Kojuurou raised his hand.

"What is it?" professor Shingen wailed.

"Toilet, please," Kojuurou replied.

"Go."

His decision not to masturbate met with another revision. He pushed the door open, ready to storm into a free stall and get busy, when he noticed Masamune, perched on the sink, his face dripping wet.

"Motherfucker," Masamune said as if it was a common greeting between them. He launched towards Kojuurou, pushing him into one of the stalls, forcing him to sit on the toilet seat with his pants up. He locked the stall.

Kojuurou tried to stand up. He realized it was not the best case scenario when Masamune's foot on his chest pushed him down. The boy crossed his arms on his chest, leaned against the door, his foot gently swaying Kojuurou back and forth.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of you!" Masamune threatened in a subdued voice.

"It's the best place to beat the crap out of somebody," Kojuurou remarked.

The first sign of alarm was Masamune's unrelenting frown. He felt another nudge from Masamune's foot. If it was anybody else, he would grab him by the ankle, spin him around and deftly pin him to the door, face first. Then his fists would attack his kindeys, just bellow the ribbcage. But it was not just anybody, it was Masamune. So Kojuurou sat still, his pride feeling each nudge as a vicious blow.

Kojuurou did not know what to expect. He knew Masamune was a threat, despite his sligher built and seemingly weak stature. Was he going to let this guy beat him up, without fighting back? He decided he deserved it after what he'd done in the cafeteria.

Masamune finally pulled his foot back. The tension in his shoulders eased up. He gave up on violence, simply because he could not decide what he wanted more: to land a blow on Kojuurou, or to get down on his knees and blow him. That was a problem with having such intense fellings for another guy; beating him up was not the only option.

"Don't do that shit again," he said, unlocking the stall.

"Wait," Kojuurou said grabbing Masamune's arm.

"Let go, Kojuurou," the threat was once again present in the boy's voice.

"I'm sorry," Kojuurou murmured. His apology was not acknowledged.

The following day, Kojuurou sat at the same table where he'd fucked up with Masamune. He wasted all of his audacity on that act, so he could not bring himself to call Masamune, and apologize properly. He noticed the boy, walking towards him, laughing. Yuuki was with him. It was a cruel way to take revenge.

Kojuurou could hear something inside of him break when he saw Yuuki touch Masamune's elbow, smiling. She was hardly trying to be seductive, but to Kojuurou everything about her at that moment looked menacing, flirtatious and cheap. Nobody could tell what he would have done if the intimate exchange continued. Yuuki waved to Masamune, and went to sit with her friends. The one-eyed boy walked on towards their table. He sat down, and without looking at Kojuurou he said:

"You fucking deserved that one."

Kojuurou managed to force a smile around his gritted teeth, through the tension in his jaw. The effort made his face into an eerie grimace, and his facial muscles began to ache, so he gave up on trying to pretend he did not care.

"Nobody deserves that," he hissed. "I've apologized. And I really am sorry for yesterday. But that was just mean."

Masamune laughed. "Are your little feelings hurt, Kojuurou?" he asked, mischievously.

The boy had no idea just how much Kojuurous feeling were hurt, and he could not imagine how far from little those hurt feelings were. Masamune was a little closer to realization after Kojuurou's vicious fist landed onto his healthy eye, throwing him on the floor. The murmurs ceased instantly, and for the first time in months, everybody saw him. But he took no notice. At that moment, he saw only Masamune, sprawled on the floor with a surprised look on his face. He grabbed his shirt and pulled him up.

"Fuck you," he whispered, "and fuck that little bitch of yours."

Masamune fell back on the floor when Kojuurou released him. The furious teen grinned around his pain.

"Sorry I was unable to find a more suitable venue to beat the crap out of you."

Eyes followed him as he walked through the cafeteria, into the hallway. Then all those eyes turned to Masamune, who still sat on the floor, stupefied by Kojuurou's outburst, by his terrifying strenght.

"It was just a joke," he murmured to himself. It took him a few minutes to collect his wits, and when he did he ran out of the cafeteria.

"WAIT!" he yelled, bursting into the principle's office, the assistant pulling him back.

"You cannot go in!" the assistant screamed.

"Let go of me, goddamit!" he kept yelling wildly.

