A/N: I decided to write a one-shot! I found it really fun. Oka~ay, warning for tradgic events, suicidal themes, like, two curse words (mild) and kind of a cliff hanger. Yeah, have fun with this. Review if you like (or dislike- there has to be a reason). Karui, OUT!


She is leaving me, and I know it. I try not to give up, but trying doesn't always work. In fact, it normally doesn't. The doctors had been blunt; putting on fake expressions of concern for her as they told me what I had been dreading to hear. She might not make it, they said. I stay quiet every time they tell me, but inside I'm screaming at them. All of them are liars. They know she won't make it. Even I know she is going to die.

And they won't even tell me what happened to her.


"Rei, she might not make it. I'm so sorry " The nurse tells me for the hundredth time. Her expression twists into an ugly mask of compassion. I scowl.

"Don't give me that bull." I whisper. "You're not sorry. You never knew my sister. Why would you care?" The nurse's mouth opens, then closes. She nervously runs a hand through her bright red hair; the exact colour of fresh blood. I glare with a profound annoyance.

"I know you're going through a hard time. I'll leave you two alone." She bows awkwardly. The girl leaves the dreary white room.

Now I'm alone with my sister. That's exactly what I dread. Being alone. How could I live without someone who was part of me? We were together our entire lives. The one time I left her alone... I come home to find her half dead on the floor.

I break down. Tears stream down my face as I mutter to myself. My twin. My friend. My happieness. My life. I can't stand sitting in the chair anymore. I jump up and cross the short distance between the chair and her bed, sobs shaking my body. I grab her pale hand, not wanting to feel the lifelessness, but needing to hold some part of her, just to be sure she was really here.

She gives no sign of life. I am unable to feel her pulse. Her body is loose. She hardly breathes, and even that is only noticeable by the machine placed over her mouth, turning foggy when she exhales.

Wires are positioned all around her, slipping into her wrists, arms, even her temples. Her short black hair flares out across the white pillow. Her eyes, normally wide open, were closed. I could almost believe she was sleeping; if it weren't for the lifeless haze surrounding her.

"Wake up." I beg, my voice hoarse from sobbing. "Wake up, Rui. Come on, wake up. Please. You have to wake up." Tears still fall from my eyes. I know she will die, but I can't bear to go on without her. It wouldn't be fair, to either of us. "Rui, please. I'll be a better person! I-I'll s-stop getting i-into f-fights-s. I'll raise my grades, like you always tell me. I c-could help you g-get the money for that car." My voice cracks as our memories flood my mind:

Rui and I skipping class, she reluctant, me excited. Me breaking my arm in a fight, and her crying at the edge of onlookers, as I beat the other to a bloody pulp with one arm. And driving to the hospital after; our mother yelling at me, while Rui continued crying. Winning first prize at our first talent show. Meeting the crowd of performers we became a part of; only to drift away and go back to being on our own. At our mother's funeral, then father's. The court. Our aunt vying for custody. Her funeral.

So much pain and I had never once cried.

I had always been so emotionless then. Even when our parents died I hadn't cried. Rui always did that for me; she always showed exactly what I felt; I had needed to stay strong and support her. But she couldn't express this pain for me, and the tables are turned. Now she shows nothing and I let all my emotions jump out with surprising force.

"Rei..." The red haired nurse opens the door. I look at her, then wipe my tears away with my sleeve.

"What?" I demand.

"Visiting hours are over." She looks at the floor. A wave of sadness washes over me. I try not to let it show.

"Fine." My words come out a growl. I gently release my sister's hand, then stomp out of the room.


I slam the drawer shut, after finding a pen. The small apartment was a mess. I had torn it apart, bit by bit, just to rid this anger. My world was ending. The doctors had called me this morning; not even acting sympathetic, they told me she wouldn't make it. A week, at most.

It isn't fair and I can't to stand for this injustice. If one of us has to die, then it should be me. I was always the trouble maker, while Rui stopped me. She held me back from doing anything that could get me in too much trouble. Why did the good one always die?

I glance back; checking if the rope was still dangling from the fan, and hoping it could hold my weight. I use the red pen to write in big letters 'I'M DONE' over the paper I had in front of me, ripping the paper in the process and probably denting the desk. All my lights were off. Face set, I lift the desk's chair off the floor and carry it under the dangling rope.

A knock sounds at the door.

Someone's POV

I knock on the wooden door as hard as possible. Nothing happened. I knock again. Nothing. I look at the window and notice a small gap in the drawn curtain. I look through the gap to find the boy standing on a chair with a determined look. As I focus my vision I notice a rope dangling in front of his face. I scream and start pounding on the door, praying none of the other apartment owners were home.

"Open up!" I say, anger clouding my judgement as I decide what to do next.

Rei's POV

I froze on top of the chair, hoping the person would think I wasn't home. But the banging refused to stop. The flimsy apartment door shook with force. I hear a muffled shout of "Open up!" then the pounding continues. I scramble to tie the rope into a noose knot when I realize this person wasn't leaving.

A quiet moment or two then the sound of my door handle being violently abused. A scraping sound and a click later the door opens to reveal a girl with green hair in a fighting position.

I gaze at her with shock. She runs forward and kicks out at my chair, causing me to fall on the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I refrain from smacking her.

"I-I"m so sorry, it's just- I saw you and- and you were going to-to-" The girl stutters in a high pitched voice that went straight to my head in the most annoying way possible.

"Shut up!" I scream at her, sitting up. "What are you doing here?" I try to remember if I recognize her.

