Takeru was happy. His father and mother had agreed
that he could sleep over in his father's house with his 'Niichan tonight,
and he was able to have lots of fun with the older boy.. They had played
a few computer games (Takeru enjoyed it, although he lost every single
time), saw a movie, and then went to a restaurant for dinner before sleeping
out in the living room, with the television on.. Their father had gone
to sleep early, trusting the boys to themselves.. As if he could trust
them..
After all, it was already past three in the morning
and neither had succumbed to the world of sleep, although it was tempting..
Especially for little Takeru.. But he wasn't going to fall asleep, because
he wanted to stay up and be with his 'Niichan as long as possible, since
they weren't able to share times like this very often.. And so they both
stayed awake, watching the prime entertainment of the night: Horror movies.
The little boy was scared of course, but he wasn't
going to tell his older brother.. Because he wanted to show his 'Niichan
that he was brave, and wasn't going to scream. Of course, it also helped
that he had both hands in a death grip over his mouth, but he wasn't going
to say anything to his brother about that.
They were to the point where the mummy was going
after the heroine and had trapped her in the corner and was about ready
to grab her with his wrapped hands and choke the life out of her when...
He closed his eyes and hid his head under a pillow so he couldn't hear
the screams anymore..
He shivered for a few minutes in fear and then let
out a squeak of fear as something tugged at the pillow.. It was the mummy!
He was going to eat him! He didn't want to die! The boy tried to keep the
pillow on top of his head, but it was finally ripped from his grasp, and
turning horrified eyes, a screaming forming in his mouth, he saw...
Yamato. His brother.. Chuckling in fact. "You okay
there Takeru..? It wasn't too scary for you, was it..?" His eyes sparkled
with laughter, and the boy blinked, calming down..
"Of course not 'Niichan! I was just tired.." Takeru
lied.. He didn't want his Oniichan to figure out that he was afraid.. But
he had a good suspicion that the other boy already knew... "Anou.. What
happened..? Where's the mummy.." The boy pointed back to the television
set, where the hero and heroine were kissing, and then, upon getting a
good look at what the two were doing, stuck his tongue out. "Eww... They're
kissing..!"
His brother turned to the screen and chuckled again.
"It seems that way Takeru.."
"B-but that's disgusting..! Why would anyone want
to kiss one another..?? Hikari-cha's my best friend, and she's a girl,
but I don't want to *KISS* her!" Takeru stated, still disgusted. Grown-ups
and teenagers were weird.. He was hoping he never acted like that when
he finally became one.
Yamato's smile faded a little and he swallowed a
lump, but other boy didn't notice this. "That's a way a person shows another
that they love them.." He sighed and Takeru blinked in surprise as his
brother ran a hand through the little boy's hair, which was void of his
usual hat...
"Wouldn't it just be easier to just say I love you
and give them chocolates..?" Takeru asked.. It was easier.. And you didn't
need to use your tongue that way those two were on the screen.. "Ewwww....!!!"
Yamato turned around and his eyes widened as he
saw the heroine and hero start to unbutton each other's shirts and panicked,
quickly grabbing the remote and flipping the television off, before sighing
and wiping his brow.. Which of course confused Takeru and he stared at
his brother. "Anou, 'Niichan..? Why'd you shut off the television..?"
Laughing nervously, which confused Takeru even more,
Yamato replied, "It's time for you and me to go to bed, Takeru-kun."
"Aww..." The boy pouted, crossing his arms, and
frowning deeply. "I don't want to go to bed though..." He didn't! He wanted
to stay up more and have fun with his 'Niichan, watching movies. "I'm not
tired.."
"You aren't..?" Yamato's eyebrow arched and he gave
little Takeru the all-knowing 'Niichan glance. "Are you sure..?"
"Uh-huh." The other boy nodded. He was tired...
But he wasn't going to tell his 'Niichan about it, of course. "I'm not
tired at.."
The rest Takeru's response was lost in a gravity-defying
yawn, and he could hear Yamato chuckle again. "Sure you aren't little bro..
But we're going to bed anyways..."
Darn.. Why'd that stupid yawn have to pick that
time to come..? He hated yawns, they always came at the wrong time. How
annoying. "But I don't want to go to bed.." Another yawn. Okay, now this
was getting really annoying.. Just when he tries to stay up with his 'Niichan,
his body decided it was time to quit. And so he decided to mentally scold
his body for yawning. Not just any old yawn, but big yawns! He frowned
even deeper.
