News spreads fast and everybody keeps whispering and staring at Rei. He's in the cafeteria eating when a couple of his classmates come and bash him over the head, yelling that as if monopolizing all the girls wasn't enough, Rei has to go and attract this cute Kirishima too. Rei thinks they're crazy, and says that having a guy like him isn't exactly something to be proud of, and that he isn't bored enough to pay attention to perverts/weirdos like Kirishima. At this moment, Rei realizes that Kirishima is standing near him and has heard his comments. At first Rei looks shocked and slightly apologetic, but then sets his jaw. As Kirishima looks reproachfully at him, Rei just asks him what he's looking at, and says that freaks like Kirishima disgust him, before walking off.

Since it happened in the cafeteria, lots of people saw Rei tell Kirishima off. A bunch of girls protest at Rei, yelling angrily at him that it took Kirishima a lot of courage to come out and say he's homosexual, and that Rei has hurt Kirishima deeply by saying those things. (something about Kirishima's human rights, like a right to like who he wants or whatever.) Rei merely replies that he has his own rights, and that he doesn't like being liked by someone he has no interest in. He tells the girls off, basically, saying that they should go away and think about their own futures instead of bothering him.

Rei and Tatsuya are on the roof. Rei complains about the commotion Kirishima's caused him, and Tatsuya just tells him to pay more attention to Kira and not let people think he's really a pervert (or...really somebody with, let's say, "special" intentions).

Kira sees Kirishima sitting by himself and crying. He notices her looking at him, and is about to run away when Kira stops him. He apologizes to her, saying that he knew Rei already had her as his girlfriend, but didn't stop. He also tells her about what Rei had said in the cafeteria, about Kirishima being disgusting. Kira asks him what he likes about Rei, and he replies that he likes everything--Rei's appearance, the way Rei lives. He says he wishes he had been born like Rei; then he wouldn't be the weirdo he is now. He also says that ever since he was small, he was always the kid who was bullied. (As he says this, he has a strange expression on his face, which makes Kira stare, startled.) He also asks her about her painting of Rei that is hanging in the school auditorium. He guesses that the name "Mars" isn't talking about the planet, but rather about the god of war. (As he says this, he again has a strange expression on his face, which again startles Kira.) Kira agrees to this, and at the same time wonders about that look she caught on Kirishima's face, which seemed to freeze all their surroundings. She wonders where she's seen this look before...

Rei hunts up Harumi and asks her just how much of the rumors Kira has heard. Harumi tells him they've heard everything about Kirishima confessing his feelings to Rei, but that Rei doesn't have to worry about its effects on Kira because she's stronger than that. However, Harumi is concerned that Rei and Kira haven't slept together yet. Rei tells her he's afraid that Kira doesn't like him or something, which is why she keeps holding back. Harumi tells him that's definitely not the case, and that having sex, to a girl, is something very important/serious--it's not as simple as they make it seem on tv, with the background music and the flowers and stars--it's something really big. Rei asks if it was this serious for her, and Harumi admits that in her case, she'd been so preoccupied with trying to make him hers that the excitement/interest had overpowered any fear or doubts that she'd had. She teasingly tells Rei that he's stupid--if he'd stayed with her, he wouldn't be having these problems right now. Rei smiles back, asking if she'd agree if he asked her now. Harumi says it would depend on the situation--but that if something like that happened, it would be far from either of their best experiences. Rei leaves, grinning and wishing Harumi luck with her affair with Tatsuya. ;) Harumi screams that Tatsuya must've told Rei [about their sleeping together].

Rei goes to the art room to look for Kira (she's the president of the art club now, so she's always very busy). He finds her there--with Kirishima! (scares him out of his wits) Kira tells him that Kirishima is a new member of the art club, since he said he's very interested in painting. She didn't have any reason to reject his petition for membership, and tells Rei that he should be nicer and less prejudiced towards Kirishima. She tells him about what Kirishima said (about wishing he'd been born like Rei), and says that she can empathize with the feeling. Rei goes and apologizes to Kirishima for saying such a serious (mean?) thing. They strike up a conversation, and Rei asks Kirishima whether he really only has interest in guys. Kirishima replies that he doesn't, and Rei's surprised (and kinda jokingly impressed), asking Kirishima whether he's bisexual and what type of girl he would like. Kirishima replies, blushing, that he probably likes Kira's type...which makes Rei go after him trying to beat him up (Kira runs to the rescue) ^_^;;;;

