Kagerou Days

One hot summer's day, I lazily on of the swings in the park. It was the 15th of August and it was quite warm. I reached for my cellphone in my pocket and pulled it out, it was 12:30 in the noon and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I sighed as I placed my phone back into my pocket and leaned back on the swing. My dark brunette locks fell in front of my face but I didn't care.

"It's a pretty day today fratello." My younger, cheerful brother- Feliciano said as he sat on one of the swings besides me and slowly petting a cat, which was napping on his laps.

I gave a huff in return, "I don't really like the summertime." I muttered back to him.

My brother smile faded away for a bit, a little shock about my answer. But then it returned back to its normal, goofy state.

"Aww, just cheer up Lovino!" He told me in his high-pitched, slightly annoying but caring voice.

The cat shifted a little on Feli's lap then it opened up its eyes and pounced off of him. My brother eyes widen as he saw the cat run away.

"Hey kitty! Come back!" he called as he began to run after it.

"Hey, Feli! Wait!" I tried to call after him, but he was already out of the park,

"Bastard..." I cursed under my breath.

I followed the lighter, brunette haired boy to the edge of the city. I saw the younger teen chase after the cat which was on the street, luckily the traffic lights were red. My brother stepped off the footpath, not realizing that he was in the middle of the road, I ran to the edge of the footpath.

"You idiot! Come back here!" I yelled at the Italian boy.

The cat soon slowed down and when he was close enough, he scooped the feline into his skinny arms.

"Got ya!" He cheered.

Without a notice, the traffic lights then suddenly flashed a bright, green. A truck raced down the street towards my oblivious brother, the careless driver of the large vehicle then saw my brother in front of him when he was a feet away from him. The driver slammed down on the brakes and the swerved hard to the side, but it was too late. I reached out an arm and cried out to him.

"NOOOOO!"

The Italian teen looked right up at the truck as it came rushing towards him, his amber eyes widened and filled with shock. He shut his eyes and braced himself for the impact. The truck slammed into him, I couldn't even think for a second, everything was going too fast for my mind to even process it! I shut my eyes when the truck made impact with the frightened teen. I felt a red, warm liquid splatter onto my face, I opened up my eyes. My eyes widened when I saw the site in front of me. Everything was splattered and was covered in the same substance on my face; blood.

I heard people screaming and panicking, some were on the cellphones already calling for help. I stood there shocked, my eyes darted around inspecting the scene right in front of me, and then they landed in front of a familiar corpse still holding a black cat in their limp arms. I collapsed to the ground covering my mouth, this couldn't be happening... I tried to believe what I was seeing right now was just a daze, but the heat was mocking with me and it didn't help either.

The cat was somehow still safe and alive managed to slide out from my lifeless, bloody brother's broken arms, it then leaned down to his face and started to pawing, nudging and licking his face trying to wake its owner up. The cat meowed as I slowly stood up and made my way to his corpse, I picked up his body and cradled it in my arms, his eyes were closed and blood dripped out from his gaping mouth and nose.

My vision fogged up as tears rushed to my eyes and ran down my cheeks which were still covered with blood, I felt people surround me and my brother's dead body. I let out a loud cry. But my vision and mind then blacked out, and I heard the heat taunted me.

"It's all real." It said to me.

My eyes flickered right open, I sat up panting and sweating. I woke up to the sound of the crickets chirping loudly outside of my apartment room. My head turned as my eyes darted around the familiar room, I was in my bedroom in my bed... Was everything just a dream? I looked over to the digital clock on the bedside, the red digits read 23: 59 PM, August 14th, and then it quickly flashed to 00:00 AM, August 15th. I felt a little more relived when I saw the digits on the clock. But why do I have this strange, uneasy feeling inside of me?

I hurriedly grabbed my cellphone next to where the clock was and I checked it, I had one text message which was sent from Feliciano, I opened up the message.

'Hey fratello!

Tomorrow Ludwig isn't going to be with me tomorrow, so I decide maybe we could hang out together! I will see you at the park near your apartment, okay? Well see you tomorrow!

Ciao, your fratellino; Feliciano'

The message ended there, this was starting to play out like my dream. The weird sensation in my stomach got stronger, but I just brushed it off. It was just a dream... But is it?

I walked down the path to the park, the thoughts from last night rushed through my mind. All of this is so familiar but I couldn't tell what it was, what if this was some sort of sign? Maybe this was telling what would happen in the future? I was cut off of my thoughts when I saw my younger, twin brother swinging slightly on one of the swings with a black cat resting on his lap, while he pet it. He was also wearing the same attire like what he was wearing in my dream, he lifted his head up and smiled brightly when he saw me, he carefully lifted a hand up, trying not to disturb the sleeping feline and waved happily at me.

I didn't return the wave and just walked up to him with my hands in my pockets, him didn't mind and just smiled as usual.

"Ve~ I'm glad you could make it fratello." he said to me.

"Yeah..." I quietly muttered under my breath.

He just nodded and returned to stroking the cat's soft, silky black fur.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked me all of a sudden.

"No." I lied, "Nothing is bothering me."

I pulled out my cellphone and checked the time, it was 12:30 in the noon. My eyes widened a little bit, then I stared up at the sky. Just as I had thought, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

"It's a pretty day toady fratello." he told me.

It all came back to me, this was exactly like my dream. Suddenly the cat opened up its eyes and it pounced off my brother's lap.

"Hey kitty! Come back!" he called out as he got out of his seat.

