The cold hard truth [Vincent][Warning: blood]

[Leiken Chu]

The sound of shoes hitting the floor and jean fabric scrapping the steps would echo as he walked down the corridor to get to the familiar office. It was a long walk when you were holding cargo that you did not want to drop for sure. That cargo being a box of cupcakes that he'd worked quite hard to make. However, it would become quite awkward once he'd arrived at the doorway to Vincent's office.

How was he going to knock?

He raised the box to the top of his head. Balancing it there, holding it with his injured arm, while the other knocked quickly on the door like a wood pecker before grasping the box again. Pulling it down from his head to hold it He didn't know why vincent had not responded to his second message, was he mad, did he already have alot of work to do? Lei wasn't really sure.

It worried him.

[Vincent Meian]

Tapping his pen against the desk in irritation, Vincent struggled to contain his agitation about what he would have to do. Despite how much he wanted to spare Lei's feelings and keep the boy as a student, it was likely that at the end of this he would lose the boy's trust and tutelage in one fell swoop. But it could not be helped - his session with Sean and the confrontation with Zander had shown him that. There was simply nothing else that he could do.


Lei needed to know this couldn't happen.


Granted, he thought they wouldn't see each other for another couple of days, considering he hadn't seen the second email the boy had sent, so when a knock came at his door the trainer wasn't expecting anyone. Looking at the door, he debated on pretending he wasn't in or simply ignoring for the sake of getting some peace, but it didn't settle well with him. Sighing in annoyance, he stood from the desk and moved to the door, opening it in a fluid motion and fully expecting yet another member of the staff to tell him what he already knew.


So, it was with a start that he realized Lei was standing there, holding a box with a soft cast around one hand and a worried expression on his face.


He hadn't expected to see the boy yet and was unaware of the second email, so his face flickered to confusion briefly before it settled back into neutrality. Perhaps it was beneficial that his student had come here on his volition rather than being summoned. It meant he could leave if he wanted.


"Lei, please come in. We need to speak." Moving out of the doorway, he held the door open for his student and closed it behind him, keeping the door unlocked to allow the chance for him to leave. He stayed for a moment to steady himself, then looked to the boy and moved to his desk. He seated himself, then nodded for Lei to sit. This conversation would likely not go well.


"We need to discuss the events of our last session."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei smiled, genuinely, at the sight of the other man. He felt his heart leap into his chest with pure joy seeing that his trainer had still been there. he'd been later than he thought he would be due to the amount of mistakes he'd made in the kitchen. "Oh good. you're here still I had meant to come sooner after i sent the second email, but I ran into a bit of a problem. " he stated awkwardly holding the box of cupcakes in his hand. The box itself was white and there was a dragon painted on the lid with what appeared to be fingerpaints.

Lei's clothing had bits of cupcake batter and flower on them, the jeans hid it better than the shirt did, at least for the batter portion. There was a pair of glasses hanging on the collar of his shirt, but the lenses were smeared with batter finger-prints upon the glass.

"Of course we do. That's what i've come for after all." He stated as he walked into the door. Looking back to the man as it was closed. Though he was surprised he hadn't locked it given how often people seemed to walk in on things as of late. He was completely unaware of what the man had to say to him.

Lei sat the box down on the desk infront of vincent as he took a seat behind that desk. He ran his fingertips over the edge of the desk after doing so before sitting down on the edge of it. Though he made a small sound as the man mentioned the events that had occurred.

however, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what the man had to say about it. So he pretended at first, not to know what the man had meant directly, "Oh! you mean what i was talking about in the email ? I do feel more confident now. I think with practice i'll keep improving until i can control it all the time." he noted to the man. his cast-covered arm shifting a bit as he lifted the lid for the box. Showing the frosted cupcakes that hid beneath it. "A gift. To apologize for all the trouble i've caused you. For how i've disrespected you until now. Dr. Ken said it would be better to apologize to you in person the day you took me there to recieve treatment. It's taken me until now to be comfortable enough with you to tell you..." he took in a deep breath then exhaled. "I'm sorry, because of me you've had alot more work and alot more trouble. I am also sorry for disrespecting what is treasured to you. " he stated of course meaning the sword.

"forgive me?" he pleaded with the other man.