Rei talks to Kira about Kirishima later...Kira claims that Kirishima was really hurt by Rei's first few comments to him, but Rei tells Kira that that wasn't the case--if Kirishima had really be hurt and sad, he wouldn't have been able to look Rei in the eye--and yet when they'd talked, Kirishima hadn't had any trouble looking at him directly. Rei says that Kirishima's nervous system is different from normal people's. As he says this, Kira is surprised by a strange look on Rei's face--and suddenly recalls Kirishima's strange expression from before. Later, while she's in an art store, she wonders why Rei has sometimes had that look of being cold and calculating, seeing through other people's intentions. She thinks she's gone crazy, superimposing Rei and Kirishima.

Coincidentally, Kirishima is at the art store where Kira's shopping. They end up having some coffee together, and Kirishima tells Kira that he wishes he had a relationship like the one Kira and Rei seem to have. Kira gets a beeper-esque message from Rei, telling her he's off work already so they can meet up. She's about to leave, Kirishima having insisted on paying the check to thank her for helping him shop at the art store, when she notices how lonely Kirishima looks and decides to invite him along with her to meet Rei.

They end up walking towards Rei's apartment building. On the way, they see a bunch of guys bullying/about to kill a little cat that someone's left tethered to the chain link fence. Kira runs forward, crying for them to stop. Kirishima throws a rock which hits the main guy. The three guys start beating Kirishima up for not minding his own business, and Kira tries to stop them but only gets struck aside. Kirishima, seeing his opportunity, grabs a big rock and is about to hit the guy with it when Rei stops him, asking if he's trying to kill someone. Rei ends up beating the other guys up, even slashing at one of their hands with a butterfly knife they'd tried to use on him. He then asks which of them hit Kira, and threatens the guy with the knife--asking him whether he'd prefer to lose his eyes or his nose. He's about to cut at the guy's face when Kira cries out for him to stop, and he lets the guys run off. He tries to touch Kira's face, asking if she's all right, and her first frightened reaction is the cringe away from his hand. She apologizes, saying she's frightened out of her wits, and Rei tells her to go in. He asks Kirishima whether he'd been planning to kill the guys, and Kirishima merely replied that if he hadn't resorted to his own methods there would have been no way to protect Kira, since he didn't have the sort of strength or practice at fighting the way Rei had. Kirishima also says that it would be the other guy's fault even if he did get killed, because Kirishima was on the "right" side. Rei tells Kirishima he doesn't care what happens to him, unless he gets Kira involved. Kirishima smiles, and says that he's relieved that Rei hasn't changed at all....

Kira remembers the way Rei had threatened the guy with the knife, and remembers Rei telling her he had an ugly side to his character. She thinks that despite always believing she knew Rei so well, she actually doesn't know him that well--but likes him nevertheless. Rei finds her at break, and asks whether her face is ok (the guy'd hit her on the face). He reaches out to touch her cheek, and Kira looks slightly frightened, which makes him stop. Then her experession softens, and she reaches for his hand and smiles. Rei asks Kira if she wants to go somewhere on a weekend, and they plan to have a picnic at the beach. They're laughing happily, and Kirishima watches them from behind the corner with a menacing look on his face.

Kirishima finds Rei at his new workplace--seems he's working at a pool parlor, hustling. Rei tells Kirishima he's like a fan (chasing after celebrities), the way he keeps following Rei around and finding information about him. Kirishima offers to play a game of pool with Rei--if Rei wins, he'll give Rei some money, and if Rei loses, he'll have to give Kirishima an hour of his time. Rei agrees, but loses the game. Kirishima takes Rei to this deserted, scary place (like..an old warehouse or something?) and tells him that's where they met for the first time, only Rei probably doesn't recognize him because at the time he'd been beaten up by a whole group of his classmates until his face was unrecognizable. He'd almost been beaten to death, and would have been, if Rei hadn't saved him.

Rei and Kira are at the beach and Rei's telling Kira about what Kirishima had said. It seems they'd met once before, randomly, because Rei had been in a bad mood and taken it out on the people beating up Kirishima at the time. He asks Kira whether she thinks he's scary, saying that sometimes he thinks there's something not quite right about himself. Kira kisses him, and tells him she knows that his gentleness outweighs his scariness by too much.

