MBM: Chapter 2

“Katsuya! Where on earth have you and Jin’ichi been? It’s been six days, you guys were absent! And you don’t look so good too! Are you alright?” asked a baby-face boy who sat next to him in homeroom. He had a child’s face, with coloured hair clips on his blonde-dyed fringes.

“I’m alright, Koike” Katsuya gave a weak smile and wandered his eyes over to Jin’ichi’s empty desk. Jin’ichi always looked back from that desk, sending love gestures to him. Once, during an exam, Jin’ichi turned back and winked at Katsuya unexpectedly, causing them to a detention when the teacher accused them of cheating in an exam. They had to paint the whole classroom, clean the swimming pool and arrange books in the library. It was fun, because Jin’ichi was fun to be with, and with someone who you love by your side, even reading a manual would be entertaining. Katsuya’s eyes moved over to Yuuki’s desk, which were located at the other side of the room, located at the same roll as Katsuya. It makes Yuuki easy to see things occurring between them, and how many times did these actions hurt him over and over again.

“Katsuya!” a happy voice called him, emerging from the corridors. Yuuki appeared with a large smile on his face. “You came…”

Katsuya smiled weakly and nodded. Yuuki’s eyes were shining with a vivid brightness that shows how much he cares for him. With a smile in return, Yuuki walked to his seat and pulled out his classroom materials from his bag. Katsuya watched his every move, as if his eyes had been under a curse to look at him forever. That great friend had always been watching him for days, and he had not even noticed it until now. Knowing so well that he hated the stormy weathers, Yuuki swam in the tempest just to see if Katsuya was alright. Yuuki was so good to him; he was a lifesaver who held him from falling.

“Did you know Jin’ichi left the school?” whispered one of the voices at the back of the classroom. “He just went away, to another school, or another country!”

“You are sure? Where did he go?”

“I don’t know. Katsuya would know something about it. They were absent the same time too…”

The group of gossipers approached Katsuya to ask him about Jin’ichi. Yuuki got up from his seat as fast as he yelled across the room, “Jin’ichi went away with his parents for a while. Don’t worry; we still keep in contact with him. He said he really misses hid friends!”

“We thought he went to overseas!”

“Stupid rumours,” Yuuki lied on the spot and hid it with a fake laugh.

Yuuki looked over to Katsuya and their eyes met for a short moment. Katsuya smiled back to thank him, but in his eyes were still filled with sorrow. It was a week ago when Jin’ichi told them unexpectedly that he was leaving school, somewhere far that he wanted to leave all memories behind. He kissed Katsuya goodbye, and left Katsuya all in tears. Jin’ichi told Katsuya that the love that had for one another was an illusion ever since the beginning. It wasn’t meant to last, and as time moves on, those feelings started to change. Katsuya, who loves Jin’ichi deeply and sincerely, broke into tears, as he watched Jin’ichi’s car departed from his house.

Katsuya held out in pubs, drinking to make himself forget that incident. Yuuki kept a close watch on him, making sure that Katsuya was safe in the streets alone. He was sad about that incident, but it hurts him deeper to see Katsuya in such pain. He could endure his own pain to see Jin’ichi and Katsuya together, but it hurts him to see Katsuya break down and cry this way. On that stormy night, which Katsuya hated that weather, Yuuki felt that he should stay with Katsuya, and bring him back to reality.

Even though Yuuki managed to bring him back to school, he could hardly concentrate on the classes he attended. He was still daydreaming, wearing that sad look in his face, as he kept on staring out the window, as if he was anticipating for someone to arrive at the school gate.

“Katsuya!” the teacher called his name and asked him to come up to answer the equation written on the board. Katsuya got up from his chair slowly, and approached the front of the class. Picking up the chalk, he looked up at the equation, not knowing what to answer for he had been absent for six classes and everything seems blank in his head.

“Can’t you understand such simple equation?” the teacher said angrily. “You don’t pay attention in class, you don’t earn good grades, and yet you still missed six classes in a roll!

Katsuya stared that the board, listening to the teacher yelled at him. If he were the same Katsuya, he would have thrown few words back at her, but now, he stood there blankly, being silent and unaffected.

