For Whom the Bell Tolls

Title: For Whom The Bell Tolls: Chapter 2
Author: JadeHeart
Archived: Found on gurabiteshiyon.net. If anyone else would like it, please ask me first!
Fandom: Gravitation
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Rape, angst, violence, abuse, bad language, sexual situations
Timeline: After the anime/manga finishes
Characters: Shuichi/Yuki
Feedback: Feedback is always welcome!
Summary: What the future holds…..
Author’s Notes : Sorry, I’m completely exhausted at the moment – business is just hectic for this quarter. The more tired I get, the darker my thoughts become. So this has gone from Romance and something fun and light, to really heavy Angst. Just can’t write romance and happy when I’m this tired – the story just automatically went off in this direction
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to the creators of ‘Gravitation’ , nor am I making any profits from this.

Chapter 2

WARNING: THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE HARSH AND BRUTAL. PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS LISTED. IF ANY OF THIS OFFENDS OR UPSETS, PLEASE DON’T READ FURTHER.


Shuichi turned and paced the other way. He was tempted to go back inside and change into his ordinary clothes, they would be a lot warmer than what he was currently wearing. However, he was worried that if he did, he would miss Yuki, and he didn’t want to keep his partner waiting. He’d just have to hope that Yuki wasn’t far way.

“Hey, look what we have here!”

The rough voice from behind startled him. He turned his head quickly to see a group of five men. They looked like they were aged somewhere between 20 and 30 years old, all dressed casually for a night out. Shuichi slowly turned around to face them fully. He suddenly realized just how isolated this spot was.

“Well, would you look at this? It’s a nancy-boy!” one of the men shouted out, a chorus of harsh laughter greeting his statement. Shuichi heard the slight drawl in the words. Oh, great, he thought with a grimace. They’re smashed! He hated having to deal with drunks!

He tried smiling at them. Perhaps he could make them go away by being nice. “Look, fellas, why don’t you just go enjoy your evening? I’m heading home myself.”

“Oh, really! Heading home to your ‘boyfriend’?” another slurred nastily.

Shuichi was a little surprised. Did they actually know who he was? Were they fans? They weren’t acting like fans did. He decided he wouldn’t deny or confirm the question.

“It’s been a long day.” he shrugged and smiled, taking a small sliding step closer to the door. He could still swipe himself in if he needed to.

“Bet it has been! You’ve probably been on your knees all day getting fucked! Great little bitch, are you, homo?”

Shuichi took another step. This was beginning to get ugly. He had had to get used to the slurs and barbs thrown at he and Yuki because of their relationship. Fortunately, it seemed more people supported them than hated them for it, but the views of the narrow-minded still hurt. Yuki had constantly told him not to let it bother him, but he just couldn’t brush it off the way his older partner seemed to be able to. Shuichi was one of those people who wanted everyone to like them. Completely unrealistic, he knew, but he couldn’t help feeling that way. Sometimes he wished he could be more like Yuki who really didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of him!

“Look, guys, I don’t need any trouble. Just go on your way and let’s forget about this.”

Instead of the calming effect he had been hoping for, his words seemed to enflame them. Before he could react, they had closed in around him, cutting off his path to the door. Damn it!, he thought morosely. Guess it’s going to be down to some fisticuffs and then run for his life.

He sighed. He was going to have to leave his bag behind where it still rested over near the side of the dumpster. Damn it, Yuki, if you’d been on time for once, this wouldn’t be happening!, he grumbled. And this was going to completely ruin his costume! Oh, well, maybe it’s time to go for another look. Wonder what I could try this time, he thought absently.

The men began to move in menacingly. Here goes nothing, he thought, watching them closely. He wasn’t some great fighter, but he knew enough to cause some immediate damage if need be. He really didn’t think this bunch was that serious, it was probably mainly all bluster just to scare him.

“You don’t really want to do this, do you? It’s not really worth the hassle.”