[Vincent Meian]

Second email? Was one not enough? Vincent inherently distrusted the internet and by proxy emails. They allowed for complete anonymity and being able to hide oneself from the recipient, meaning that misdirection or outright falsehood were harder to catch. That, and inflection was not part of the written word as much as the spoken version or body language, meaning subjects could be misconstrued very easily; being seen as sincere when sarcastic or vice verse. He didn't mention not receiving the message, however as it wasn't part of their discussion.


Lei appeared to be an absolute mess; covered in flour and batter and smelling of burnt pastries even at a few paces away. There was the scent of something else in the air, and after a moment, the trainer recognized it; it smelled of Western-style cake. Chocolate, if his guess was correct. A slight pang of guilt tried to worm its way into his heart, but he stubbornly refused to let it take root. He would not be distracted from what needed to be said.


The side-track was not appreciated, though the fact that it was done in such a way made Vincent all the more aware that is was done on purpose. Lei knew what he wanted to talk about, but wasn't willing to face it yet. The box contained cupcakes, a gift which he couldn't accept and didn't want to deny. His student had worked hard on those, but for a man he expected to accept them under different reasons. "You did well," he stated, giving the pastries a cursory look over before returning his gaze to the boy. "And I accept your apology regardless. However, this is not what I need to speak with you about."


Taking another steadying breath, the trainer looked his student straight in the eye and stated, "Lei, your affections are misplaced and I cannot accept them."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei seemed happy as the man said that he did well. however, the man's demeanour and overall change had not gone unnoticed. The knew that tone, the tone that would lead to rejection, but he did not want to face it. So he put on that smile, a happy expression, as the other man praised him for the cupcakes. Saying that he'd done well. "Thank you. That's what I had hoped for. I give you my word that I will do my best to behave to keep you from having more troubles. " of course it would be a hard promise to keep. Even harder than Lei knew as the news he wanted to avoid was thrust upon him.

Lei slid off the edge of the desk, staring at the man then with a placid expression, watching his features carefully for any hints of what the man might say or be feeling. "My affections? You cannot accept them?" He questioned, standing where he was, trying to gather himself. He couldn't mean the kiss, right? It had to mean going out of his way to cook for him, right? He was in a state of deniala s he stared toward the man, for now, "It was too much? I don't have to cook for you. To be honest i'm not very good at it. I just wanted to apologize is all." he stated motioning to the cupcakes.

he looked back to the man with a hopeful expression, "Is that what you mean?" He hoped the answer would be yes. However, from the tone in the other man's whole demeanour made him believe that it was not, but he had to hear it again. For confirmation that he'd meant what Leiken did not want to hear.

[Vincent Meian]

Vincent sighed, resting his face in his hands. This wasn't exactly what he expected, but in a way it was worse. Denial meant that feelings ran deeper than he thought, and it meant that Lei was clinging to the emotion to the point of playing ignorant. Vincent hated willful ignorance.


"No, Lei, I do not mind pastries," he sighed, looking back up at the boy wearily. "Nor am I speaking about your cooking or your training. I speak of when you kissed me." Those words were hard to force out, but they needed to be said. There could be no more room for error. Standing, he leaned over the desk, hands planted firmly on the solid surface, and looked his student straight in the eye. "It was my mistake for not stopping you, but the truth must be told; I cannot accept your feelings. Not only for my position in this school, nor for the legality of it, but because I do not share them. I cannot think of you in a... sexual manner. I am sorry, Lei, but that is the way things are."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei stared at the man as he spoke of it not being about the pastries. Lei made a slightly distressed expression. His abilities seemed to swim his faster with his increased pulse. "o..oh that.. that was.. I." he raised his hand to his lips touching them with his fingertips. He remembered it fondly; Perhaps to fondly. After all, the man was his trainer, and much older than him. Not to mention married happily with a family.

He stared the man directly in the eyes as he spoke, he knew the man meant every word he spoke, but that didn't make it any easier for him to take. The position the man took to tell him such a thing made him realize how foolish he'd been to ever dream that he could have that sort of thing with his trainer. The man was attractive, married, and at a position of authority. He knew it would have never worked out, but he had enjoyed those affections far too much and it had lead him into a false hope.

He was now faced with the cold hard truth of the matter. His feelings were not mutual. They would never be and he would forever be able to share that kiss with the other man again. Lei stood there, staring at the man, but more so past him completely. His entire expression was emotionless until that genuine smile crept upon his lips, "It's okay. I already knew the truth." He stated with a voice that seemed strained.