“Sensei, could I help him in solving that equation?” Yuuki asked as he raised his hands eagerly. He got up from his wooden chair and walked towards the board. In just a few minutes, he quickly solved the problem, as Katsuya stood beside him watching how the equation was being solved.

“Excellent, Yuuki, I am at least proud to see a student like you in class. Get back to your seats, boys. Katsuya, pay more attention when you are in class. The board is not outside that window.”

It was afternoon when Katsuya hurried up the garret of the school building, where Jin’ichi always waits for him every class, where they would eat together and talked together about everything. The presence of Jin’ichi still exists in that place but physically, he was gone. Katsuya lied down on the floor, looking up the skies through his long, slender fingers.

“Katsu-chan!” Yuuki approached Katsuya with a smile on his face. “Here’s a drink for you.”

Katsuya caught the can of coffee and stared at it blankly in his hand. It was his favourite drink, as the taste was not too sweet or too bitter, just right for a break that could be served both hot and cold. “Thanks Yuuki for helping me solve that equation…”

“An equation is a problem. And remember, Katsu-chan, that no matter equations, problems or anything you have in your life or studies, I would always be next to you, helping you to solve these problems,” Yuuki lied down next to Katsuya, and handling him a piece of his curry bun. “Eat it up, Katsuya. You don’t have any weight to lose any longer.”

Katsuya took the piece of curry bun to his mouth. As his teeth munched against the food, tears rolled down his eyes for no reason, and he had a strange feeling that couldn’t be ease. It was different from that sorrow he held inside, but this feeling was something unexplainable that somehow makes him feel, at least, relieved. “Yuuki, you don’t have to waste your time on a guy like me. I’ll be fine…I’m sure I would be…”

“Silly boy, I could waste every second of my life to keep you happy, Katsuya. After all, you are important to me…” Yuuki nibbled Katsuya’s cheek gently.

Katsuya rubbed his cheeks and smiled. He was still afraid to accept that he had fallen for that gentleness and concern that Yuuki had for him. He placed his hand on Yuuki’s hand, locking them between his fingers. Those hands that locked between them used to be Jin’ichi’s but Yuuki was now at his side, and this touch of love was stranger and more intimating that he could ever imagine. The warmth from Yuuki’s hands was bit by bit, healing his sorrow slowly.

“While holding my hand, you might not think of me being the one in hands with you. It’s alright. As long as I could be next to you, Katsuya. It’s fine. I will still wait until the day you realize that the hands you hold is no longer Jin’ichi’s but mine…”

The school bell rang as students rushed back to their classrooms. The classes were extremely noisy as the boys and girls were trying hard to be heard, and to speak, creating a very noisy environment. The lessons after that lunch break was rather dull and Katsuya’s eyes had not moved away from either Jin’ichi’s empty desk or the window. Even though he knew Yuuki would always be there for him, he couldn’t get his mind off Jin’ichi. After all Jin’ichi had been with him long enough to become a huge part of his life. The most valuable present from Jin’ichi was that musical box that was given to Katsuya under a blanket of stars above them, along with a meteor shower above. Even though Yuuki had put it together to make the melody of the musical box play, it gives off a broken melody, just like his broken soul. He wasn’t too sure if Yuuki would be able to fix his soul and heart back together, but all he knew was Yuuki was that light that always shines to him during his darkest hour.

“I am going to stay with you until you get all well…” Yuuki pulled a huge bag from his locker. “I am going to be pretty late tonight; I still have my part time job to do. Then I shall be home and to watch over you. So, Katsuya, Take care!” Katsuya watched Yuuki cycled off the school. He stood at the front gate as the figure of Yuuki became smaller and smaller, before he disappeared into the horizon.

Katsuya was at his balcony, staring into the mist for a long time, as the sun began to set. It was such a beautiful sight, as the horizon that swallows Yuuki a while ago, also swallows the sun; as darkness was next to reign the skies. He felt a strong need of something to make him forget. Dressed up in casual clothes and a cap over his dyed hair, he walked out off his apartment to the supermarket, with the desire to keep drinking again. Perhaps alcohol might make them at least forget that sadness of Jin’ichi leaving, and the mixed emotions he had for Yuuki. Everything had weighed them down so much, pulling him up from sorrow to confusion.