"F-ing prick, get some damn balls!"
"You wimp"
"Coward!"

The insults just kept flying and beating upon his mind and breaking down the mental barrier that he fought so hard to keep up. Tears welled in his eyes and he started to quiver on the ground.

"LOOK! The baby's starting to shake! Little Hydie is starting to cry~!"

His name wasn't Hydie, it was Hyde, but unfortunately he was starting to cry. The rivers of salty water flowed down his cheeks and reddened his eyes until they were blood shot. He stood up, but was only knocked back down with a thorough shove by one of the boys. This happened everyday. If these boys were bored they would pick on Hyde Talin, the smallest in the class. He had the face of a girl and was even smaller than some of the girls in the class. Fair blonde hair fell in front of his eyes and touched his shoulders and sad green eyes were always fearing these mental and physical beating. Though these kids never really hit him much they were sure to push him into desks and walls and door or trip to he'd fall into such things. Hyde was covered in bruises all the time, but no one cared it seemed, so he stopped trying.

When they were finally finished with their session of 'who can make Hydie cry first' the poor blonde boy slipped away and fleeted into the woods behind the expensive boarding school. This was hell. He was 13, in eighth grade, and was miserable. This was his hell.

He waited until the last bell, missing his final three period of the day and ran to the car of his 'nanny' that was meant to pick him up. in truth the man in the suit that drove the car was his 'guardian' when his mother and father were too busy to pay attention to their son. His name was Brian Burdock, and he was a strong quiet man that rarely ever smiled at Hyde, but Hyde loved him non the less because of it. Brian raised him practically, protected him and taught him. He was the image that Hyde wished that he could be. So with a deep breath the teenaged boy sucked up his tears and got into the car.

~~~~~

Bai Yu Chen, the owner of a lovely pet store, was sitting on his victorian couch waiting for a certain couple to come in. He had been waiting for them for a little fortune telling birdie had told him they were coming for a very special something for their boy. The spotted lynx on his lap purred and their sharply pointed ears twitched every so often at the slightest sound. He sighed and smiled. "Here they are."

The bell hanging above his door chimed out gleefully as a couple entered the odd pet store. The lobby looked like a bright victorian sitting room with only a few little creatures roaming around of their own free will. This looked nothing like a real pet store. The two looked at eachother and then at the only other recipient in the room, Bai Yu. The couple were dressed in a fine business attire, high class people these were, all the more for him to smile.

He nodded his head to them and stood up gracefully. "My name is Bai Yu Chen, I am the owner of his pet shoppe." He said with a low bow. "You're here to find a companion for your child?"

"How did you...?" The woman started

"Most people do come here looking for those sort of things." Bai Yu answered before she could finish her sentence. "I have the perfect bird for you to see."

"I don't think a bird is the best choice." The man retorted. He was a tall man with broad proud shoulders, perhaps birds didn't suit his character.

"Perhaps, but I think it'd do nicely. Please at least have a look I'm sure you'll change your mind once you meet him." Bai Yu coaxed them towards the red door that led towards the back room. Through the doors was a long hall filled with a rich incense to keep the animals calm. He led them down the hall quite a ways until he came upon the room that he had been searching for. Inside was the bird that he wanted to show them.

((I hope you don't mind, I created my own damned bird. >> Wikipedia had little to offer that suited the personality I wanted.))

No matter who opened the door or what incense they have been sniffing, anyone would have been lulled into calm from teh sweet inhuman singing that was coming from above.

To some, Jin appeared as a small bird, a Russian Pint as they were refered to. With soft black feathers and a long tail featuring vivid blue, the small creture sat on it's perch, singing for lack of anything else to do.

Perhaps it was the incense, or maybe something else, but most would see him as a young boy, perhapse thirteen or fourteen, dressed in black. He had a soon to be strogn build, his body only just begining to really develope into that of a man. His skin was very pale, and his blue eyes, missing pupils, gave him a very doll-like look. Black hair fell into his currently expresionless eyes, vivid blue highlights standing out against the messy black softness.

His bare feet move as he swung on the perch, the song dieing as the door opened. He hopped down with a soft sound of fluttering feathers and a small series of clicks as small talons hit the ground beneath his bare feet. With quick motions the curious bird darted to the door, crouching and looking up at his visitors.