Back at Rei's place, they're getting off his motorcycle when they meet this old policeman Rei knows (he used to be a delinquent, remember, and get caught & locked up a lot). Kira goes inside first, while Rei and the officer talk. It seems that the officer is concerned that Rei and Kirishima are at the same school (seems he was the officer involved in the case when Rei had saved Kirishima), and Rei wonders whether Kirishima is involved in petty crime. The officer says no, Kirishima has murdered someone.

Back in the apartment, Rei is recalling what the officer told him about Kirishima. Seems that Kirishima had this childhood friend who he'd killed half a year after Rei had saved him. (I'm going to take a stab at his name in Japanese, since the Chinese name consists of kanji that would translate to Aoki.) Aoki had been the leader of the group of guys who'd been beating Kirishima that day. When they were small, he had taken care of/protected Kirishima, until one day when he was fighting a bully who'd been picking on Kirishima and there'd been an accident. The bully had fallen down some stairs and ended up dying, and ever since then Aoki had undergone a drastic change. Anyway, he'd ended up being a delinquent, using drugs and getting more and more violent. He'd used Kirishima as an outlet for his frustration/stress, until Kirishima finally couldn't take it anymore and killed him. The police officer is worried, since Kirishima had been placed in a hospital's mental ward (same place Rei'd been after Sei's death), and afterward transferred to Rei's school. He'd felt that this was too much of a coincidence to bode well, and was afraid that Rei might end up as a second Aoki. Despite the circumstances, the fact remained that two people had died because of Kirishima, and the officer is worried about what may yet happen.

Kira notices that Rei's not quite his usual self, and asks him what the officer had had to say. Rei just brushes it off, saying the officer'd just been checking on him since he used to be such a delinquent. Kira doesn't believe him, and asks him to tell her whatever's bothering him, since she's stronger than she looks. She says that ever since they'd started their relationship, she's grown stronger through the successive trials. Rei still doesn't say anything, but holds Kira close.

Rei's at work at the pool parlor again and Kirishima's there again.
Rei: I'm sorry, but I really have no interest in you.
Kirishima: That's alright, as long as I'm interested in you.
Rei [glances at Kirishima]: I take that back. I dislike you.
Kirishima [smiling]: This is a step up from not having any feeling at all, isn't it? At least disliking someone means you have paid attention to their existence.
Rei [glance, cold look; takes out cigarette]
Kirishima [gets a match, lights the cigarette for him]
Rei: Ashtray.
Kirishima [picks up the ashtray on the table and proffers it.]
Rei: Not that. Ashtray.
Kirishima [glances at Rei; proffers his hand, palm up]
Rei [reaches forward, puts out his cigarette in Kirishima's palm.]
Rei [smiling]: When it comes down to it, I'm actually a very abnormal person. Looks like you're about the same.
Kirishima [picks up ice from the glass; puts it on his hand]

Next day at school, Kirishima and Rei pass each other in the hall. Rei tells Kirishima to go see a doctor. Kirishima says he has, and that the doctor said it'd take about two weeks for his palm to heal. Rei tells him he didn't mean that kind of a doctor, and points to his head before walking away.

Rei stops Kira on the stairs and warns her not to have anything to do with Kirishima anymore. She asks him why, and he just repeats for her not to get close to Kirishima.

Kira's in the art room wondering why Rei was making such a big deal about Kirishima. One of the art club members comes to tell Kira that Kirishima is going to be taking two weeks off because he's got a hand injury. The girl suggests that they use Kirishima as a model to draw. Kira's uncertain about this, but Kirishima is really excited and grabs Kira's hands, asking her to draw a picture of him just like the one she did of Rei that's hanging in the auditorium, with the same kind of format and the same colors. Kira remembers what Rei told her about Kirishima, and snatches her hands away, knocking over an easel and getting paint on Kirishima's shirt. She hurriedly tells Kirishima to give her his shirt, so she can wash it immediately (since oils are hard to remove if left too long). Reluctantly Kirishima unbuttons his shirt--to reveal that he's got huge scars all over his body. Kira is shocked at this, and Kirishima just says that it's from when he was bullied--that they'd kick and hit and burn him on his chest and abdomen because they were afraid that if they injured his face people would be able to tell. Kira asks who did those things to him, and he replies that his friend did. Kirishima remembers the time when Rei had saved him--how Aoki had been about to deal some final blows when Rei'd come and beat them all up, saying they'd woken him up (he'd been napping). He says that to Rei, it wasn't a big deal, but to him Rei was a savior.