Kojuurou's cold stare quenched his fury. The principle waved her hand to the assistant, who closed the door, sighing, murmuring something under his breath.

"Sit down, Masamune," the principle said wearily.

"I provoked him," he said before he sat down. He was not about to let Kojuurou take another fall because of him.

"This seems vaguely familiar, Masamune. I believe you provoked this volatile young man once before."

"Actually, last time I provoked him. This time he provoked me. There's a slight difference, but it's there," Kojuurou explained.

"Shut up, Kojuurou. Both of you. Not a peep."

The blonde stood up and looked out of the window. She made sure the boys did not see her warm smile. When she turned around, her face was a paragon of authority.

"I don't know what kind of a friendship you two have, but keep it out of the school, ok?"

"Yes, Ma'm," the boys answered in unison, smelling sweet freedom.

"I'm not stupid. I was capable of connecting dots since I was five," she said. It was really unnecesary for her to tell them she knows the whole truth, but she wanted to do it. She had let Kojuurou off the hook, and she had to explain why she was about to do it again.

"What do you mean?" Masamune asked.

"A boy ends up in a hospital. Three other boys are absent from school at the same time. Boy comes back to school. Yet another boy intervenes, beats up those three absentees and gets himself into a world of trouble. Those are the dots, Masamune."

He lowered his gaze. The wound Kojuurou opened was swelling, and his eye was almost completely closed. It felt like he was going blind, and he started to tremble. Panic took over, and his body was overwhelmed by strong convulsions. He forgot where he was as the light became dimmer by the second, his sight completely abandonig him.

Kojuurou kneeled down, putting both of his hands on Masamune's knees, calming his nervous legs.

"Masamune, it's ok. Calm down. " The boy did not show any sign that he heard his words.

"I'll call the nurse," the principle said, picking up the phone.

"Don't," Kojuurou said, "please. I'll calm him down."

The principle knew how uncanny it was for a teenage boy to act this protective and caring about his friend.

"I'll leave you two alone," she said, something telling her she was redundant in the scene.

Masamune was completely out of it. The world went dark, just like in his worst nightmare; he was completely blind. Lost to the impenetrable darkness.

Kojuurou stood up. He did not know how to pull Masamune back from his catatonic state. He stared at the boy in front of him, feeling he was out of his depth. The only thing he could think of was to hold Masamune, to whisper softly into his ear.

"Come on, man. You're tougher than this. Snap out of it. Please."

Kojuurou was about to start panicking himself, but then he felt the convulsions subside, and lean hands wrapped around him, holding him tightly. Masamune nestled his head onto Kojuurou's chest. They held onto each other, reluctant to let go.

Masamune felt the familiar feeling of safety well up inside of him.

"I'm fine," he said. "I think you should take me to the infirmary. I doubt I could find my own way. I'm blind, thankyouverymuch."

"Sorry."

"Whatever. Just lead the way. Asshole."

Kojuurou put a hand around Masamune's waist and lead him out of the office. The principle smiled again.

Some boys grow up faster than others.

Masamune tried to calm down, but to no avail. It has been months since he lost half of the world in front of him. The fact that Kojuurou offered him an entirely new world filled with unimaginable wonders did not make things brighter in the darkness he found himself in. The nurse was saying something to him, but he could not hear her; it was as if his hearing abandoned him along with his eyesight.

"Masamune?" he finallly heard a mellow female voice.

"Mhm... yes?"

"Can you hear me?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you," he said, his voice shaking, his fear making him feel like a little girl. Kojuurou thought that he was tough. Damn.

Kojuurou has no idea just how much of a pussy I am, Masamune thought, remembering how Kojuurou pleaded him to tough it out. The only reason why he was able to snap out of his breathless panic attack was because of the strong hands around him, and a reassuring deep voice whispering into his ear.

A pussy.

"Do you have someone to take you home?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's waiting for me outside," Masamune answered, smiling.

At least I'm not the only pussy out here.

He could hear the sound of Kojuurou's footsteps as the nurse invited him in.

"His left eye is still swollen, so you should take him home."

Kojuurou nodded, looking at Masamune who was holding a pack of ice over his left eye. He took Masamune's strenght for granted. He never even asked him how he felt about losing his eye, he never asked him if he was scared. He was too concerned about how Masamune never touched him, he was so absorbed by the lack of reciprocity in their relationship that he never even wondered what was going through Masamunes mind.