((A quick description, they're rare Russian birds that are said to bring luck, good or bad, in mass ammounts and generally appear to those who are lost or struggling in an attempt to help.

You didn't specify gender pairing althoguh I asked twice, so I chose. n.n;; Just change the 'he's to 'she's if you'd prefer het.))

[Oh I knew I forgot something!!! i'm sorry! but Yes I was looking for Yaoi so this is just GREAT! I so sorry!!! ><: And I love those little birds! ><; You know there's a myth in... I think Mexico that involve birds similar to that.]

The woman gasped in surprised and covered her mouth. She back a step away and shook her head. At first she was sold just for the singing. To have a bird like that in the house would have been grand... she wouldn't have minded that way if the bird always sung like that, but then her eyes focused on what was before her she was, to say the least, displeased.

"Are you trying to make a fool of me?" She hissed at Bai Yu. "this is a BOY! A living breathing boy! This is no pet, but a human!"

Before her husband could chime in his complaints as well, as he was going to do by the sight of his furrowed brows, Bai Yu spoke quickly and smoothly. "But this is a bird. A very special bird. His name is Jin."

"This... this is no bird." She said again.

"But he is. I will guarantee your son will be protected and loved with this bird by his side. Take him for a week. See how well he does. I'll give him to you for free if you promise me."

"Promise you what?" The man said, knowing that there must have been a catch.

"That you will only feed this bird fresh veggies, fruits, and seeds. Anything that a bird might eat. Understand? Meaning nothing artificial or involving chemicals. If he gets sick or dies I will know and i will take him away.... and i promise you that you won't want to give him away." Bai Yu stroked the head of the bird gently and smiled as played with the boy's nose.

The woman looked at the boy and the longer she looked the more drawn she was towards him. "Why don't we try? He is rather nice looking." She tugged on her husband's sleeve and finally he gave in as well.

"Very good. I'll draw up the contract and you will be on your way with a lovely new bird."

Jin gave a small sound in response, apreciating the attention. He didn't understand what was going on, but the company was a change, and a pleasant one at that.

He scurried back into the room, getting the idea that he wouldn't be stayign there much longer. He couldn't leave without his shinies! He gathered up the costume jewlery, the gold chains and lockets he'd golleted and pocketed them, then, deciding it was a bit much chose only a few choice items and returned to the door to show Bai Yu, looking for his aproval.

((Sorry, not much to post for me at the moment. n.n;; ))

With a wave of his hand Bai Yu summoned a golden bird who held a rolled parchment between their talons. It cooed quietly and nudged at Bai Yu, refusing to release the paper until the man gave him the attention that he so desired. Bai Yu smiled and ran his fingers along the long slender beak.

"Thank you." The bird gave a sound, a soft echoing caw, and dropped the parchment into the man's hands. Around the rolled paper was a red ribbon that neatly tied into a bow and with one smooth action he undid it and handed it to couple who were still starting at the odd bird perched on the shop keeper's shoulder.

The bird's sharp beady eyes were staring at the couple, almost threatening them and coaxing them at the same time into something they didn't understand. Shining gold feathers shifted against one another as the bird ruffled them. Long orange red feathers extended from the top of his head like a crown. This bird was far too big and far too slender to be a wild species... though the couple couldn't pin point what it was.

"Ah hem," Bai Yu coughed quietly to gain the couple's attention again. He offered the two a quill pen and waited patiently for them to sign the contract. When they did he smiled and nodded his head. "Congrats, you are now proud owners of a lovely avian. Please come back to me if you ahve any troubles with him."

The woman took the so called bird's hand and led Jin to the car waiting outside. She looked at his clothes and patted the old cloth. "You do need some new clothes. We'll stop by the store and buy you a new wardrobe, I doubt you would fit into Hyde's clothing."

~~~

"Brian, were you always so strong?" Hyde questioned his guard curiously as they sat together in the living room. The HD television was playing some action cartoon that Hyde often watched when he was bored, and without complaint Brian would sit next to him with newspaper in hand.

He looked up from his paper and shrugged his burly shoulders. "I've always been a little bigger than most kids, even at your age." He said and then added for Hyde's comfort, "I was picked on a lot for that."

