Dark Eden

*mumbles some stuff and shuffles off for a nap*

Two months, almost three, he had barely seen Sho outside of
school. Even at lunch he was off most days now. With Tsukasa. What
the hell were they doing that was so damn important? He had told the
others to hold off and stay away, that Sho would tell him in good
time. But it was pissing him off damn it!

“I’m bored,” Sho dropped his chin to his desk
with a sigh.

“You’re always bored… lately anyways.”
Tahsu looked at the suspiciously blank page sitting on Sho’s
desk.

“So? I’ve got nothing to do…”

“Why not write, like you do any other time you’re
bored?”

“I can’t, I’m broken.”

“Broken? Now this is a term I haven’t heard of
before.”

“As in I can’t write. It sucks.” Sho sighed,
Tsukasa stared at the two from the front of the room.

“Are you depressed or something?”

“… I don’t know, I just can’t find
anything to write. Can’t come up with anything.”

“How do you get rid of it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’ll go away on its own.”

“Come on Sho, how long have you been saying that to
yourself?”

“About three months.”

“Exactly. So. By determining what you haven’t been
doing in the past few months I’ve decided you’re coming
to my place.”

“Tahsu, I can’t, I’ve got plans…sort of
…”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter. Whether you
like it or not, you’re coming to my place.”

Sho latched onto him suddenly, hugging on for dear life in the
middle of the hallway. Even with the after school rush there were a
lot of students in the halls. Which scared and embarrassed Tahsu at
the same time. What was so important, yet so scary to Sho that he
*hugged* him for ordering him about?

“Thank you!”

“…whatever man, just stop hugging me. Kinda creepy ya
know,” Tahsu gave Sho’s shoulder a gentle shove.

“…” Sho stared sheepishly at the ground as he
pulled away, “Sorry…”

“Whatever, don’t worry about it… just…
let’s get to my place before you start sobbing or something…”

* * *

Tahsu waited until Sho hung up after telling his …friend or
whatever… that their plans were cancelled for the weekend
before settling down on the floor and looking at Sho expectantly. His
friend pretended not to notice the look as he made himself
comfortable on the bed, laying sprawled slightly as Tahsu sighed.

“Come on Sho, let it out.”

Obviously it had something to do with Tsukasa, but why was Sho
spending the weekend there? Even if they were dating he shouldn’t
be hanging out around the teacher’s house every weekend,
someone might see them.

“…”

Sho buried his face in the pillow for a moment before looking back
at Tahsu, “You can’t tell *anyone*.”

“Who would I tell? Your parents? Pffft.”

“Tahsu…”

Tahsu sighed and put his fore arms on his knees, letting his hands
dangle down, “Just tell me already.”

“…” Sho pushed himself up, taking the pillow
with him as he held it as if it were a shield, “Remember that
day your mom made you apply to all those places?”

“Yeah, have you applied yet? It is important you know.”

“Yes, Rytaka University. Anyways, that was the first time,
after that it’s been every weekend and three or five times
during the weekdays.”

“What’s been happening.”

Sho squirmed uneasily for a moment before settling down once more
and sighing, “I’ve been… I mean… I’m
involved in a sexual relationship… with Tsukasa.”

*That’s* what they had been up to? Tahsu didn’t know
if he should feel relieved or protective. Although Sho said ‘sexual’
before ‘relationship’ which probably gave him every right
to feel protective, and he intended to be as protective as possible.

“He’s like twenty years older than us Sho.”

“I know that! Sort of… but it’s not like the
first time I just said ‘throw me down’ and he did! I’ve
never said that. Every time we’re alone together he just starts
kissing and I can’t make him stop even though the first time I
wanted him to but he talked me into it and next thing I knew we were
doing it and I couldn’t believe it so I thought I was dreaming
but I wasn’t! And it hurt, but I liked it and so did he so he
took me to his place for the weekend and we did it some more and it
was fine for a bit but now I don’t like it!

“Everything we do together is about sex or school. I don’t
want to be used for sex, I don’t want to do nothing but sex, I
want to have a relationship and he’s not giving me one but I’m
so afraid of what he’ll say if I say no, or if I say it’s
over or even if I go to someone else because what if they do the same
thing? Or what if I’m breaking some sort of law! I could go to
jail Tahsu! I don’t want to go to jail!”

“Calm down,” Tahsu grabbed the Kleenex box and the
trash bucket as he moved to beside Sho, “Look, you didn’t
do anything illegal Sho, he did. So… stop crying, okay?”

“…” Sho took a Kleenex and wiped his eyes
before sniffing loudly, “but what am I supposed to do?”

“Just tell him it’s over, or stop going, or tell an
adult, a female if you don’t trust the others to keep their
grubby hands to themselves, but do something that gets you out of
this thing. Look at what it’s doing to you.”

“He might lie, tell them that I’m lying, I know how it
works. Then one day I disappear off the face of the earth and no
one’s the wiser until my body turns up somewhere floating in
the ocean or something and they find out I’ve been brutally
beat to death with a lamp or raped to death or something and no one
looks into it!”

“If that happens, which it won’t because I won’t
let it, me and mine will go after Tsukasa right away.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Sho blew his nose on the used Kleenex and threw it in the trash
before giving Tahsu a half smile, “thanks…”

“But, wait, you still want a relationship with him?”
Tahsu almost felt like he should have popcorn, or be a talk show
host, he wasn’t really sure.

