Gravity

It was so dark, the faint scent of smoke filled the endless hallways. Cherrywood borders and teal rugs lined the floors, pointing out the straight passage, and the way it split at the end.

Lyserg stumbled along, only half concious. His eyes fluttered erratically and he could hear his breathing slowing and growing heavier. He was so dizzy, so weak. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't know the way, he didn't know where he was.

The beautiful crystals that hung about the large chandelier above him sent rainbow colours scattering about the room as the moonlight struck it through the window; twisting in his eyesight and creating a blurry vortex of colour against every other confusing spectrum before him. Since when had the world been such a maze? Since when did a simple hallway cause this kind of pandemonium?

It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he coudn't stand properly, he couldn't walk straight. Sounds echoed through his ears and he wasn't sure what made the sounds in the first place. Was it his heartbeat? His footsteps? . . . Someone else's footsteps?

How long had he been wandering this mansion? How much longer would he wander it? Several times he was struck with powerful deja vu and was certain he had been in that place before. Was he just going in circles?

He tripped over seemingly nothing and fell back, quickly being caught by a pair of strong arms. He wondered who it was, and then suddenly it clicked. He quickly shoved them off, despising the thought of him touching any part of their person . . . Maybe that was why he was like this?

Lost again, broken and weary
Unable to find my way
Tail in hand, dizzy and clearly
Unable to just let this go

"You are so stubborn." Came the disappointed little sigh, a clicking noise of the tongue sounding the displeasure. "You know, this is your own fault."

He felt a hand gently land on his shoulder and he hissed, jerking away and losing his balance in the process, falling to the floor.

"Lyserg, what is wrong with you?" He watched through half lidded eyes, his head throbbing with pain as a face appeared before him. "Why don't you just give it up? You're torturing yourself." The blurriness of his vision subsided momentarily and the lines of the face became a little more clear, those endlessly dark eyes looking at him intently. He shuddered lightly when he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek, followed by the sensation of warm breath swirling in his ear. "Let me help you."

He sighed quietly, weakly bringing up his arms to wrap around the body before him, feeling arms wrapping around him in return. He buried his face in his shoulder and let out a loud sob, his body trembling all over. He'd never have expected to be turning to the source of his pain for comfort, but at this point in time, he was all that was there.

I am surrendering
To gravity and the unknown

"H-hao . . . " He whimpered quietly, his fingers pulling at the older boy's skin as he tried to bring him closer. "H-hold me."

Hao shushed him quietly, holding him close as he cried. "Are you ready to co-operate now?" He whispered softly. "Are you going to start eating again?"

Lyserg nodded his head a little, snivelling miserabley. "Okay . . . "

He couldn't even remember how long he had been there by now, the darkness of the room he was kept in made it impossible to tell whether it was night or day. He had opposed Hao in every possible way; Hao would tell him to sleep and he would force himself to stay awake, Hao would tell him to eat and he would starve himself.

The only rest he had gotten was when his body reached the peak of exhaustion and he simply collapsed, the only food he had eaten had to be forced down his throat. Hao had no need to torture him, he was doing it himself. Now, having neither sleep nor food for a stretch of time, he was beginning to lose himself. The world was a kaleidoscope, an odd swirl of colour that made no real, distinguishable picture.

He couldn't take it anymore, this suffering was killing him from the inside. His only chance was Hao--Hao, who had promised to take care of him, who had promised to help him and make it all better.

Lyserg had been left alone in the world, and the only person left, was the one who had destroyed it all . . . the one who loved him.

Catch me, heal me
Lift me back up to the sun
I choose to live

He felt his body being pulled upwards a little and knew Hao was trying to lift him, he squirmed a little, trying to stand on his own two feet. Hao kept a hold of his hand but let him rise himself.

"Be careful." He warned, helping him with his first wobbly step. He watched Lyserg's face carefully, observing the paleness, his fluttering eyes, his irregular breathing.

Lyserg's legs quickly gave out and he collapsed to the floor again. Hao watched the pathetic display and shook his head.

"Look at what you've reduced yourself to," He sighed, shaking his head. "All this fuss over the lives of a few stupid X-Laws?"

Lyserg felt his jaws clench and his teeth grind together. How dare he talk about them like that?

Hao lifted him in his strong arms, cradling him against his chest as he began walking. Lyserg hissed in protest and clawed the Asakura's arm, succeeding in ripping a little flesh.