Hyde nodded his head and looked down. But Brian was always picked on like he was... they made fun of him and pushed him a lot. If he was a big as Brian then they wouldn't do such things. "

The front door creaked open and his mother's voice echoed out. "Hydie!" oh how he hated the fact she called him that.... "We have a gift for you!"

Probably some new game or clothes, his parents like to give him gifts in an attempt to keep his affection. Hyde stood up and walked into the foyer and paused, waiting for them. The foyer was spotless. The winding staircase that led upstairs had just had their banisters polished. The crystal chandelier above was shining with bright florescent lights. "Yes mother?"

((Uhg, I just got home, I'll have a reply for you in a bit. n.n ))

[I'm still in school XD]

Jin had been throguh quite an eventful day so far. Usually, because of his knack of bringing about strange twists of luck, he stayed alone in the room with the high glass ceiling, his perch, and his shinies.

But today... he'd been taken from the shop by two strange humans, pulled into a metal thing that took them to a place filled with clothes. He'd been pulled in and out of outfits getting a wierd look from a clerk at the two small black wings folded in against his back, usually hidden under his clothes. Now he was dressed in a pair fo black pants, a white longsleeved dress shirt, a black vest with blue trim, and a pair of black shoes. The woman had tied a black ribbon around his neck in a bow, and he'd let her. After all, he'd been taught to obey.

Now he stood in the doorway of a giant building, peering in. It wasn't anything like the shop. The smell was strange, chemical like from cleaners, and lacking the heavey sweet smell of the incence. The ceilings were low, it would be hard to fly here too... his attention fell to another boy that apeared to be around the same age.

The florecent lights of the building hurt his eyes, so he kept them downward, looking up occasionally to eye the boy he guessed would be his new owner. " 'Lo..." He said with a soft coo, as close to 'hello' as he'd learned. Technically he was capable of human speech, but he'd yet to learn it. Most pets could follow it easily, since the human's understood them, but Jin had always been a little different.

She was rather proud of how well the bird boy had come to look now. So much cleaner now than before and so handsome! At a time she eve wished that instead of Hyde that this boy could have been her son. Well behaved and quiet, what a perfect little boy. She brushed off his shoulders and stood him like a trophy of some sort in front of her.

"This is Jin." She said simply with a wide gleeful smile.

Hyde looked at the boy strangely. Who was this and what was his mother planning. It was all a curious wonder to him. He nodded his head and waited patiently, standing close to Brian who had made his way to them just a moment ago.

"And?" Hyde questioned, waiting for her to explain a bit more.

"He's your new bird. A pet. I thought that maybe you needed something nice like this to keep you company. Isn't he handsome?!" She giggled and brushed her hand against Jin's head.

"Bird? Mother have you gone insane?" Hyde looked at her, staring with a confusion. This was a boy his age standing before him, a boy like the ones that beat him at school every day.

"No, no, he is a bird, he even has wings on his back, cute wings." She said lowering herself down to Jin's shoulders. "He is perfect, please be kind to him. We'll keep him for a while... just know only to feed him what birds eat."

Hyde wrinkled his nose. "You have gone insane...."

She huffed at him and glared. "Just take care of him!" She scowled before smiling at Jin and lowering her voice to something much sweeter. "this is Hyde, my son. Be a good friend to him."

Hyde sighed before walking away from the whole situation and ran up the stairs and down the hall to his room. Brian looked up the stairs and then back down to the sight of the boy.

"Ma'am you're serious aren't you?" He asked quietly, not to sound like he was questioning her judgement.

"Of course." She smiled and patted the bird's head again. "Hyde might be rough, but he is a very kind boy."

Jin closed an eye as he felt the woman's hand on his head. The affection was nice, but kind of creepy too. He didn't understnad a word of the exchange, so he busied himself looking around at what would be his new home.

He was surprised to feel the hand on his head again as the woman patten him. He gave a small nod, despite not knowing what had been said.

He frowned as Hyde began to walk away. Was his new owner not happy with him? He followed, catchign up easily. "...Chee...?" He questioned as he hopped up the stairs and followed his new owner to the door.

Once Hyde had gotten to the top of the stairs and away from the sight of his mother and Brian, he turned on his heel to glare at the humanoid creature that followed. "Stop following me! It's creeping me out!"

