Disclaimer: I don't own digimon and all that jazz.
Storm Drains - Chapter 1: Acid Rain
Pants, shirts, toothbrush, school work, and the basic necessities were packed indiscriminately in to a worn suit case. It was large, rolling, and bought second hand. Although it could have only really carried a few weeks' worth of clothing at most, all of Kouichi's possessions fit comfortably.
The now 16-year-old made a final check of the room he shared with his mother and confirmed that everything was accounted for and in the suit case. If he left anything he'd never get it back and he owned so little that he couldn't afford to lose a single hair comb. By the next day the apartment would be empty of people and belongings.
Kouichi didn't own a watch but he knew it must have been past six. A second, half packed suit case sat on the bed reminding him of his mother's promise to return early to finish packing. Something must have come up at work, probably nothing major but he couldn't help but resent her boss for working her any longer than usual. She was already working so hard. Every day she juggled 3 jobs, working long hours with barely time to eat and rest all for him. Everything she did was for his sake.
In return Kouichi did everything he could to help her. He did laundry, cooked, rubbed her aching back, and had even secretly picked up a job of his own to help pay the bills. His mother was adamantly against Kouichi working, insisting that he enjoy his summer vacation with his friends but Kouichi was dead set on easing the burden on his mother and the burden of his own guilt.
Initially he had assumed that meeting Kouji would bring their family together and fix everything somehow. In retrospect he realized how naive he had been. His mother was of course overjoyed to be finally reunited with her son but the reunion brought with it a whole new set of worries. She blamed herself for not being able to provide for Kouichi the life that Kouji lived. She wondered if he would be better off if he lived with his father. She wondered if he would be better off without her. The stress wore here down and her health problems multiplied. Kouichi constantly tried to assure her that he was content with life as it was but it hardly slowed her deterioration. She always looked tired and more often than not was distant, caught up in her own worries.
Even now as Kouichi moved to finish his mother's packing he was reminded of their newest predicament. His mother's hours had been cut back at one of her jobs and they'd been unable to pay the rent at their previous apartment. They'd been living in the extra room in the apartment of one of his mother's former high school friends, Suzuki Aiko, but tonight would be the last they stayed. The woman was short and plump with a kind face and a kind husband. They'd allowed the homeless pair to stay at their apartment but unfortunately they were preparing to move themselves. Apparently the stout woman's sister was often sick and they wanted to move further north to be closer to her. Kouichi and his mother were still very grateful for their hospitality. Even if it had been only a week, it had been enough time to find a cheaper apartment, one that they'd move into tomorrow.
Satisfied with his packing job, Kouichi zipped closed the equally well-used suitcase. Concerned about his mother's tardiness Kouichi made his way to the front room of the small apartment to look out the window. He wanted to believe that he'd see her walking up the corridor through the window but all he saw was rain. It poured down in sheets so thick he couldn't make out the buildings across street. Leaning his forehead against the glass he hoped she'd remembered to bring an umbrella.
When the pulled away and wiped away the fog his breath had caused, he noticed his own reflection. His appearance hadn't fared much better than his mother's. His skin was paler, a dark ring around his eyes was barely noticeable but there, and could tell by the way his clothes fit that he had lost weight. Kouichi sighed and ran his fingers though his hair. He had to keep hoping that it would get better. For his and mother's sake and his own, it had to get better.
He figured he should have been excited to move into a new place but he couldn't find the energy. Plus, such a cheap rundown apartment wasn't something he would want to show off to his friends or brother. Kouji always worried about him and his mother and Kouichi hated to be a burden. Luckily though, Kouji was on vacation somewhere with his family which gave the older twin time to clean up the new place. Kouji had already been gone a week and there was still another to go before he returned. They didn't have a way to communicate in the meantime seeing as how Kouichi couldn't afford a cellphone and Kouji was still waiting for his new one to come in the mail after the old one broke. He was pretty sure Kouji still kept the broken phone because it had been his detector in the digital world. He was secretly sentimental like that and Kouichi found it endearing.
Kouichi brought himself away from his thoughts of Kouji and back to the present. His mother still hadn't come home. Maybe she had left her umbrella and was trying to wait out the rain. Kouichi retrieved two umbrellas from the shared room and made up his mind.
"I'm going to meet my mother at the store Suzuki-san. I'll be back soon," he said loud enough for the woman to hear him before slipping out the door.
The rain was making rivers in the storm drains and beating heavily on the umbrella. Normally this time of the year it was almost unbearably hot but the rain made the temperature rather comfortable. Even so, an uneasy feeling grew in Kouichi's gut, compelling him to walk faster. By the time he reached the laundry mat his mother worked at the uneasiness had transformed into panic and the brisk walk into an all-out sprint. The run left him winded and his lower half soaked. He had to take a moment to calm himself before pushing open the door.
The ding of the bell alerted the store employees to his presence. His mother was not among them. There were two female workers. One was clearly distraught and sitting while the other put on a brave face for her friend, trying to comfort her. He'd met them before and must have heard their names but he couldn't remember them. Their conversation was put on hold immediately upon his entry.
"Kouichi! Thank God. We didn't know how to contact you," The more composed woman hurried toward him and pulled him into a tight hug. Kouichi soon pulled away in order to look up at her.
"Why? What happened? Where's mom?" The panic that he had barely suppressed was surfacing again.
"There was an accident." Kouichi was about to ask again what happened when the other now slightly more collected woman who had at some point come over decided to elaborate.
"They didn't even see her! It was raining so hard and I don't think she was paying attention…" Whatever else she tried to say dissolved into sobs and he couldn't make it out. The little pieces of information only served to make him more frantic.
"Please, what happened?"
"She was just leaving the store crossing the street and, oh Kouichi, she's been so absentminded lately. I don't think she saw him coming. The driver didn't see her in time because of the rain—"
"Is she okay?" Kouichi's voice cracked with emotion and he blinked hard to keep in the tears.
"Kouichi... she's dead," she said after a moment, softer, and apologetically, brave face breaking and tears escaping. The desire to scream and cry and destroy something in frustration flooded through him but all that came out was a flood of tears. The woman pulled the crying, hysteric child into a tight embrace, offering him temporary shelter and a moment of vulnerability before he had to gather the strength to face his unfortunate situation.
A/N I did it. I killed Kouichi's mother. Oh god, I'm a murderer. Maybe one day the world will forgive me but for now, onto more important news. Heads up, I'm an artist not a writer but my eternal and secret love for digimon persuaded me to write dirty pleasure fanfiction. I'm super busy with 7 AP classes this year plus getting into college but I should be able to update every week or two. If you didn't notice from the summary, this will eventually be Takuya/Kouichi BL. I'll be introducing Takuya next chapter most likely so look forward to it! Oh, and review and stuff.