Hao glared at the wound, and his cold eyes moved to Lyserg. "You want to be left here by yourself?" He growled. "Fine."

The younger boy let out a cry when he was dropped on the ground, his back and tailbone making a painful connection with the hardwood floor hidden beneath the thin rug. Hao glowered down at him, completely unapologetic.

I fell again, like a baby
Unable to stand on my own
Tail in hand, dizzy and clearly
Unable to just let this go

Hao shook his head and quickly wiped off the small amount of blood on his arm with his hand before turning to leave.

"No, wait, Hao!" Lyserg pleaded, reaching up and gripping the edge of his poncho. "Please don't leave me alone!"

Hao narrowed his eyes, leaning down and grabbing Lyserg firmly by the chin, forcing him to look him in the eye. "You don't seem to understand me, Lyserg. We're playing by my rules." He growled in a low, threatening tone. "I'm not going to mess around with you, and try to help you, if all you're going to do is scratch me."

Lyserg nodded quickly. "I know, I'm sorry." He whispered shakily, whimpering quietly. "I'm sorry, just don't leave me alone, Hao. I don't want to be alone anymore."

The older boy narrowed his eyes again. "If I remember correctly, I told you to call me by a more respectable title."

Lyserg quickly looked down, fighting back tears, but Hao jerked his chin up again, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Well?"

He swallowed hard. " . . . M-master."

I am surrendering
To gravity and the unknown

He smirked, a glint of satisfaction appearing in his dark eyes. "Good boy."

The green-haired boy closed his eyes, biting back whimpers as tears started to stream down his face. He was lifted again, and this time he didn't fight. Hao carried him down the darkened hallways, most likely towards the room he'd been kept in.

"Have you the energy to eat?" Hao asked quietly, his arms pulling him protectively against his chest.

"I-I don't know . . . " Lyserg answered slowly, his eye sight starting to distort into some strange, indescribable painting again.

Hao sighed heavily. "Maybe you should just sleep for a while first."

His fingers gripped at his thick poncho, balling up a fistful of it and holding tightly. "You're going to stay with me, right?" He whimpered, tugging on the cloth. "I don't want to be alone."

"I'll stay with you." Hao nodded, leaning down his head and kissing away Lyserg's tears. "Don't cry, I'm here now."

Catch me, heal me
Lift me back up to the sun
I choose to live

Lyserg had been expecting to be taken to the room he was usually kept in, but instead was brought somewhere new. The dizziness stopped momentarily, giving him the opertunity to observe this new place.

It was dark--very dark. Dimly lit with candles, the room seemed to be an abyss of shadows. The dark cherrywood borders of the hall had leaked into this place, stretching out along the walls and seeming rather light against the black paint. He looked up to see a large bed, black satin sheets spread over it, and dark gossamer curtains hanging around it and giving a small sense of shelter.

"You are to sleep here, with me, from now on." Hao announced, laying him gently on the sheets.

Lyserg sighed quietly, tears still escaping his eyes as he allowed Hao to start removing his clothing.

I choose to live

When he had awoke, the room was just as dark as before. Was there daylight outside? Or was the earth still bathed with the moon's soft, illuminescent glow? How many hours had he slept? How many days?

Hao was sitting on the edge of the bed, a plate of chopped fruits and buttered bread sitting on the bed beside him. "Eat some of this." He ordered calmly, picking up a piece of strawberry and pressing it against Lyserg's lips. "It'll help get you enough strength to last you a little while. Then you'll be able to enjoy a proper meal."

He obediently opened his mouth, letting Hao push the fruit inside.

I choose to live

"It's okay, just relax and it won't hurt." Hao's voice whispered softly in his ear.

What came a second later was expected, but the amount of pain wasn't. Lyserg clamped his eyes shut and whimpered quietly, clinging to Hao tightly as he moved. He wished he had given him a moment to grow used to the feeling, as this was entirely new to him, but he didn't dare say so.

He was hoping the pain would fade quickly, but Hao was moving too fast to allow it. He gasped loudly and let out a loud, painful cry, clutching at the older boy's skin and digging his fingernails in, seeking some sort of comfort for the pain.

His eyes opened wide with surprise when he felt Hao delivering soft, comforting kisses about his face, slowing down a great deal and easing the pain a little. He sighed gratefully, swallowing his whimpers and holding them in, Hao's lips still carressing his flesh.

He didn't understand why Hao was bothering with this, keeping himself from having exactly what he wanted just because Lyserg was uncomfortable. Surely Hao didn't mean it when he said . . . he loved him?