They walked out of the school, Kojuurou's hand around Masamune's waist, guiding him.

"This feels weird," Masamune said.

"What do you mean?"

"You, holding me so fucking close, and in plain sight. You don' think it feels weird?"

He let his head fall on Kojuurou's shoulder.

"See, I can do this, and no one would think anything of it."

Kojuurou smiled.

"Yeah," he said, pulling Masamune closer, slowing down their pace. They were in no hurry, after all.

When they reached Masamune's house they did not wait to get inside. Kojuurou pushed his friend against the basement door and kissed him.

"I wish that was another thing we could have done in plain sight today," he said, his hands travelling south, unbuttoning Masamune's pants.

"Wow, man. Just because I can't see it, doesn't mean the neighbours can't."

"Sorry, I'm just..."

"Yeah, I know, me too. But why don't we get inside before we do anything substanital."

They stumbled into the basement, awkwardly finding their way onto the couch. Kojuurou ended up on top, as usual.

"Man, this feels strange," Masamune said.

"Something wrong?" Kojuurou asked, his hand making its way into Masamune's pants. When it touched Masamune's hard cock, the younger mand shook his head.

"Never mind, just kiss me."

Kojuurou obeyed. For some reason he felt brave enough to push his hand deeper between Masamune's leg, his clumsy fingers looking for entrance.

"Wow!" Masamune yelled out as one of Kojuurou's eager fingers entered him.

"So-sorry," the eager teen said, but instead of pulling out his finger, he pushed it deeper.

"That feels so fucking weird," Masamune grunted.

"Yeah? Want me to stop?"

Instead of answering, Masamune just blushed and, in his blindness, he managed to unbutton Kojuurou's pants.

"Masamune, could we...you know..." Kojuurou ventured, panting wildly.

"Yes. Yes. Hurry."

Suddenly, Kojuurou flew through the air and found himself pinned against the wall. Strong fingers closed around his neck, and he felt as if he was seconds away from fainting. The big man who held him against the wall with only one hand stared at him for a few moments, stupefied by his own wild reaction. His dark eyes travelled downwards. Kojuurou's pants hung around his ankles, and the erection he had was undeniable. He felt the other hand connect with his ribcage, and he was sure the man swore, but he could not understand what he said.

"Dad...stop."

Masamune's father turned to his son, still holding Kojuurou's neck in a vice-like grip. This boy was doing something to his son. Something that a man should not do to another man. Especially not to his son.

"Dad, let Kojuurou go."

"What's wrong with your left eye, boy?" father asked.

"For Christ's sake, you're gonna kill him! STOP!"

As if by some strange impulse, the angry parent released his grip, and Kojuurou fell to the floor, gasping for air. He was still unaware of what was going on.

"What the fuck were you doing to my son?" he bellowed, pulling Kojuurou up.

"Son?"

"Yes, motherfucker, my son!"

Maybe it was genetic, the way they used that word, motherfucker, as if it carried no insult whatsoever.

Masamune managed to open his left eye enough to grab his father's forearm and pull his attention away from Kojuurou.

"Dad. He ... He wasn't doing anything. Just, erm, let it go."

Masamune hoped that his father would let it go, having in mind that letting go was pretty much all he did since his son lost his right eye.

"Your left eye is swollen up, your shirt is open, your pants ... his pants... "

The only reasonable explanation was that Kojuurou hit his son, that he used the handicap to force himself upon an innocent heterosexual boy in order to satisfy ...

"He's my boyfriend," Masamune said, realizing it was the first time he had ever reffered to Kojuurou like that. There was no other way from stopping his father from going medieval on Kojuurou, but to shock him out of his wits. His son saying he has a boyfriend did the trick.

"I'm calling Kojuurou's father. You two perverts do not move a muscle!"

"You," he said turning to Kojuurou, "tell me your father's phone number."

Kojuurou recited the number.

"Hello? This is Date Takeshi. I just caught your son with his pants down in my basement."

A pause.

Kojuurou glanced at Masamune, whose face showed no sign of panic or worry. Not a trace. The one-eyed boy was obviously pissed off, and he was not shy about it.

"Yes. I would appreciate it if you would join our little get together."