For a moment he stood there after those words were spoken, his ability pulsed through his body, trying suppress the heart rate that had grown within him. His smile still remained as his own ability slowed the pulse to a point that nearly stopped all motion of his blood within him. However, it would suddenly jolt strongly forcing his blood through his viens at a much quicker rate. His lips quivered as somehwat in their smile.

Blood trickled from between his lips slightly, he'd bitten his tongue within his mouth to keep from breaking his smile and calm expression, but the increase of his pulse only pushed more blood from the wound. It was then that the smile he held would suddenly turn into a look of pain and regret. Lei dropped to his knees on the floor, his hands grasping into his hair, and he let out a sharp pain filled scream. Both because of his heart ache and because of the pain he felt with his body trying to force blood from him.

Lei's teeth clenched as he slid his hands form his hair over his own face to hide his pained expression, but he did not run away. He had brought this on himself and now he had to accept the truth. he felt foolish above all else. how could he have mistaken comfort for desire? of course it wasn't desire ! Who could desire him? At least that is how lei felt in that moment.

[Vincent Meian]

The idea that he was going to be causing pain was hard enough. Seeing that look on the young man's face - the anguish and shattered hope - was almost too much to bear. Still, he did not look away; he could not hide from the pain he had caused, and he would face it until his dying day if he must. It was his burden to bear for being foolish.


They stared at each other for a long moment, neither moving or speaking as the tension mounted in the air. Then, that smile broke over Lei's face; that wonderful smile that had looked so beautiful for its purity alone when he'd been given hope. It looked so sad despite that, masking so much hurt even as he said that he knew. He knew, he said. Yet that face was of one whose dreams had been shattered and the pain was too much to bear, and the pain made him smile to wish it all away.


Vincent hated that expression. He wanted to remove it, to comfort him in some way, but it was his comfort that caused the pain in the first place. Their connection had run too deep and now it would never be. The self-loathing creeped up on the instructor again, and his hands clenched into fists on the desk as he struggled to keep himself in check. How could he just let this happen? What fool lets a boy sit and stew with his emotions for three days while he decides how to end it?


The inner destruction likely would have continued further, however the sudden quivering of Lei's lips brought the soldier's attention to them in time to see the red staining them. A half-moment passed and shock hit Vincent hard as the red trickled down the boy's chin. His powers... his powers could kill him if this keeps up! "Leiken-!"


Then the boy fell to his knees, screaming a howl of despair that cut him to the core. He'd heard that sound before; it was the sound of true suffering, the sound Vincent heard every time his nightmares crept on him in the night. The sounds that came before he vanished into the Void. The sound stopped Vincent cold for a moment, and he stared in shock at the boy on the floor as blood -real blood- spilled onto the floor.


"Leiken!" He shouted the boy's name as he rounded the desk, hoping to reach through to him with his words if he could. He didn't hesitate despite the situation; the soldier in him acted and reached for the boy, as if caring for the consequences was so far beneath his notice it was back in Japan for all he cared. "Lei stop it!"


His hand grabbed the boy's shoulder and jerked the boy with enough force to make the weeping teen face him. Without any concern for himself, Vincent shook the boy by his shoulders, both his hands holding Lei just within arm's length as he knelt on the floor in front of him. The trainer held him with enough strength to bruise the smaller boy's arms, but none of that mattered. What mattered was keeping this boy from accidentally killing himself.


"Lei!"

[Leiken Chu]

Lei's body tensed with it's own ability rejecting the pain that tried to force an emotional flow. The blood trickled further down his chin as more of it spilled from his lips with the jerk given to his shoulders. He couldn't really grasp who was calling his name or why, but he heard it vaguely through his own agony.

His skin was starting to bruise from the force which his body was pushing blood from within. With each shake his attention drew further toward the man until his features faced Vincent. The pain that was on his face was the sort that displayed a shattered heart. If he could have had an out of body experience to see the look on his own face he would have shuddered in disgust at the tear-streaked and parted-lip mess he was infront of the man he'd had feelings for.

Leiken's ability did not hesitate in noticing Vincent's grasp upon his shoulders. It tried to grasp at the pulse within the man's hand. Trying to pull that blood from those very hands as well. Lei was a mess, his face was soaked with tears as his chin was in blood, his body jerking with each shake to his shoulders.