They meet Hamazaki on the street, and he gives Kira a ride. He asks about Kira's friend, and she tells him it's a guy [he'd thought he was a girl] named Kirishima. Hamazaki looks shocked, and tries to remember where he's heard that name before...

Kira wonders about what kind of person Kirishima is. She recalls Rei saving her from the scary teacher (check V.1) and then thinks about how she can sense lots of colors from Rei, but when she thinks of Kirishima, she doesn't sense any colors at all....

Harumi comes to find Kira at school, saying that Hamazaki is asking for her. She goes to the school gates, where Hamazaki is waiting. He tells her he's asked his friend and found out that Kirishima once killed someone...someone named Aoki...who'd been killed by multiple stab/slash wounds from a knife.

Kira goes to look for Rei and runs into Kirishima. She asks Tatsuya if he knows where Rei is, and Tatsuya says Rei's probably at work already. He can't seem to remember the name of the place, but Kirishima remembers and says it's this place called Snooker. He also says (with, might I add, a very frightening look on his face) that he'll take Kira there.

They find Rei getting money from some guy at the bar. Kira yells at Rei, since he deceived her and told her he was working an honest job. She says he's hidden too many things from her lately, for example, the police officer from last time--this strikes a chord with Kirishima also, and he asks them whether they both know about his killing Aoki. He explains that he killed Aoki, and that he changed Aoki's life [for the worse]. He starts to cry, and this makes soft-hearted Kira sympathetic. She starts comforting Kirishima, saying it couldn't all be his fault, but Rei just suddenly gets a cold look on his face and says that Kirishima is a good actor, and is actually thinking "that kind of trash deserved to die." Kira thinks this is a cruel thing for Rei to say, and is reproaching him for it when Kirishima looks up and begins to laugh, agreeing with Rei and saying that if he hadn't killed Aoki, somebody else would have anyway. Kira looks at them both in shock.

What follows is a very cold, candid conversation between Rei and Kirishima about how Aoki was worthless and most people are worthless also, and that Kirishima used them all and the law to his own advantage. Both Rei and Kirishima have these cold, expressionless faces as they talk, and finally Kira can't take it anymore and runs away. Rei tells Kirishima to get lost, and goes to the bathroom to find Kira.

Kira's crying in the bathroom, and wonders whether Kirishima's insane. Rei offers to take her home, but she refuses. She's still angry about his not telling her about what had happened, and about lying to her and for having this dishonest "job" at the pool parlor. Rei tells her he knows he was wrong not to have told her any of this, but he only did it because he knew it would frighten her so much, and that working at the pool parlor wasn't such a bad job, since he could earn 20-30,000 yen in one night working and they could have the weekends free to go out. Kira tells him the money he uses to take her out is dishonest money and she's not happy using it at all. Rei gets angry with her, and says he hates girls who are nosy and continually preach at him. Kira runs away crying, and Rei kicks the door.

On the street some old pervert tries to pick Kira up and she's saved by Rei, scares the pervert away. He takes Kira home, and before he leaves he just says that he won't have time to take her out on weekends anymore, since he'll be starting work on weekends again like before.

At home, Kira finds a note left by her mother, telling her she won't be home again because she's working overtime. Kira begins to cry again, thinking that she hates the Kirishima who can talk so casually about having killed someone, and she hates the Rei who can respond so casually to Kirishima. She thinks that Rei is growing more and more different than the Rei she thought she knew, and that this new turn of events is scary.