“Oh, yeah? You think not, fag? It’s shit like you that give the rest of us a bad name! You prance around in get up like that,” and he waved his hand at Shuichi’s bared midriff, “shoving your perversions in our faces, and still trying to say you’re a man! You make me sick!” His tone was getting uglier, with rage beginning to colour his voice. “You hang around places begging to get fucked, picking up guys just as perverted as you and no-one does anything. It’s time someone taught you a lesson, you little shit!”

The speaker swung at Shuichi, and was completely unprepared for the young man ducking underneath his flailing arm so he missed. He was also unprepared for the heel of a hand impacting with the underside of his jaw. The man reeled backwards, stumbling over his own feet to fall to the ground, providing an opening in the pack.

Shuichi took a couple of steps forward, intending to make the most of the break, but suddenly felt a hard shove from behind as something struck the back of his head. As he stumbled, he heard the clatter and shattering of glass as the bottle that had hit him, broke upon the ground.

Before he could gather his senses, rough hands grabbed him, dragging him back closer to the building. A hard blow to the stomach doubled him over as he was roughly shoved against the dumpster, the wind being knocked out of him. He managed to stay on his feet with some difficulty, although his vision was still blurry from the blow to the head.

A bolt of fear went through him as memories of a past incident flashed through his mind. Oh, shit!, he thought frantically, fighting against the fear that threatened to debilitate him. Not again! Not like last time! His body’s memory threatened to overwhelm him. He tried to clamp down on it, to push it aside. He had to concentrate on the here and now.

He managed to slide to one side to avoid a punch aimed at his head, enjoying the howl of pain his assailant let out as fist connected sickenly against the metal dumpster. Serves you right, shithead, he thought maliciously, kicking out to catch the wounded man in the groin. See how you like pain! The man dropped to the ground groaning, clutching his privates. Good shot!, Shuichi congratulated himself.

He tried to make a break again, but three of them closed in around him, one tripping him up whilst the other two grabbed his arms, hauling him back onto his feet. Shuichi struggled and twisted but couldn’t break the grips. He managed to kick out and keep the third at bay, until something hard struck the back of his head again, sending him limp.

Blows began to rain down on him. He felt his lip split, his teeth cut the inside of his cheek and tongue. His nose shattered, and blood flowed freely filling his mouth and coating his face. Fingers dug cruelly into the skin on his arms, grinding flesh against bone. Blow after blow struck his stomach until he vomited, bringing up bile, blood and the pearly whiteness of teeth. Still they didn’t stop.

He couldn’t fight back any longer, the only thing holding him up were the hands on his arms. Something snapped audibly as ribs broke, sending shooting pains through his chest. A kick to his groin made him let out a strangled cry.

“Like that, fag!” a voice grated in his ear as his head was yanked back hard by his hair. “Like getting your dick crushed and your balls mashed? You shouldn’t even have them, you queer!” Another kick landed on his groin, harder, and he screamed. His senses had dulled to just the pain he was feeling. Every portion of his body was screaming in concerted agony.

Hands pulled at his clothes, his coat was ripped away and thrown to one side, the cold night air against his broken and abused skin making it ache. His shorts were pulled down around his knees, and he was pushed face first into the dirt. He screamed and thrashed as something cold and long was shoved up his anus, his scream suddenly breaking off as sheer burning agony choked him. He felt something tear with a searing pain deep inside him, and his mind and body began to shut down.

“Fucking pervert! Fucking deviant!” the hateful litany continued with each thrust, but Shuichi was beyond caring any more, beyond comprehension. He didn’t feel the metal bar withdrawn from his rear, didn’t feel it used to rain more blows down on his prone body, breaking bones and making his blood flow freely to stain the ground around him.

“STOP!!!” the shout rang out, echoing off the side of the building, filling the night air. A portion of Shuichi’s mind struggled back to the world for a brief moment. He knew that voice, knew it as he knew his own. Yuki….Yuki, he thought weakly, feeling the blood filling his mouth and lungs as he struggled to breathe. He was here. He had come.