He cried out again, but this time from pleasure, as some strange feeling shot through his body. Hao kissed him again, letting out a soft moan.

"Hao . . . " Lyserg breathed out his name, his breath quickening. It all felt so good all of a sudden, but tears were still slipping down his face . . . Maybe Hao could kiss them away again.

Catch me, heal me
Lift me back up to the sun
Help me survive the bottom

He couldn't understand it, he couldn't stop crying, he couldn't stop this confusion. He hated Hao, he despised him with every fibre of his very being . . . why did he like it so much when he touched him? . . . Why had he allowed him to make love to him last night?

He opened the kitchen cupboard and pulled out the bottle of aspirins again, popping yet another one into his mouth. His head had been pounding non-stop all day and he couldn't make it go away. He just wanted his mind to shut up, it was stirring too much, bringing up so many conflicting memories.

He thought of his parents . . . Hao took them from him. He thought of the X-Laws; his comrades . . . Hao took them from him too. Would he ever have anyone that was his own again?

The images started flickering, the memories of a long forgotten happiness--the happiness that Hao had burned to dust. He gritted his teeth in anger and felt his hatred toward Hao bubbling up like some dark, raging monster. He thought of last night, the sound of his own cries of ecstacy echoing in his mind and he felt angry with himself when he remembered the way he had begged Hao for more.

What was he still here for anyway? What was the point of going on? Hao had taken everything from him; he was chained to an eternity of wandering this dark mansion that held no day or night, living only to please Hao. Why should he give Hao what he wanted? Why should Hao be able to have his happily-ever-after when Lyserg hadn't even been permitted a happy beginning?

He had lost any reason to live, and even by simply existing, he was giving Hao something he didn't deserve.

"I won't have it." He whispered shakily to himself, grabbing the aspirin bottle again and popping the lid off. Would the entire contents of the bottle be enough to kill him?

Only one way to find out.

"Now, now, precious," Hao's soft voice whispered in his ear, calmly yet forcefully prying the bottle from his hands. "You know that's not good for you."

"Damn it, Hao!" Lyserg hissed, jerking away from him quickly. "Why can't you just leave me alone already? You've taken everything! Everything! Even me! Can't you just let me have some peace now?"

"This isn't the way to peace, Lyserg." Hao muttered, returning the aspirin bottle to the cupboard and then turning around. "If you're looking for a way to peace . . . " He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's body and pulled him close, brushing his hair from his tear-stained face and pecking a gentle kiss on his forehead, then he brought his hand down to undo the top button of Lyserg's shirt. "Let me be the way."

Calm these hands before
They snare another pill
And drive another nail
Down another meaty hole

Lyserg wandered aimlessly down another one of the endless hallways, no doubt in his mind that Hao was watching him somehow from somewhere. It seemed impossible, the way he always found him, the way he could appear out of nowhere at any given moment without so must as a sound.

He felt angry again. He was so confused in this mess he had no idea what to think anymore. How was Hao doing this to him? Overthrowing his hatred with not so much as a kiss, or a teasing carress, he knew exactly what to do to bring Lyserg to his knees. Why was he doing this? Hao wasn't one to beat around the bush and waste his time; he took what he wanted and then he destroyed it.

"What do you want?" Lyserg screamed at the top of his lungs, hearing it echo back to him in the emptiness of the hallways.

"You know what I want," Hao's soft voice answered, and of course, he was right there, despite the fact that he was nowhere near before. "I want you."

"You've had me already, twice." Lyserg growled lowly. "If I'm still here, it means you still don't have something. Just take it, whatever it is, and leave me be!"

"I just said, I want you . . . forever." Hao smiled softly. "My question is: what do you want?"

Please release me

Lyserg clamped his eyes shut tightly and balled the sheets in his hands, he gritted his teeth and held his breath but a choked grunt still escaped him when the pain came. Hao gave him a minute to get used to it this time, unlike the first two times they'd already experienced, and he was grateful for it.

He breathed deeply, trying to blink the blurry tears from his eyes but they just continued to roll, and it wasn't from the pain. He felt Hao's hands rubbing his back soothingly and he tried to focus on how nice it felt rather than the pain he was in.

"Is it better this way?" Hao asked curiously as if he had only just realized that when he moved fast it hurt.

