Damaged, Not Broken
Prologue
> They said I was sick.
That I needed to be fixed.
That I was... wrong.
> I used to pray.
Every night, on bruised knees, under a wooden cross that watched me like a curse.
I prayed for my feelings to disappear.
I prayed to wake up normal.
> But no matter how many hymns I sang, or how many apologies I whispered to a god I was taught to fear...
I still looked at him.
I still felt something they called a sin.
And I still wanted to be held by someone they’d never accept.
> So they sent me away.
In the back of a van with blacked-out windows.
> Evergreen Mental Health Center.
That’s where “the broken” go.
That’s where they threw me.
> And that’s where I met him.
>Loud, wild, golden-eyed—and nothing like the quiet I knew.
New Blood
[Scene: Evergreen Mental Health Center – Ward D hallway. The building smells faintly of antiseptic and something... old. Aoi walks beside Nurse Yuki, suitcase in hand. The fluorescent lights hum above them.]
Narration (Aoi):
"White walls. White floors. White lies.
They said this place would help me.
But it already feels like a prison."
Nurse Yuki
(cheerfully, though her eyes seem tired)
"Here we are. Room D-14.
You’ll be sharing it with one of our older patients. He’s... lively.
Be nice, okay?"
Ankoku Aoi
(glances at her, voice flat)
"Do I have a choice?"
Nurse Yuki
(gives a tight smile)
"Not really."
[She opens the door. The room is dim, one window covered by messy blinds. Posters of old bands and scribbled sketches are taped on the wall. A boy is sprawled upside down on one of the beds, legs kicked up against the headboard, earbuds in, bobbing his head to faint music.]
✦ Kaze ✦
Appearance: Mid-length lilac-purple pinkish hair, messy and unruly. Sharp yellow-green eyes with heavy lids. Bandages on his cheek. Several piercings glint in the low light.
Wears a loose hoodie over his hospital-issued white turtleneck. Grin like he knows everyone's secrets.
Kurohiko Kaze
(still upside down, not even looking)
"New roommate?
Finally. I was starting to have full conversations with the ceiling. "
Nurse Yuki
"Kaze, this is Aoi.
Play nice."
Kurohiko Kaze
(removes one earbud with exaggerated flair, still upside down)
"I’m always nice."
(turns and drops down onto his feet in one smooth motion)
"Yo, new blood. You look like a kicked puppy.
That’s kinda cute."
✦ Aoi ✦
Appearance: Shorter, layered dark blue hair falling over soft teal eyes. Skin pale, expression unreadable. A single dangling earring in his left ear.
Neat white clothes, but his shoulders are tense like he’s always bracing for impact.
Ankoku Aoi
(quiet, defensive)
"...Thanks?"
Kurohiko Kaze
(strolls over casually, eyes scanning him with amused interest)
"You look like someone who apologizes before they cry.
Let me guess—parents sent you here to “fix” you?"
Aoi stiffens. His grip tightens on his suitcase handle.
Ankoku Aoi
(low)
"Yeah.
They said I was... possessed.
Because I’m gay."
Kurohiko Kaze
(stops. Smirk fades just a little. Then clicks his tongue.)
"Figures.
My parents called me “too loud.”
Too angry.
Too much."
Kaze walks over to his bed, flopping onto it belly-first. Face buried in his pillow, muffled voice:
Kurohiko Kaze
"Welcome to hell, angel face."
Ankoku Aoi
(awkwardly sits on his own bed across the room, eyes scanning the space)
"You’ve been here long?"
Kurohiko Kaze
(sits up, spinning around like a bored cat)
"Two years."
"I know where they hide the actual sugar packets and which nurse will sneak you snacks if you flirt right."
Ankoku Aoi
"...I don’t think I want snacks that bad."
Kurohiko Kaze
(grinning)
"Suit yourself.
But you're gonna need something to sweeten this place."
Kaze stands again, then drops to the floor, sitting cross-legged directly in front of Aoi. His yellow-green eyes gleam with amusement.
Kurohiko Kaze
"Alright, new guy.
What’s your deal?
Favorite color?
Biggest fear?
Ever kissed a boy?"
Aoi freezes. Eyes widen slightly. His face starts to flush red.
Ankoku Aoi
(stammering)
"W-what??"
Kurohiko Kaze
(teasing smile, leaning back on his hands)
"Kidding.
...Mostly.
C’mon, don’t look so scared.
I’m not gonna eat you.
Unless you’re into that."
Aoi turns away slightly, gripping his knees, ears burning.
Ankoku Aoi
(quietly)
"You’re so...
weird."
Kurohiko Kaze
(smiling, like he just won something)
"Takes one to know one."
He lays back again, arms stretched out dramatically across the cold floor.
Kurohiko Kaze
"You’ll get used to me.