He raised his voice, trying to show the creature just how upset he was. This was ridiculous! A boy like this a pet? He was almost offended... He kept walking towards his room down the hall and before he reached the door he turned again. "Don't 'chee' me!" He scowled violently before opening the door and slamming it shut behind him.

There was no lock on the door, but Hyde had a system. He grabbed a piece of wood that he had found one day on the street and jammed it as hard as he could into the crevice of the door. Brian could always get through, one time he even broke the door down just to get in.

Jin winced at the shouting, not used to loud noises. What had he done to make the boy so angry? Was he that bad of a pet? Being yelled at again and having a door slammed in his face left him confused in the hallway. About the only thing he'd understood was the sarcastic mimic of his 'chee' sound. Maybe it was because he couldn't speak! that had to be it! All the other pets could talk to thier owners. It probably made him ;defective' or something.

"Hii..." He tried, his voice fading out as he tried to remember the sound the woman had made to address the boy. He gave a light scratch at the door, "Hiiydeee...?" He tried, sounding a bit odd, but the name was at least recognizable. "Hy-dee!" He said, proud to have gotten it.

He rested his back against the door and slid down, deciding to wait for his owner rather then brave the strange woman on the floor below. After all, the boy might be angered further if Jin wasn't there when needed.

Hyde stomped across his room and punched the power key on his computer with a finger. The metal box made a whirring sound as it powered up and parts beeped within as the circuits started to spark. Hyde was a gamer and a computer freak. Although he was more into the software that went into the hardware, he still liked to tinker around with the parts every so often. His room was littered with computer parts. A few empty cases lied underneath a blanket next to his TV and brand knew pieces of machinery decorated his shelves beside large books that had something to do with hacking, hardware, software, or the A++ test. On his walls there were large clock gears, varied in size, that ran along all three walls in an interlocking path. It was as if a switch could be flipped to make them all turn. Other brass and metal contraptions were decorated around his room. Hyde was going through a phase of Steam punk obsession.

He grabbed a pair of headphones from his desk and plugged the cord into his cpu. Typing away he turned his music on max and surfed around the internet for hours. It wasn't until the sun had long set that Hyde finally found nothing to do... along with the loud rumbling complaints of his stomach were finally becoming very annoying. He took his head phones off and marveled at the volume that they had been at... it was miracle that he could still hear. He turned off his computer and then walked towards his door, kicking out the wooden wedge. He took the handle and turned it quickly. A mere second passed before he jumped back and stared at the ground where Jin was.

"Were you waiting for me out here?" Hyde asked curiously, thinking that perhaps this boy was as crazy as his mother.

Jin sat outside the room, leaning against the door for hours. He listened to the sounds that drifted into the hall and eventually fell asleep.

When the door opened he fell backword and found himself staring up at his master, who was asking something. He had no idea what the other was asking...

"Hy-die?" He asked, seperating the sylables as he'd done before. He got up, sitting in a crouch, hoping Hyde would let him in now. He didn't seem angrey anymore, had learning his name made it better?

At first Hyde had forgotten his anger and confusion and hate towards his parents. For the moment when he was staring at the bird boy he was rather curious as to what he was. Mother said he was a bird and that he had wings on his back, was it true? And if it was then why couldn't he see them now... were they just very small?

But the second that he heard that name he glared at the bird and lifted his foot to push the larger boy back. "My name isn't Hydie!!! It's HYDE! HII-DD!!" He annunciated his name carefully for the boy, seeing that he didn't know a lot and was obviously very stupid. He bent down to be eye level with the other and pointed at himself. "My name is Hyde." Then he alternated and pointed at Jin. "Your name is Jin. Understand?"

He sighed and feeling the guilt of pushing the bird back he offered his hand to the boy to help him. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

He lifted the boy up to his feet and couldn't help but very calm and natural around Jin. Something about this bird made him feel very happy. Perhaps it was innocence that the bird seemed to emanate. He talked like a baby that was just learning to speak and the skip in the bird's step was like a cheery carefree child that didn't know better about the world. The more that Hyde thought about the more he felt guilty for pushing the bird away the way he did. After all Jin didn't know better, right?"

He grunted softly and released the other's hand and started to walk away. "I'm gonna get something to eat... hungry?" He asked Jin, pausing and turning around for a moment to wait for a response.