"I was Rui's friend. I-I think I met you once. I heard about what happened." She sits next to me and looks at the hem of her purple dress. "I lost my brother a few years ago and I... I almost did what you did..." She looks up and I remembered. Her name is Gumi. "It's not the right path!" She shouts.

"That's never stopped me before." I whisper. "Now get out of my house." My voice takes on an icy tone.

"No." The girl says. "I'm going to help you through this. Wether you like it or not." She looks at me with defiance. "Let me buy you something happy. What makes you happy when you are with Rui?" She lightens her voice with what seemed no effort.

"I don't want to do this." I say, angrily looking away. Why would I do anything with someone who broke into my house? I hardly even knew her! Gumi pokes my bare shoulder.

"Get a jacket on. Just a tanktop is too light for fall." She pokes my shoulder again.

"I don't want to do this." I repeat. Doing something with this girl would be like replacing Rui before she even died.

"Yes you do. Stop being Tsundere. I'm going to help my friend's brother." She pokes me again and I sigh.

"Fine. But I'm not wearing a jacket and I'm not gonna be happy, either." I have every right to be upset, considering my sister was dying and I just got stopped from joining her. I stand up and walk towards my open front door. Gumi was still sitting on the floor. "Coming?" I ask her.

"You have to help me up. It's gentlemanly." She pouted at me. I shake my head.

"No." I say, then walk out the front door, half hoping she would not follow. I hear her scramble to get up then rush to me. I inwardly cringe.

"Where are we going?" Her high pitched voice drills into my head.

"The cafè." I say coldly.

"We have to hold hands and walk there." Gumi reaches for my hand.

"Why?" I exclaim, annoyed by her general ease while my sister was dying. I should be by my Rui's side, not with this happy-go-lucky freak.

"Holding hands makes people feel better." The green haired girl says with an oblivious air.

"No."

"Tsundere." Gumi mutters. I clench and unclench my hands in annoyance.

Gumi's POV
Maybe... Maybe I can save him. He just needs someone to talk to. Someone to relate to. But he's so unhappy...

I'll just have to be happy for him.


Rei's POV

As soon as I walk into the cafè I regret it. There was no crisp, autumn smell like outside, but a gutwrenchingly strong scent of fresh coffee. I put a hand over my mouth and nose to keep the smell out and stop my gagging. I hunch over, coughing to rid myself of the disgust.

Rui and I used to love this place; being here without her made it sickening and wrong. All our fun here came back in the form of the scents of spices filling my head. Gumi puts a hand on my back as I start hacking.

"Rei? Rei, are you alright? Rei?" Gumi starts franticly whispering to me as I cough.

Finally I manage to stand upright. "It's just asthma." I mutter, my voice cracking. "I want to leave."

"Oh. Um, okay."

Gumi's POV

It wasn't just the asthma. And it was obvious.

Rei's POV

"I'm gonna go see my sister." I stagger out of the cafè, trying to appear as dignified as possible.

Gumi lowers her head and lets me walk away.

Gumi's POV
He will be happy someday. Right now he just doesn't know what to do with his life. He needs to figure something out, just like I did.


Rei's POV

"Which room is my sister in?" I ask the red haired nurse from yesterday.

"Oh. Well, um, we were just about to call you..." The nurse straightens her blue uniform. "She is far gone... Not dead, but just about." My heart contracts. I knew Rui wouldn't last long, but actually facing what was going to happen... That was a whole different thing all together. And so soon...

"Let me see her."

"Okay." She steps aside to let me pass her in the narrow hallway.

I look at the nurse. "Which room?"

"I can take you." She starts walking and I have no choice but to follow.

Rui's POV

It gets lonely. I'm just floating in a black place that never ends. I can only hear the outside world in garbled form. Only Rei comes to see me, and he's always upset. I wish he would stop being upset, because he never used to show emotion and it worries me now that he is. I just wish the people keeping me alive would pull the plug already and let me die in peace.

I faintly hear the door open. I hear my brother say my name and tell someone to leave him alone with me. The door closes with a soft click.

I try to call out. Nothing happens. Every time I try to react to Rei being by my side I just remain lifeless. I feel a faint pressure on my hand, sending little sparks up my arm. He starts making an odd noise. I realize he was crying, again.

This is when my consciousnous starts slipping. It feels like I am falling and falling. I knew what this meant, so I let myself go; just continuing to fall.

I hear a muffled scream.


Rei's POV

I rummage through the cabinets at my apartment, looking for my medication. I was breathing so heavily I felt dizzy. Rui had just died. Holding her clammy hand felt disgusting, and being there when she slipped away made me sick to my stomach. I start to feel faint.

My face was tear stained, but I wasn't crying anymore. People die. Things happen.

I just didn't know what happened. The doctors never told me how she died. The only thing I knew was that I came home to find her passed out in the living room one day, pale as the moon.

I grab the bottle of pills and found it surprisingly light. I shake it and receive no sound. I pinch the cap between thumb and forefinger and twist, opening the bottle. It was empty except for a paper curled to fit along the inside. Fear grasps my heart.

"No," I mutter, as realization dawns on me. I pull the paper out; fingers twisting to fit in the small opening. On the paper was scrawled, in Rui's loopy handwriting, 'I'm sorry about this'.

The pill bottle falls to the ground with a thump; the note flutters with a quiet landing.

I start muttering to myself. One sentence repeats itself, over and over and over. "Why the Hell?"

I could not finish the words aloud, but in my head I know the rest: Why the Hell did she kill herself?


A/N: And that concludes my first one-shot. It's kind of short for a one-shot, I know. I am actually tempted to make an ongoing story about this, so tell me what you think! R&R