“I don’t know, it might be fine at first but
eventually he’ll start taking advantage of me again or all out
rape.”

“What he did was rape Sho, Date Rape, you might have heard
of it.”

“That involves drugs or something stupid.”

“No it doesn’t, you didn’t give consent at all,
you said he talked you into it, what did he say or do for that
matter?”

“It’s my own fault! I thought it was innocent enough…
until he was between my legs and pushing into me. Then I asked him
what he was doing and responded like I was stupid. It hurt, I was
confused. He asked if I was confused and I told him yes so he told me
to just lie back, that it would only hurt for a little bit and it did
and I enjoyed it but not really, I wasn’t ready for that sort
of a thing, I just wanted to make out damn it! I didn’t want to
be fucked like some blow up doll! And I’m not a toy the way he
treats me! I have feelings.” Sho looked up at Tahsu with red
eyes, tears spilling down his cheeks, “right?”

“Of course you’re not a toy. And that is rape.”

“It’s not rape if you enjoy it.”

Tahsu wondered for a moment if Sho had gotten lost in his own
world again. But if that had happened the writer would have been
scrambling for the nearest piece of paper.

“…no, it’s not rape if you consent to it as a
legal adult under the influence of no drugs or alcohol or other
substances that could possibly impede your judgement.”

“But I enjoyed it.”

“Damn it Sho, you’re a guy, a teenaged guy at that.
How often do you think about sex?”

“I don’t know!”

Tahsu rolled his eyes, “you get caught at the right moment,
the right way and even the worst, most violent rape could end in
….what’s the word?”

“I don’t know, and I *don’t* care.”

“You were raped.”

“He didn’t mean to!”

“Didn’t mean to my ass. He’s a grown man and
knows what he likes. He likes, no he lusts for, you. He had sex with
you fully knowing the consequences of his actions, there was no
‘didn’t mean to’s of this except you didn’t
mean to let it happen and now you can’t stop blaming yourself
for it.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?” Sho
squeaked hiding his face in his hands.

“No, it’s his fault, for being such a pervy bastard.”

“Well… what am I going to do! I can’t just say
no or something!”

“I know what I’m going to do.”

“What?” he peaked out between his fingers.

“Not let him get you alone any more.”

“Tahsu…”

“mm?”

“You’re the best.”

“Just doing my job as friend. I’d have to charge ten
bucks an hour to any other kid.”

Sho let out a small laugh before sighing, “I wonder how
he’ll take it?”

“Horribly, obviously.”

* * *

“Why the fuck are you here?” Tsukasa hissed angrily as
Sho walked away to the bathrooms.

“Because, you, Tsukasa *sensai* are a pervert and cannot be
trusted,” Tahsu glanced grimly down at the bowl of noodles
before him. He suddenly wasn’t hungry.

“So you aren’t trying to steal him away?”

“Fuck face.”

He wasn’t gay. Maybe bisexual at times but not gay, and
especially not gay for Sho.

“Excuse me? Language Tahsu.”

“We aren’t in school, we aren’t even in a fine
restaurant, and we will *not* be going to any parks afterwards. You
will drive us back to school and be a good little pervert and do as
you are told.”

“And if I don’t?” Tsukasa pushed his bowl of
rice away from the edge of the table.

“I have a few friends who are willing to give Sho what he
wants, what you aren’t giving him.” Hasu being one of
them, and even if Hasu didn’t want to give Sho exactly what he
wanted Tahsu would make sure that he did.

“I’m giving him everything he wants,” the
teacher checked his watch, then glanced at the bathrooms to see if
Sho was coming back yet.

“You give him nothing but a pain in the ass.”

“And I suppose you aren’t going to tell me what I can
do to remedy the situation, are you?”

“Nope, discover it for yourself or fuck yourself up. You
mess him up any worse however, and I’ll be forced to do illegal
things to you.”

“Is that a threat?”

Tahsu saw Sho out the corner of his eye and immediately changed
his tone from threatening to polite and nice, “Why of course
not! Hey Sho! Have a nice time in the bathroom?”

“…what have you two been doing? Tsukasa looks
ruffled.”

“Nothing.”

“See? I haven’t hurt him at all!” Tahsu patted
Tsukasa’s head for a moment before giving the teacher a quick
glare, “Let’s go back to the school, I have to talk to
the principal still before lunch ends.”

Sho shrugged innocently, “Okay.” he said before making
his way out of the restaurant to Tsukasa’s car.

“Are you always going to be here?” Tsukasa growled.

“Ouch, if your tone were any more acidic I’d be
burning. Tsukasa, are you trying to imply that I’m not welcome?
Perhaps we should bring this up with Sho, or-! The principal would
find it absolutely fascinating.”

“How long Tahsu? A week? A month? How long am I going to
have to worry about you doing something stupid?”

“Until he is eighteen, and you get my approval. And that
won’t be for a very long time.” Tahsu growled in
Tsukasa’s ear before pulling away, “Don’t forget to
pay for lunch, wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with the
authorities or something.”

“…”

Tahsu gave a little wave over his shoulder before going out to
meet with Sho. Everything was going according to plan… for
once.