Lifeline | SaneGiyuu Modern AU

🌊 | 2 - Caught in the web | 💨

Sanemi raised an eyebrow, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Why so surprised? I'm not a monster, I'm not about to let those bozo's catch you for round two on the way home."

Inside, Sanemi's mind churned with anger. At Tomioka, at Eishun, at himself...

If he had come by sooner, he might have been able to intercept. On the other hand, this guy was strong, and could have easily fought for himself! The fact that he didn't even try... It made Sanemi's blood boil.

And then there's that Eishun kid. Who does he think he is, hitting younger people like that? He's such a coward, hiding behind his posse of followers while his opponent stands alone...

God, I hate his guts. And now I hate this Tomioka kid aswell. As if this damn school couldn't get any shittier...

...

As they turned the corner to leave the school, Giyuu felt the wind change. Something inside him was filling him with unease, putting him on edge... He shook off the feeling, and kept on walking. He trudged along, standing next to Sanemi on the path but always trailing slightly behind, watching the other boy's footsteps with his downturned eyes.

Sanemi walked ahead cooly, taking swigs from a can in his hand... Until suddenly, he stood to a halt.

Giyuu looked at him, his eyes full of surprise.

"Shinazugawa-san? Is everything-"

His words caught in his mouth. Sanemi was staring straight at the group who had jumped Giyuu only 15 minutes before; they had been waiting for him to walk home.

Balled fists hung at Sanemi's sides, it was taking all of his willpower not to punch their thick faces in. A vein in his arm pulsated gently beneath his skin... Giyuu watched it carefully, seeing the anger seethe through him.

Wow... He really hates these guys. Is he this angry because of what they did to me?...

Giyuu wasn't sure what to expect. Would he hit them? Would they hit him? Should they keep walking, or face them? His jaw tightened as Sanemi began to speak in a low, threatening tone.

"Get lost..." He muttered, cracking his knuckles with his fingers, one by one. "If I ever catch you going after this guy again, I'll make you regret it."

The group were taken aback by his arrogant display. Some looked surprised, some rolled their eyes, some laughed... Eishun simply grinned and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh no, it's scarface... Whatever will we do?" He feigned cowardice and smirked. "The hell are you gonna do Shinazugawa, I'm your upperclassman, I can do what I want. I thought I established that with you last year."

Now it was Sanemi's turn to scoff. He slowly leaned in and mumbled in the older boy's ear.

"I know where you live..." He began, hissing at him through his teeth. "I've known your mother a long time. Your sister too... Wouldn't they be interested in some of the things I could tell them about you?" He turned away and shot a smug look at the group, before nodding at Giyuu and walking away. Eishun didn't move, but yelled after him.

"I'm gonna beat your ass next time I see you, kid!"

...

Hurriedly, Giyuu joined Sanemi and began marching next to him again. They were walking closer together now, their sides almost brushing eachother.

"Shinazugawa?" Giyuu mumbled, his eyes slowing moving up to meet Sanemi's.

Sanemi raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Despite his rough tone, Giyuu simply smiled. It was a sad, pitiful expression; but grateful nonetheless.

"Thank you for helping me today..." He murmured. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. It's really not worth all this fuss."

Sanemi's eyelid twitched at his words, and rage bubbled in his stomach.

"Are you that thick? Quit feeling sorry for yourself already!" He snapped, taking Giyuu by surprise. "Those guys are assholes, but they wouldn't pick on you if you weren't so damn wimpy! Why do you act as if you're so much better than everyone else when you're really just a coward!"

They stopped walking, and Giyuu took a step back. Sanemi's words stung him inside, and he felt his heart dropping into his stomach.

"Shinazugawa, I-"

"God, just shut up already! Now they're going to be giving me shit for the rest of the year just because you couldn't stand on your own two feet! I spent years... YEARS getting them off my back, and now because of you, it's all been reversed!" A drop of sweat trailed down Sanemi's forehead as he yelled, his fists balled. Giyuu stared, too shocked for words.

Is he... going to hit me?

When he saw Giyuu's reaction, the rage in Sanemi's eyes only grew stronger.

"You've got to be kidding? All you can do is stand there with that dumbass look on your face? It's no wonder people take you for easy pickings, you act like such a damn baby!" Sanemi kicked a rock that sat by his feet, sending it pounding into the barbed wire fence behind them. He panted, and turned to face Giyuu with a death stare in his eyes.

"Go! Go home. I'm done with you!" He hissed coldly.

Why won't he fight back... Come on you idiot, fight back! Stop being all righteous and stand up for yourself!

To Sanemi's disgust, Giyuu did exactly as he said. Shouldering his backpack, he began to walk again, trudging along with his eyes back on the ground. A breeze blew a large, red leaf into his dark hair... Giyuu didn't even bother to brush it away.

Sanemi was dumbfounded.

Is it seriously possible for someone to be that pathetic?

...

950 words