too great for all of us. But why is he here today?, the young man was very surprised that Sasaki showed up after several weeks since classes started. Usually he wouldn’t even bother to go to school for a whole month, his excuse being that ‘school was tremendously boring, not to mention the classmates’. The bastard could even pass a whole year by bribing the teachers, if he wanted to. But that was one of the reasons he failed last year and now he is repeating the entire school year. Yamada-sensei didn’t let himself be manipulated by this smart kid, and he reported Sasaki with the principal. Now the guy holds a grudge against him. I just hope he won’t do something terrible.

“You don’t look to happy to see me” Akira smirked, staring at the white haired youth with narrow eyes. Yamah just shrugged, and turned around, walking to his seat. Koji followed his friend closely, giving one last glance at the slim young man who didn’t move an inch.

That jackass…, Yamah thought as he sat down, dropping his suitcase near his seat. He looked at Akira one last time, while the other boy just waved back with a huge smile on his face. Yamah turned his head to the other side, the guy made him feel sick by just looking at him.

Seconds later, Eiji finally arrived. The brunette walked inside the classroom, looking for Yamah. The white haired boy noticed and then he waved his hand to Eiji, who responded with a smile. Eiji began walking towards his friend, but in that moment, a slightly taller youth bumped into him, almost knocking him down to the ground.

“O-oi, watch out!” the brunette instinctively responded, glaring at the distracted guy who stepped into him. Eiji saw a tall and undeniably handsome black haired boy, who was also glaring at him.

“Are you Yokoshima Eiji?” Akira asked the brunette with a rather menacing tone.

“Yes. Who are you?” Eiji asked back.

“Hmph. You aren’t as attractive as they say” Akira smirked. He stared at Eiji a little more, but soon returned to his seat with calm steps.

Who the fuck does he think he is?! Eiji was about to go after him and protest, but then Yamah immediately stopped him by placing a hand over the brunette’s shoulder.

“Yamah?”

“Is not worth it” the white haired boy shook his head in denial. “C’mon, let’s go to our seats. Class is about to start” Yamah continued, as a teacher entered the classroom and greeted his students. Once they were at their places, the brunette couldn’t help it but to glance at the boy who he just met.

“His name is Sasaki Akira” Yamah softly murmured.

“Eh?”

“His name. I know is bothering you, I’m not blind” the young man responded as he stared at Eiji’s confused eyes. The brunette nodded and waited for Yamah to keep explaining, even though class had already started.

“He is well known by the senior students here, because he is filthy rich and likes to presume about what he has and how superior he is. He is a royal pain in the ass if you ask me” Yamah said with a smile, while Eiji chuckled at his friend’s comment. “He is coursing the academic year again, because last year he tried to pass it by bribing the teachers. Of course he was caught and forced to repeat the year. So, he is a year older than us. That doesn’t make him smarter though. The guy is just unbearable”.

“Yokoshima-san! Be quiet during class” the teacher scolded the white haired boy.

“Sumimasen, sensei!” Yamah responded quickly, but just after that he returned to Eiji.

“So… what’s his problem anyway?” Eiji questioned, remembering the whole scene a minutes ago.

“Who knows? But he likes to annoy people, that’s for sure” Yamah lowered his voice. “I’m one of them, unfortunately”.

Eiji understood and nodded. After this conversation, both boys tried to pay attention to class.

After school was over, Yamah and Eiji left the building and directed themselves to the mall that was about five blocks away, just like they had agreed last night.

As they casually walked outside the main doors, Yamah noticed Akira approaching them, riding his awesome black Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII. The car stopped right in front of the two boys, and Akira lowered the driver’s window –at the right side of the Japanese car.

“Oi, Yamah” the black haired youth spoke to him with a smile. “Where are you going? I can certainly give you a ride”

“Forget it, I prefer to walk a thousand miles before going with you” Yamah kept walking with Eiji by his side, ignoring the young man in the car.

“That hurts. Besides, don’t you wanna test my baby? My dad just sent him to the best garage in all Japan and is now all tuned up” Akira tried to convince the white haired youth, as he pushed the gas pedal in neutral so Yamah could hear the power of his machine.

“You realize I don’t usually let anyone hop inside my car, do you?” Akira insisted. That presumptuous comment made Yamah stop for a second, staring at him with a frown. Akira felt lucky to have gained Yamah’s attention for a moment, and he smirked. “but I’m afraid I can’t let him go with us” Akira finally said, referring to Eiji, who became immediately upset.

“Listen to me, you ass” Yamah’s voice became full of anger as he got his face closer to Akira’s. “Leave us alone. I don’t want to see your face ever again, at least for today, got it?”

Akira smiled as if he didn’t listen to any of the words Yamah just said to him. He looked immersed in those platinum eyes that stared at him with anger, and just shrugged. “Ok, but you don’t know what you are missing”.