Jin winced as he fell back on his ass, his wings rustleling under his shirt. "Hyde..." He repeated. Of course Hyde was mad, Jin wouldn't like being called the wrong name either.

He beamed at the sound of his name and nodded. "Jin." He repeated, pointing at himself. He pointed to Hyde, trying to put the words together as he guessed thier meaning, "Hyde, you are?" He asked, getting the words and meaning right, but failing to understand sentence structure.

He stared blankly at Hyde's hand before realizing what the gesture meant. He took it, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. He didn't understand the question, but his stomache growled as if to answer anyway. He followed, figureing Hyde would yell at him if he didn't want to be followed. Beside, he might be fed.

Hyde scoffed at the way that Jin spoke. "No, no, Jin. It's 'Are you Hyde' or 'You are Hyde.'" prodded at the bird boy's head and shook his own. "God, you have a lot to learn."

He led his new pet down the second staircase that lead into a small sitting room. From there they wandered into the kitchen beside the dining table that stood in a peninsula of windows. The white and black tiles were chilly against his bare feet, but Hyde was used to the transition between carpet and tile and shook it off in a second. He opened the fridge and looked around at it's contents. When he saw the unopened package of strawberries he smiled and took it eager to the sink to wash them off.

"Hey, want some strawberries? You know what these are right?" He asked curiously not sure exactly what the bird had been taught or exposed to. He took Jin's hand and dropped a bright red berry in it. "Eat it, it's good." With that said he took one and after ripping the green top off he popped it into his mouth and made a sound of pleasure and glee. He loved berries like this. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, all of them made his mouth water. They were sweet and tangy, but not sour in his mind.

"You ah Hyde." He still had trouble with 'r's, but he sounded quite sure of himself. He took the berry that was given to him, and recognized it. "StRawbeRRy!" He said, straining his 'r's. He'd learn to get them right.

He popped the berry in his mouth whole, enjoying the sweet juice that spread through his mouth. He reached for another and another, wiping away a trail of juice that trickled down his chin. He looked over at Hyde again, then beamed appreciatively.


Edit: This felt much longer when I was typing it. x.x; Sorry! It won't happen again.

Hyde actually smiled to Jin. The way the bird ate the berries so gleefully was hilarious, did Hyde look that way when he ate these lovely little fruits? He shrugged his shoulders and popped another in his mouth, not caring that Jin was eating more than he was considering that he could just ask Brain to buy another box of them... to think of it... it probably was Brian who had brought these for Hyde. At the thought the boy smiled even wide as he savored the flavor. Brian was the best!

After the two of them had finished off the box of fresh strawberries Hyde led Jin this way and that, giving him the grand tour of the entire house. In the basement was where the adults played when they had the time. A pool table stood grandly in the middle of arcade games and a big screen TV mounted across a wall with speakers on either side and in the corners of the room. This place was rarely used, thus why Hyde liked t lurk down there when he was bored, they did have rather nice games down there. Classics and old school games like Mortal Combat down to Pac-Man. On the main floor was the living room, dining room, sitting room, library, and music room. Upstairs was full of bed rooms and such along with another entertainment room, oh how his parents loved their electronic toys.

With that done it was already very late and Hyde gave a wide yawn. School was tomorrow... and that mean he had to be up in five to six hours. He wandered upstairs and tapped on the doors that lead to guest rooms. "You can stay here, or here, or here... whatever you want." He explained as he walked back to his own room to go to sleep. He opened his door and turned out with a little smile. "G'night... and you know you're not so bad. I like you." He smiled and laughed quietly, a bit embarassed at the way that it sounded.

Jin followed Hyde to his room after touring the house, blinking at the guest rooms. Was he supposed to stay in a lonely room like that? At the pet shop he needed to, but he'd thought once he had an owner he wouildn't be alone anymore. No, Jin would stay with Hyde if he could. He didn't want to be stuck in a room for the majority of his life.

He pawed lightly at Hyde's arm, trying to get across what it was he wanted. His wings gave a soft rustle and he rather suddenly ducked uner Hyde's arm, slipped into the room, and hopped up on the bed, looking around at the gears and such. "Hyde?" He pointed at the computer, wanting to know what it was, "Chee...?" He resorted to a bird like sound again, unable to voice the question.