Yamato ruffled the boy's hair, causing a slight
giggle to escape from the smaller boy's lips. "Bed time.."
"No! I'm not moving from this spot..!" Takeru stated,
grabbing the arm of the couch next to him in a similar grip that he had
used to keep from screaming earlier.
And yet again, Yamato chuckled. "That's good.."
He smiled slyly. "Because that's where you're sleeping tonight.." He grinned
widely.
Takeru looked down, and frowned even deeper, if
that was humanly possible. He forgot that he and 'Niichan had made that
couch out into a bed.. "Damn."
"Takeru!!" Yamato glared, and the boy shrinked down
into the bed-couch, looking up at the other blond haired child with large,
wet eyes.
"S-sorry 'Niichan.." Takeru whimpered.. He hoped
that Yamato wasn't going to tell their father! He'd get in trouble for
sure!! A-and then he m-might never see his Oniichan again! " 'N-niichan,
you aren't going to tell Dad, are you..?"
"Hun..?" The eldest child in the room blinked in
surprise at his little brother.
" 'C-cause then I'd get grounded and I wouldn't
be able to s-see you again! A-and I don't want that to h-happen!!" It was
bad enough he couldn't be with Patamon anymore, but to be without his 'Niichan..!
Yamato bent over the little boy and wrapped his
arms around Takeru. "Shh.. I'm not going to tell.. Just don't say it again..
Seesh.. You'd better get some sleep there little guy.."
"K-K.." Takeru snuggled into his brother, and sniffled,
wiping away his tears before they could form.. His 'Niichan was always
so nice and warm and cuddly.. Soon, against his will, he felt his eyelids
sliding shut and finally he lost his battle against the dreamworld, and
he fell asleep..
After a few more seconds of frantically looking around the room, the boy spotted the pale light filtering in from the kitchen, and blinked. Of course, his brother was just thirsty and getting something to drink..
The boy touched his throat.. As a matter of fact, he was kinda thirsty too... So Takeru yawned again and clambered out of bed, and walked into the kitchen wearing his baggy pajamas, wiping the sleepy seeds from one of his eyes with a balled-up fist..
And he stopped in his tracks.. Steel glinting in the light.. Reflecting his brother's face, as it was raised above him..
" 'Niichan...?" The boy whispered, eyes wide with fear and confusement. "W-what are you doing..?" He knew better than that..
Yamato let out a gasp and turned around sharply to look at his younger brother.. "T-Takeru, what are you doing up..?"
"I-I was thirsty and was going to get a drink.." Takeru replied, eyes still locked onto the object in Yamato's hand.. "A-and you know better than to play with knives!"
"I...I..."
"I'll tell Dad if you don't put it away! He said to never take out the knives because we could hurt ourselves, even kill ourselves by accident!"
"T-takeru, don't!" The other boy's eyes widened in terror.. "Please.. Please don't tell him...! You can't..!" He pleaded..
He had to tell on his Oniichan, and so he turned around, shouting towards his father's room.... "Dad!!! DAD!! 'Niichan has a kn-" The boy's words were cut short as a meaty thunk and the smell of blood flooded his senses.. " 'NIICHAN!!" He spun around, watching Yamato fall with the knife stuck into his chest, collapsing onto his side..
"YAMA!" Takeru shouted, running over to the other boy, and kneeling down beside him as the red blood flowed onto the other child's night shirt.. He turned Yamato over onto his back, tears forming and already falling onto the elder boy's pale cheeks... " 'Niichan, why'd you do that?? I-I don't want you to die! I love you! Please don't die 'Niichan, please don't die! Y-you'll be okay, me and Dad, we'll get you to a hospital and you'll be okay!!"
"Iie.." The older boy coughed up blood, and he let out a small whimper, his eyes softening at Takeru's tears and his plea....
"Iie..?" Takeru blinked, as more tears fell from his eyes, the torrent growing ever swifter... "O-of course you'll be okay.. 'C-cause you're my 'Niichan and I won't let you die!" He wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck, hugging him close as he buried his face into the other boy's shoulder....