The youth pushed the gas pedal to the bottom, and the car sped away with incredible velocity. Yamah and Eiji saw him disappear in the horizon; the white haired boy sighed heavily after Akira left, still feeling his heart beating fast. He had never spoken to Akira in that way. Usually he ignored him and walked away, but this time he got really mad when he spoke of Eiji in that manner.

“Don’t worry Yamah, let’s just go” the brunette placed a hand over Yamah’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“Yeah” the white haired boy began walking once again, as Eiji followed him closely.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the mall, one of the biggest and finest of Tokyo.

“So, what are you going to buy exactly?” Yamah asked as both of them walked towards a Speedo store.

“Stuff I need for my class, nothing important, except for…” the brunette paused suddenly, and grabbed Yamah by the arm pulling him to the bathing suits section. “…one of these for you”

“Nani?!” the white haired boy shouted real loud, making the people around stare at them with oddness. Yamah placed a hand over his mouth, and then he looked at Eiji with questioning eyes. “Why? I don’t go to swimming class”.

“I know, but maybe I would like to challenge you sometime. Using boxers to swim will make your body decrease its speed, making it less ergonomic” Eiji explained to Yamah, who was feeling a bit ashamed. A soft pink color was appearing on his cheeks, and rapidly turned around so Eiji couldn’t see it.

“What?” the brunette asked with a smile. He knew Yamah was shy, even though he tried to act cool and very secure of himself most of the time. It was an enchanting feature that Eiji liked.

“I don’t think that’s necessary, I mean…” the white haired boy stammered, not knowing how to respond to Eiji’s offering.

“Oh, shut up” Eiji interrupted his partner, and he took a neat and dynamic-looking ultramarine blue speedo with a wave pattern on it. “Look, this one looks pretty cool” the brunette showed the bathing suit to Yamah, who stared at the tiny piece of clothing.

“No way. Are you nuts? You will be able to see everything with this thing!”

“I don’t mind” Eiji chuckled at his friend’s reaction.

“Sure you don’t, I’ll be the one using it” Yamah replied with haste. “Besides, it must be really expensive” the young man added, thinking that with that argument he would discourage the brunette.

“Hm…” Eiji looked at the price etiquette hanging from the bathing suit. “3400 yen. Is not that expensive for a good bathing suit”

“You really are nuts” Yamah responded, looking around for another choice.

“All right, how about one of these” Eiji then grabbed another bathing suit. It was a black lycra jammer with an intense blue splice on its sides. Yamah took it in his hands, feeling the softness of the artificial fabric.

“Seems you like it. We’ll take it” Eiji moved on, with the bathing suit in hand.

“O-oi! I didn’t even say yes!”

After taking a swim cap, a pair of goggles and some other accessories, Eiji finally went directly to the cashier, paying a great sum for all the goods, including Yamah’s bathing suit. The other boy just stared at him, really surprised he actually bought the speedo. He felt kind of special; nobody had ever bought him something like this without caring for the money of if he would actually use it.

“Eiji, you shouldn’t…” Yamah wanted to say something; he thought it would be more proper to apologize for the trouble of buying him something this expensive instead of thanking him.

“It’s nothing” the brunette said as he walked out of the store with a plastic shopping bag, being followed by Yamah. He suddenly stopped, and stared at Yamah over his shoulder. Eiji smiled widely as he continued, “consider it a gift for our friendship”.

“Eiji…” the silver haired boy was left speechless. He couldn’t do anything but smile in return. “Thanks”.

“You’re welcome” the brunette answered.

The youngsters walked some more around the mall, checking on the stores once in a while, until they reached the restaurant area. There, Eiji bought some sodas for Yamah and himself before they sat on one of the nearby benches.

Yamah had never felt so grateful in his life. The worst thing was that he couldn’t find a way to express all his gratitude to Eiji. He had never had the need to do it with anyone. But now it was different. He let out a sigh, thinking of a way besides saying ‘thank you’. Why is he this nice to me anyway? I haven’t always been polite to him. I never thought I would say this, but I’m not worthy of his attention.

“You think too much, you know that?” Eiji interrupted the other youth’s deviations.

“Eh?” Yamah answered, waking up from some kind of trance.

“What’s on your mind?” Eiji asked, giving a sip to his cola drink.

“Nothing”.

“I knew you were going to say that” the brunette chuckled as he stared at Yamah with that uncomfortable sight the other boy didn’t like that much. “I’m still thrilled about your constant nightmares. Care to share?”

“I don’t want to talk about it” Yamah responded with his usual cold tone.

“Ok then” the brunette didn’t try to ask again, even though he was dying to know. But he respected his partner’s privacy. It was a little weird though, that he didn’t try to find out and keep pushing Yamah to tell him as he did to him on previous occasions. Time will reveal his secrets, the brunette wisely thought as he drank some more of his soda.