And if you don’t... well.
Too late. I’m already your favorite."
Ankoku Aoi
(sighs)
"You’re really annoying."
Kurohiko Kaze
(beams)
"You’re not the first to say that.
But you might be the cutest."
The room quiets. Aoi sits silently, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. Kaze hums a soft, unfamiliar tune, still sprawled on the floor. For once, the silence doesn’t feel so heavy.
Bruised Knees, Locked Doors
[Scene: Flashback – Aoi’s home. Late at night. Silence hangs thick in the air.]
Aoi sits on his bed in the dark, staring at the letter in his hand — crumpled now, edges torn. His chest is tight. His door creaks open without a knock.
Ankoku Kageko (mother)
(voice low, controlled)
"We found something in your bag."
Ankoku Aoi
(eyes still down)
"You went through my things?"
Ankoku Reiji (father)
(steps into the room)
"Answer your mother."
Aoi finally looks up. His hands tremble. His mother holds the letter like it’s something poisonous.
Ankoku Kageko (mother)
"A love letter, Aoi?
To a boy?"
Ankoku Aoi
(quietly)
"His name is Haruki.
And yes. I loved him."
[The room stills. Her breath catches. His father closes the door behind him.]
Ankoku Reiji (father)
"You are not that kind of boy."
Ankoku Aoi
(voice shaking)
"What kind is that? The kind who feels?
The kind who—who just wants to be loved?"
Ankoku Kageko (mother)
"No. The kind who sins.
The kind who shames us."
Aoi stands. His voice rises for the first time.
Ankoku Aoi
"You don’t even want to understand me.
You want me erased."
Ankoku Reiji (father)
(takes a step forward)
"Lower your voice."
Ankoku Kageko (mother)
(snickers bitterly)
"We raised you to be good. And this is what you become?"
Aoi stares at them. Tears cling to his lashes but never fall.
Ankoku Aoi
(quietly)
"I was good.
Even when it hurt."
[There’s no shouting. No apology. Just silence — the most violent kind. Then the next sound: wheels on tile. A suitcase being dragged to the front door.]
Ankoku Kageko (mother)
"You’ll be going somewhere they can help you.
Somewhere to fix what’s been twisted."
Ankoku Aoi
"You mean somewhere to make me disappear."
Ankoku Reiji (father)
"Enough."
Ankoku Aoi
(stares at them both)
"You know...
you didn’t even ask if I was okay.
You just wanted to scrub me out of your perfect house."
[The front door opens. A van waits. The sky is still dark. Not even the birds are awake.]
Ankoku Aoi
(voice barely above a whisper)
"Don’t forget to water the salvia."
[No response. His parents don’t say goodbye. The van door closes. Aoi presses his forehead to the window as the house disappears behind him.]
> That was the last time I saw them.
Not dead. Not gone. Just... done with me.
[Scene Transition – Evergreen Mental Health Center, Present Day]
Aoi wakes up in his shared room. The light from the window hits the wall. His chest feels heavy. Kaze is humming something off-key while drawing in a notebook on the floor.
Kurohiko Kaze
(not looking up)
"You dream loud."
Ankoku Aoi
(sits up slowly)
"Sorry..."
Kurohiko Kaze
(tilts his head, half-grinning)
"Didn’t say it was bad.
Just loud."
Ankoku Aoi
(mutters)
"It wasn’t a dream."
Kurohiko Kaze
(stops drawing)
"...Yeah.
Figured."
Aoi rubs his face with both hands. He looks so small in the morning light — like a ghost wearing a boy’s skin.
Kurohiko Kaze
(sits up, stretching)
"You hungry?
They serve toast that tastes like wet cardboard.
Real luxury."
Ankoku Aoi
(soft laugh, then stops himself)
"You always talk this much in the morning?"
Kurohiko Kaze
"Only when I feel like the silence is trying to eat you."
Aoi glances at him. There’s no judgment in Kaze’s voice. No pity. Just presence.
Kurohiko Kaze
"You don’t have to tell me anything, you know.
But if you ever want to...
I’ll shut up and listen."
Ankoku Aoi
(turns toward the window, eyes stinging)
"They never even asked if I was hurting."
Kurohiko Kaze
(sits beside him on the bed, quiet)
"That’s the thing about people like us.
We don’t break when we’re hated.
We break when we’re ignored."
The two sit in silence for a moment. Not heavy. Not awkward. Just... breathing.
Kurohiko Kaze
(grinning again)
"C’mon. Get dressed. Group therapy starts in ten.
I need a wingman when I argue with the therapist."
Ankoku Aoi
(flatly)
"You argue with your therapist?"
Kurohiko Kaze
"Every day. It’s the only joy I have in this place."
Aoi smiles. Just barely. But it’s there.
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