Yamato let out a heart wrenching whimper and then began to sob, wrapping arms around his little Takeru.. "I-I don't wanna die... P-please don't let me die.."
Their father ran into the scene then... "Yamato! T-takeru, what happened.?!?!?!" Both children were crying.. His eldest son had a knife to the chest and.. and..
Takeru lifted his eyes up to his father's gaze and stated simply as the other continued to sob.. " 'N-niichan s-stabbed himself!"
The man was frozen in shock, unable to move... Then.. "Y-you idiot!" He ran to the phone, and began to dial the emergency hotline, as Takeru went back to crying...
"I-I don't want to die...." Yamato pleaded again, coughing up more and more blood... Takeru didn't care if it got on him, or how much.... His 'Niichan was hurt..
The young boy, in his sobs, failed to notice that his brother's sobs were quickly growing quieter and quieter.. And then, they stopped altogether... Takeru noticed then, and blinking back tears, looked up at his brother, as his grip on the little boy slackened. " 'Niichan..?" He shook his brother.. The slamming down of the phone on the hook.. " 'Niichan, 'Niichan..." The boy continued to shake the limp form, tears forming yet again.. He didn't like that look in Yamato's eyes.. That vacant, glazed over look..
His father kneeled beside him, and glanced at the eldest boy's eyes, then closed his own as Takeru looked up. "Dad...?" The man lifted his hands up to Yamato's face and gently closed the boy's eyes for the final time. "Why won't 'Niichan wake up..?"
"Takeru.." His father broke his gaze from the pale child and looked to his youngest, choking on his next words... "Y-you're brother's... dead.."
Takeru's world seemed to shatter, the simple dream of spending a happy, fulfilled morning with his brother disintegrating before his very eyes.. "I-iie! Iie!! H-he can't be dead! H-he can't be!!" He felt a hand trying to comfort touch his back and he shied away, shaking his brother furiously. "Wake up! Wake up! You gotta wake up!" He shook and shook, but there was no response from the deathly pale child, and the boy sobbed, burying his head into the other boy's chest yet again, as the first sob was flooded out it own kind, magnified, amplified by his innocent soul..
Yamato span around, and with a surprised shout dropped the glass he was holding onto the ground. He glanced down quickly, then back at Takeru, as the boy slammed into him and sent them both to the ground, his flailing arm knocking the container of orange juice to the floor. "T-Takeru...?!"
His hair dripping wet, the boy clung to the elder one, sobbing. "Please don't kill yourself, please! I-I can't lose you 'Niichan..."
"K-kill myself..? Nani..????" Yamato pat the small boy on the back, unsure of what to do.. "Takeru.. I was just getting something to drink.."
Takeru's sobs stopped abruptly and he looked up at Yamato. "You mean you aren't going to kill youself 'Niichan...?"
".......Hai.... I'm not going to kill myself.." The boy blinked in confusement.. "I never was going to Takeru.. W-what gave you this idea..?"
"I..I..." Takeru was about ready to respond when their father came thundering into the room..
"What's going on here..???" The man asked, dark circles under his eyes..
"That's what I was about ready to ask Takeru.. He came at my like a bullet and knocked me over... Shouting something about me not killing himself.." Yamato stroked the boy's head, who was still clinging to him as if there were no tomorrow..
"Takeru..?" Their father's voice asked.. "What's wrong..?"
"I-I had a nightmare where 'Niichan killed himself.. A-and it was awful..." The little boy replied, sniffling...
Yamato and his father exchanged a glance before Yamato spoke up. "Hey there Takeru, that must have been one really bad dream-"
"-It was!" Takeru interrupted"
"-But look, I'm okay, aren't I..?" Yamato gently wiped the tears from Takeru's face. "Just calm down.. Everything's going to be okay now..."
"I-iie.." Takeru looked up into his brother's eyes. "Y-you gotta promise me you'll never kill yourself first."
"Hai.. I won't.. Now let's go back to bed..." Yamato stood up, carrying his tired little brother in his arms.
"K-K.."
"Oh, and Takeru..?"
"Hai..?"
"From now on, no more horror movies for you.."
"B-but Yama!!"
Their father couldn't help but chuckle as the arguing boys left the room, and then he sighed as he looked at the mess left in the kitchen.
THE END
^^; Anou.. Those are for you people who hate bad endings... However,
there's the other version...