Kira goes to Rei's classroom to look for him.
Kira: Is Kashino here?
Classmate: Rei--your wife's here to see you. (note: the way they say "wife" here is equivalent to saying "old lady" in the chinese trans. i mean lots of ppl use it to refer to their wives and stuff but it's just slightly more...hrm...how to say it...casual use? and can be sort of rude or funny, depending on the situation.)
Rei: What do you want? I'm already working honestly.
Kira [blushing]/ I guess he's still mad at me...
Kira [embarrassed]: I..I know...It's just that...since you have to work on weekends, we won't have time to meet, so...if it's possible...I was hoping that...maybe you could...take me home today?
Rei: ! Don't you have club activities?
Kira: Yes...so..I was wondering...if you could wait for me after the club activities...
Rei: ................
Kira [blushing, very flustered]: Ah, because, today we're working outside, so you can sleep in the art room...
Kira: Be-because,...didn't you always say you sleep well in the art room?
Rei: You really want me to send you home that much?
Kira [nods, blushing]
Rei [nonplussed]: Then kiss me.
Kira [shocked, huuuuge eyes, sweating, quick movement backwards]: AH???
Rei: You're not willing?
Kira: How could I do something like that at this sort of place?!?!?
Rei [turns abruptly to leave]: Take the train home yourself.
Kira [panicky, grabbing onto Rei's shirt]: OK, OK OK OK...I'll kiss you ok!!!
Kira [looking down in embarrassment, sweating]: Bend down a little lower..
[Rei bends down, eyes closed. Kira scans the area for people, then reaches up and kisses Rei gently. He grabs her and pulls her in tightly.]
Kira: YAAAAAA!!!
Kira[pushing Rei back angrily, face red]: YOU---What do you think you're doing!! We're at school you know!
Rei [angry, face red]: At this time who cares about school??
Kira: Of course I care!! What the heck were you planning to do??
Rei: Do you even need to ask?! Of course I want to sleep with you!!
Rei: If you really love me, could you please stop being so prim and be more cute for a change?!?!
[Kira leans forward, blushing, resting her head on Rei's shoulder]

Kira tells Rei she was actually feeling bad because Kirishima knew so much about Rei that she didn't know--like where he worked, what he was doing, etc. Rei tells her she shouldn't be jealous of Kirishima since he wouldn't go for him even if there were no women left on the earth. ^_^;; He also says that if he really had an affair with Kirishima and they were in bed together, probably at the least expected moment he'd unexpectedly find himself getting his throat cut. Kira's shocked at this comment, and Rei plays it off as a joke. He goes off to play soccer with some of the guys, and Kirishima steps out from behind a tree and comments about Kira and Rei's loveydovey relationship and how Rei seems like a little kid when he's with Kira. He also says that the Rei Kira knows has changed from the Rei he knows--that he knew Rei as the kind of person who could burn everything without a second thought, and that he'd thought that was what the painting "Mars" had portrayed. Kira thinks Kirishima is mistaken, and says so--but Kirishima just smiles and shows her the cigarette burn scar on his palm, saying that Rei did it without even blinking an eye.

Kira thinks about what Kirishima says while she's at art club meeting, and refuses to believe.

Rei is sleeping in the art room. Kirishima sees him and bends over to kiss him. Rei wakes up when Kirishima is bending over, and says that he shouldn't play that kind of joke and that he's not Aoki. He also asks Kirishima whether he's said anything to Kira lately. Kirishima smiles, and asks Rei what Kira's told him. Rei says she hasn't said anything, but he can tell when something's bothering her. Kirishima just says that Kira is more normal than he'd expected, if she's unable to hide her feelings like that. He says he expected Rei's girlfriend to be more "different" since Rei was so "different." Rei just says that Kirishima is too abnormal. Kirishima replies that everybody likes to say things like that, advocating peace and human rights, but that even according to human history it's evident that human beings' nature is to kill. He says that Rei is no different, despite his comments otherwise, and asks whether he felt any excitement when his brother Sei died--how did it feel to see a corpse that looked exactly like oneself? Kirishima says that he felt very excited when he killed Aoki...that he thought it was cool to see the blood and Aoki squirming and pleading for his life.

Rei reaches up to touch the side of Kirishima's neck.
Rei: It's so thin. One hand should be enough.
[He puts his hand around Kirishima's neck and pushes him to the floor.]
Kirishima: !
Rei: You say people are happy before they die? Then why don't you try it!
[Kirishima is choking]
Rei: Experience how it feels to die, yourself!
[Rei has Kirishima pushed down on the ground, and is strangling him with one hand.]

End Volume 6.

On to Volume 7
Back to Mars