Hyde looked at him, not quite sure what he was asking for. "What is it?" He asked but before he could say anything else or reject the idea the bird snuck past him and into the room. Hyde gave a yelp of surprise when Jin did this and frowned deeply when he saw the boy on his bed. "You know that's my bed!" He said loudly... he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the bird to leave and when it didn't happen he sighed and gave up.

It was like a dog, always wanting to be near its best friend... when Hyde thought of it that way he didn't mind as much. He closed the door behind and and punched the button on the base of his lamp above his bed and turned off the main light.

"Just for tonight." He said strictly, trying to make it clear that it was a one time thing, though he guessed that the bird didn't understand him... and hoping that his tone of voice was able to get the message through to the creature.

He looked up at what Jin was pointing at and smiled again. A subject that he loved. "That's my computer. COM-PU-TER." He said the words slowly like he did to all the other objects through the tour just to make it easier for Jin to understand and remember. "I'll show you what it does tomorrow, but I need sleep. I'm tired, Jin."

He pulled off his long sleeved shirt and his pants, throwing them aside in his hamper, leaving him in his boxers. All across his body were black and purple bruises and one that were green and yellow from weeks of healing. There was exceptionally dark one on his hip that he had been given when one of the boys at school kicked him into a table. Down his arms were smaller spots from the places that his classmates pinched him. These were acts that he expected from elementary school, he didn't expect it to happen when he was in middle school... and thinking about it was dreading what would happen in high school. After so many years of looking at these bruises he learned just to accept them and not to look into a mirror that reflected anything more than his face.

Jin memorized the title of each object easily, then blinked as Hyde began to undress. He slipped off the bed, the bruises caught his attention. Having no sense of personal space, he trailed a finger along one of the bruises, "Hyde? This...?" He questioned.

He moved to the chair at the computer, sittign backwards in it to face Hyde. He could sleep there, he didn't want to take over Hyde's bed after all. "Hyde? That?" He questioned again, pointing at the bruise and still wanting an explination although he likely wouldn't understand one yet.

Hyde nearly leapt out of his own skin when the bird touched him. He was so unused to skin to skin touch that it gave him a good start. He turn around and stared at the boy for moment, his breathes coming out in quiet pants. He followed the other's boy's movements and sighed quietly as he got into his bed to hide his battered body away under the covers.

"Those are called bruises. Bru-ses." He sighed and clicked his tongue out of agitation. "You get them when you get hurt."

He looked at Jin, who was a bit taller than him, look very uncomfortable in that chair. "Hey, are you really planning on sleeping there?"

He raised a brow and shrugged his shoulders before turning his back to his new pet and staring at the wall. "If you want you can take half the bed, but don't bother me. I have school in the morning."

Jin was starting to understand some of it. "Bruises." He repeated, "Hurt? Nnn, 'ow'?" He questioned, the word sounding familiar to him. He gave a sad expression, but didn't know how to voice the question of where the bruises had come from.

Of the next direction though, about the only thing he got was 'bed'. "Bed...?" He repeated before moving to the bed, taking it as a command to go to said location. Still in the nice clothes that had been bought for him, he curled up on the top corner of the bed, but seemed to be having trouble getting comfortable to sleep. Finally he gave up trying to be 'good' and took of the confining shirt. His wings which had been struggling to stretch for some time grew and wrapped around his shoulers. He tucked his head under one of the wings, nesteling into the blankets and pillows as he got ready to sleep.

The sound of rustling feathers were faint in Hyde's ears as he drifted away into sleep. He always fell asleep quickly after a long angry day, and with his new bird by his side he felt very comfortable... maybe this strange new pet was a good thing for him... people did say that pets make life a little lighter. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of dark wings. It was like having his own angel laying right next to him. Just for him. He yawned and finally laid his head back down to sleep, and without another word he fell into a darkness that left him enveloped in an empty peace.

Beep...beep... beep.... beep!

The sound of his annoying alarm was screaming out over his head. He groaned and slapped the plastic box with glowing numbers to cease the constant noise. He sighed and pulled his blankets over his head. The alarm was only on snooze, meaning that it'd go off again in 5 minutes time. He hated the mornings... within a minute he was asleep again under the covers and had completely forgotten about the other body in the bed next to him.