Lyserg bit his lip and nodded his head quickly. "Give me a little more time . . . " He whispered shakily, burying his face in the mattress as he continued twisting the sheets in his hands. He knew Hao wasn't going to let him go, he would hold him and ask him what he wanted, and Lyserg told him he just wanted his freedom, but it was never granted. Hao seemed to have chosen this was the way to make up for the things he had done, thinking that it made all the stress and emotional turmoil go away.

"Okay . . . " Hao bent down and pecked kisses about his back, running his hands up along his sides in a gentle carress. "Should I go now?" He whispered after a minute or two.

"Yeah." Lyserg answered, nodding his head again quickly. Sure enough, the movement came, and Lyserg let out a little gasp of pain, but it didn't hurt as much as it usually did. "Go slow, okay? I-it feels good if you go slow . . . "

Hao sighed quietly and grasped Lyserg's hips, gently starting the rocking motion that would eventually increase after Lyserg let himself drown in the pleasure. It was true that he had asked Lyserg what he wanted, but freedom wasn't on the list of things Hao was prepared to give.

This was the third time he'd made love to Lyserg, and already he was starting to accept it. He was starting to tell Hao what felt good and, after they were thrown into it, even calling out his name and begging him to move faster.

"H-hao . . . " Lyserg moaned softly.

Hao smirked in satisfaction. Yes, he would keep asking Lyserg what he wanted, and he would give him what he asked for as long as it was within what he believed to be reasonable. He was going to keep asking . . . until he heard what he wanted to hear.

I am surrendering
To gravity and the unknown

Hao opened his eyes to the sound of whimpering, his dark eyes moved to the space beside him and looked at his companion. Lyserg was sitting up in the bed, his head resting in his hands as he cried quietly, his body trembling.

"Lyserg," Hao whispered, stretching out his arm and touching the younger boy's back. "When will you ever stop crying?"

"I-I'm so confused!" Lyserg cried, slamming his fists into the mattress. "I hate you so much! Why am . . . why am I . . . ?"

Hao frowned a little, sitting up so that he could reach Lyserg's hand, tugging it in silent request for him to look at him. "Why are you what?"

"Why am I starting to feel like this?" He screamed in response. "What are you doing to me? I can't love you! I hate you!"

Hao smirked. "This is why you're crying?"

"Shut up!" He yelled, falling back against the mattress. "I hate you! I hate you!"

Hao chuckled quietly, reaching out to the smaller boy and pulling him closer. Lyserg readily curled up in Hao's arms, sobbing into his chest.

He was all he had now, he'd been taken from everyone and everything he ever knew. Now he was here, in this strange home, where thick curtains blanketted all sources of outside light, eliminating the flow of day and night. Now he was here, in this silky bed, where he gave in and committed the most unforgivable sins he knew. Now he was here, in Hao's warm arms, weeping in mourning for the life he knew, knowing that all he had now . . . was Hao.

No one else to talk to. No one else to confide in.

No one else to love.

Catch me, heal me
Lift me back up to the sun

"Is it so hard?" Hao asked softly, running his fingers through Lyserg's hair. "I allowed you to live, didn't I? I showed you mercy that the others didn't recieve . . . can't you show me forgiveness?"

"You killed them . . . " Lyserg whispered shakily, disgusted with himself that he was finding comfort in the other boy's embrace. "My parents, my friends, you murdered them all. Now you expect me to love you?"

"It's not that hard to do, is it?" He whispered back, gently kissing his forehead. "It's harder to keep hating me, isn't it?"

Lyserg closed his eyes, another tear running down his cheek. " . . . Yes."

I choose to live

Hao smiled softly, pecking another kiss on Lyserg's cheek. "What do you want, Lyserg?"

He bit back another sob and looked up at Hao's eyes. Tears glossed over his emerald orbs and made them shine in sorrow, staring into Hao's endlessly black ones, his voice quivering as he answered. "Let me go."

Hao chuckled in amusement. "You know I won't do that," He pecked another kiss, this time on his lips. "What do you want?"

Lyserg felt a lump rise in his throat, his eyes filling with tears again. "I want . . . I-I want you . . . Hao."

I choose to live

Hao smiled and kissed him again, letting his lips linger against his for a while before whispering softly. "Good boy."

XxXxXxXxX

Alright, peeps! Here it is! A ga-jillion people were asking for another chapter so I changed it to a twoshot (is there such a thing?) anyway, the song was Gravity by A Perfect Circle, and it took me ages to do so I hope you like it!

REVIEW PLEASE