****************

Yuki had finally broken free of the line of traffic, veering off to the side to maneuver down the side alleys. He was glad to see that no die-hard ‘Bad Luck’ fans crowded these areas. That should mean that Shuichi would be on his own and they could get on their way quickly. He hated having to fend of screaming females trying to paw at his partner.

As he rounded the last corner he looked ahead, searching for Shuichi. Knowing how careless Shuichi could get when he was excited, he was jus as liable to leap in front of Yuki’s car and get run over for his troubles! That brought a small smile to his face as he remembered another such time. He was very glad now he hadn’t run over Shuichi back then. Think of all the fun and sex he would have missed out on!

On the far edge of his headlights, he saw movement. There was a group of men near a dumpster crowded around something. What the…?

Suddenly he slammed on his brakes, leaping out of the vehicle, leaving the engine running and door open. His eyes were fixed on the splash of yellow that was lying crumpled on the ground. He recognized that – Shuichi’s coat! Now he could see that the men were crowed around something huddled on the ground. The scream that ripped from his throat was one of pure primal rage.

Fury filling his veins, he rammed into the men, his impact throwing two of them to the ground immediately. He struck out, his fist ramming into the side of another’s face. He ignored the cuts on his knuckles from the man’s teeth slicing his flesh. He kicked out and brought another to his knees.

He landed another kick in the midsection of one of the men, the impact sending him rolling away. He then leant down and dragged another up by his hair and shoved him into two others just trying to gain their feet, sending all three down in a tangle of limbs. That had cleared the area before him as he placed himself between them and Shuichi.

His lips were drawn back in a silent snarl, he could feel the rage pounding through his veins, his teeth grinding. He was not going to let them come near Shuichi! His mind didn’t want to believe that the body behind him was his Shuichi. He didn’t want to know that that bleeding broken form was his lover. This wasn’t happening, it wasn’t real! His eyes narrowed in fury as he glared at the men staggering onto their feet, their faces reflecting their hatred. These men, Yuki thought. They had hurt him. They had hurt his Shuichi. No-one touched Shuichi except him!

Shuichi could fee the little bubbles of blood forming in his nose as his body gasped in another struggling breath. He couldn’t move; he could barely feel he had a body at all. His mind felt clouded, unable to focus on any one thought. He looked at the person who had appeared in front of him. He could see Yuki’s legs standing there, moving his eyes with difficulty he could look upwards, along Yuki’s back, could see his pale hair shining in the light from the headlights of his car. He could see Yuki was standing between himself and the thugs. Yuki was protecting him. He smiled in his mind, for he no longer had any control over his body. Yuki was protecting him. Yuki would always protect him. He had always known that. Everything was alright. Yuki was here.

His vision began to darken. Someone must have turned off the lights. It was getting darker and darker. He tried to speak, to call out to Yuki, but he was no longer capable of doing so. The last of the light he could see framed Yuki, forming a glowing halo around that golden head.

Yuki, he thought hard, willing the man to look at him, to turn around. As though he had heard his plea, Yuki turned his head, glancing over his shoulder and down at Shuichi’s face. Beautiful, Shuichi thought happily and he suddenly managed to curl his split lips in a small smile, eyes filled with love. You are so beautiful, my love. The light slowly began to fade, causing Yuki’s face to dim into darkness, but Shuichi felt nothing but happiness.

Yuki glanced down and his heart clenched at the sight. Shuichi was covered in blood, half clothed, his face swollen and bloodied. Only his eyes shone still. Suddenly, Yuki saw him give a small smile, and Yuki didn’t understand why he felt such a blanket of warmth suddenly wrap around him as though Shuichi were embracing him.

He could see the love in his partner’s eyes, the love that had never faltered all through their relationship. It was that love that had made Yuki want to change - to become someone worthy of that love. Then, as he watched, he saw the light fade from those eyes, leaving them remaining open and staring.

He was frozen in shock. Shui..i..chi, his mind choked on the name. He was so badly hurt! He had to get help immediately! He turned back to the men before him, feeling the rage building once more. They’d pay for hurting Shuichi!