"It hurts," He choked out through quivering lips as he heard the repeated cries of his name touch the air. "make ...it.. stop.. " he cried to the man in a choked tone.

[Vincent Meian]

As Vincent's hands laid on the boy, pain lanced through his palms and fingers, reaching up to his elbows as blue-black veins stood out against tan skin. Both appendages mottled with purple-red marks, and the pulse pounding in them and his chest became extraordinarily painful. The trainer could feel every thud of his heart in his chest, echoing in agony in his hands and too loudly in his ears and knew that things were as bad as he'd feared.


However, he did not flinch or cry out anything but Lei's name as it did so, the only sign of his own hurt being the tension suddenly in his eyes. He forced the pain away, hearing the barely audible words as blood and tears dripped from the face of his student. "You can stop it, boy," he stated, his voice hard-edged with the strain of bruises blossoming like flowers up his arms. "I know you can - you have done it once. Show me again!"


The agony was becoming just short of unbearable. If this kept up, it would be possible that he'd have to go to hospital, maybe never use his hands again from the shredded veins scarring over. But that was fine; so long as no one died, he was a satisfied man.


Time to show him that immortality he thinks you have, then, you foolish bastard.


With one last force of will, Vincent pulled his student to him and embraced him, feeling his heart shudder with the shock of the youth's abilities being suddenly more potent. Still, he held him close, pain blooming up his arms, into his chest, and under his chin where it rested on Lei's shoulder. It hurt, but he held on. "Breathe, Lei. Breathe, and be calm." He swallowed, tasting blood on his tongue, the coppery warmth appearing from nowhere at all. "You can do this. I believe in you."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei would have made a fuss over Vincent hurting himself again by trying to help him. he would have protested being touch, but it hurt so much. He couldn't even think straight let alone try to stop the effects from doing anything. Lei couldn't remember a time when his powers hard hurt himself so badly. The scars on his upper arms would become more apparent as the blood touched the surfaces beneath his skin. Giving their discolored lines more vivid expression.

There was a time in lei's past when that had been a resort for his control. It was the only way he could focus enough to stop his abilities, but those times had passed. He'd wanted to learn how to control l himself without resulting to that and here he was. No better off than back then. He choked out a sound of pain as the other man hugged him. His abilities suddenly went silent as his body was hugged to vincent's body.

Lei's head was throbbing, his body ached, but he couldn't even bring his own arms up to fully embrace the other man. Instead he let them lay limply at his sides as the pain ached through his flesh. He coughed, blood that had pooled in his mouth sputtering out as he did so, he wheezed out slightly. Lei heard vincent's words. He felt stupid. How could he do such things to such a gentle and kind man? A man who had only wanted to help him. A married man if he remembered right.

"I'm sorry... " he choked out between wheezed breaths. "I.. shouldn't have..taken ...advantage of.. your ..k..kind..ne.." he was trying to say kindness but his words fell short as he gasped for a breath. Slumping somewhat back in the other man's arms as his body felt to weak to even hold upright. He'd lost a bit of his own blood which would now stain his clothing and likely the floor. His head lulling back somewhat as he grew dizzy and very light-headed.

He couldn't even decide which pain was worse. The rejection or the attack of his own blood.

[Vincent Meian]

Almost as soon as the soft words passed his lips did the path of pain cease. There was still throbbing agony everywhere it had touched his flesh, but the pounding of his heart receded to just beating behind his ribs and dull aches took the place of tearing agony. A sigh of relief left the trainer, and almost immediately after came Lei's cough. Wet warmth came suddenly to his shoulder, and though he feared for the boy he didn't let go just yet. He had to be sure the danger had passed.


He almost laughed at the apology. "Do not speak so foolishly," he murmured. The trainer wold have said more, but the breathy words drifted off and the warm body in his arms slumped bonelessly. Panic gripped him, and Vincent pulled away to check on the boy, bruised and swelling hands protesting angrily at the mistreatment. Though still awake, Lei was in obvious pain and disoriented. He needed a doctor, and quickly.


The soldier tried to gather the boy up into a carry to run him to the infirmary, failed once due to the weakness of his battered flesh, then steeled himself and tried again. Despite the agony, it worked the second time and he'd just lifted the near-unconscious boy up when the door flung open and a familiar face stood in its frame.


"Urswick-sensei?"


He had to look a frightful mess, bruises crawling up the right side of his neck and face, his hands and arms nigh black with pooling blood, and his right shoulder stained with blood. The boy in his arms slumped uselessly and had many of the same markings. If Orion had any knowledge of Lei or Vincent's powers, it was clear what had happened. However, the startled expression showed that the trainer had no idea how to react to the teacher in his doorway.


What on earth could this possibly look like to him?

[Orion Urswick]

Orion had been working on grading some paper in his office during the lunch hour, hoping to get the majority of it done early in the day so he could go out tonight for some star gazing. It was going to be clear night, and he was looking forward to getting away from Hammel and work for a short while and just spend time with the sky.

It was quite quiet in the offices at that point, since most of the other staff was either out at lunch or teaching, and Orion expected it to be a quiet session. Well, for the most part - the whispers were around him, as usual, although he had grown used to ignoring them.

He heard a distant scream, and at first put it off as his ability hearing... something, from somewhere in the past. Or future? But once he really realized what it was, he sat up with rigidity and froze, listening. He recognized the tone of that scream, even if he hadn't exactly heard it before. His ears were extremely sensitive because of years of training, and he was able to pinpoint voices with almost complete accuracy; it helped him know who he was hearing when his abilities were in use.

That was Leiken screaming. And it hadn't been in the past or future. It was now.

Fear flooding his veins, Orion leaped out of his chair and past his office door, almost running towards the area where he heard the sound come from. He soon picked up that it was from Vincent's office and, hardly pausing, he shoved the door open, gaping at the sight before him, not understanding. There was blood, quite a lot, and Vincent seemed to be in the process of carrying an only partially-conscious Leiken to... Somewhere. Orion took in the horrible, horrible bruises and blackened skin of both of the men, fighting against being sick.

Before he could say anything, a conversation attacked his ears, and he fell against the door frame; the words were jumbled, he couldn't quite process them, but he knew it had just happened, and that it had been full of raw emotion. Then, once more, he heard Lei's scream, and it was so loud that Orion felt like it was happening again. But he knew he was the only one that heard it.

"What... What happened?" he finally managed to get out. He was resting against the door frame, still, but pushed himself upright, fighting off the voices that were trying to demand his attention. "Oh God, Leiken... WHAT HAPPENED?" His voice rose to a shout without warning, and his instantly bit into his tongue; he hadn't meant to get so loud, but the scene before him just made him bewildered and horrified. "Vincent, your... Your arms..." There were other spots that were bruised too, of course, but his arms were the worst. "You need to get help. Now." What could he do? They looked like they needed to be rushed to the hospital.

[Leiken Chu]

Lei made a weak sound, resembling a laugh, but it was choked in sound. Drowned out by the agony that strung through him, that was now beginning to draw him to a state of feeling completely numb, "I am.... foo..lish." He would sputter out before groaning slightly with the lulling of his head. His lids fluttered slightly as his eyes moved about the room trying to get a grasp on what level his vision should have been on. Not realizing that he'd slumped over in the man's arms.

Lei heard a familiar voice, or a sound that resembled one, he could hear the pulses of their blood and the slowing of his own. Yet he was to fragile at that point to do anything about any of it. Leiken tried to say something toward Orin, "I.. hear.. the stars.." he stated in between his wheezed breaths. Coughing again shortly after. his hand had nearly rose for some purpose, whether to try to motion toward the man, or draw him closer in a plea for help. However, it only moved a small distance before exhausedlyfalling back to dangle as he was lifted from the floor and carried by vincent.

[Vincent Meian]

Startled by the sudden appearance of the other staff member, Vincent could only watch for a moment as Orion struggled to comprehend what was going on. As the other man began to react poorly to the events of the room, however, a tactical mindset switched over and he shook himself out of the shock. He needed to focus; time was slipping by quickly.


"I will wait," the trainer answered firmly, though he was in a great deal of pain. "Lei needs treatment quickly. There is a doctor in the infirmary who can help him, but we must move immediately."


He glanced down to the boy in his arms, covered in bruises and murmuring something about stars. The gaze was grief-stricken despite the lack of change in his features, and the tall man knew something needed to be done quickly. His eyes returned to Orion, hard and stubborn. "Will you let me help him, or will I have to move you?"