I made a quick move and grabbed his arm before he was about to run off after the sneaky, bastard- cat which was going to lead him to his death.

"Huh? Fratello, what are you doing?" he questioned me with a raised eyebrow.

I let go of his arm, "Nothing." I replied, I could tell that he knew I was lying and he raised his eyebrow even more.

I let out a sigh, "Let's... Let's just go somewhere else..." I told him.

He looked a little sad and hesitant, but he then nodded. We made our way out of the park and into the city, along the way he kept his head down and didn't say a single word. I felt a little guilty for making lose his cat, but it was for his own good. Just as we passed a tall skyscraper I heard a yell from the busy crowd.

"Look out!" the voice yelled.

I looked above us and saw a crane lifting a bundle of red, metal beams for construction, I heard a loud snap and one of the chain broke apart, the large and heavy beams fell and tumbled down to the street and to the people below. My eyes looked down to where the beams were going to land. I felt my heart skip a beat as I noticed that it was going to land on the spot where Feli was standing.

I ran and reached out for him,

"NO! LOOK OUT!" I yelled.

He heard my yell he turned straight back at me, then he stared right up at the sky, but before he could react one of the large beams tore him straight through the middle of his torso, ripping apart his skin, damaging his bones and spine and ripping apart any organs in its way as he let out a loud, ear-piercing scream filled with pain and agony. Blood spurted heavily out of his mouth, he weakly lifted up an arm at me with his hand shivering.

"F-f-fratello..." he weakly called out as blood kept dripping from his mouth and the large, fatal wound.

I ran towards him, but then I felt someone grabbed my arm. My eyes widened and the hand the that gripped me threw me to the ground, no one else around me noticed the figure but instead they stood around where Feli's corpse slowly slide down the metal beam that came through his stomach and fell to the ground staring at me, with his half-lidded eyes.

I looked up at the figure, the heat gave me a taunting smile and said, "This is the real thing!"
Before blacking out once more, I swore when I turned back to Feli's corpse, I swore I saw him smiling weakly back at me.

Again I woke up in my bedroom, I heard the sound of the annoying crickets outside chirping in the summertime's heat. I gripped at my hair, what the hell was going on!? I cursed and mumbled swears under my breath, I looked at the clock. The bright, red digits on the digital clock's face read 00:00 AM, August 15th. I took a deep breath and exhaled, I rubbed my temples, the sadistic heat was mocking me and I couldn't take it.

I picked up my cellphone and saw that there was a message from my idiot, younger brother who has no idea that he was going to die! I threw my cellphone at the wall and it fell down onto the hard floor. I pulled my knees together and fought back the urge to cry my eyes out.

Goddammit! Why was this happening? And why...? Why was he smiling when he died? My shook my head and flopped back down onto the mattress of the bed. I groaned in frustration.

The next day I went to the park earlier than usual, I stood around impatiently waiting for my stupid brother who I was trying to save his life! I then heard a familiar, high-pitched and annoying voice.

"Ciao, fratello!" he said with the same black, wretched cat in his arms. "You're early today!"

I quickly walked up to him and grabbed his arm tightly, he gave a squeak and jump back dropping the cat in his arm.

"Lovino, what are you doing?!" I cried, startled by my sudden move.

"Come." I replied to him.

"B-but, Lovino!" he said my name.

"Just come you bastard!" I told him.

I didn't wait for an answer as I dragged him out of the park, the cat meowed as it followed me and its owner.

"Ow, ow, ow! Fratello you're hurting me!" he wailed as I him to where my apartment was.

I ignored his cries and wails, but I did loosen my grip on him. I walked up the steps and he clumsily tried to follow me without toppling over, as I made it to the top of the stairs I saw a familiar figure leaning on the railing of the balcony. The figure noticed me, the heat smiled a mocking smile, it caught me off guard and I came to an abrupt stop.

This made Feli bump into me and tumble backwards, his arm then slipped out of my hand. He let out a scream, I was then knocked back to reality. I tried to grab his arm but I missed it and he fell down the metal, tall steps of the stairs. His skull smashed against the solid, metal steps and there was a sickening, loud crack, blood poured out from the open wound. His body was scraped and cut from the sharp edges of the stairs and the bones in his body got fractured and broken. I could just stand there and watch as his body fall at the bottom of the stairs in a broken heap, the sight was unbearable, his entire body was covered in blood, cuts in many different sizes and bruises that were a sick, dark purple and blue color. His lifeless, dull eyes stared right back up at me, haunting me for life. His limbs were twisted and stuck out in many odd directions.

My eyes were just wide and was full of fear and horror, I knew that the heat was laughing behind my back. Taunting and mocking me. I clamped a hand over my mouth and looked away from the grotesque site. I've failed... Failed once more.

I heard voices in my head laughing and tormenting me, but there was one voice I could hear clearly among them.

"It's not over yet."

I opened my eyes and found myself just exactly from where I started and this was no use at all. I tried many times to save my useless, unwary brother from his death. But no matter how hard I try to save him, he'll die... Die right in front of me. The torment wouldn't stop and I was trapped in an endless, time loop and I couldn't do anything to save him. I had many shots and chances but they always failed. The heat played with my mind and tortured me by using the person I cared for the most... Even though I hated him for his stupidity and ignorant mind, he was my only family left... I felt more guilt, anger, stress, frustration and agony as days past. I knew he was going to die but I couldn't tell him, I was hopeless and useless... It has been a decade now since this had started and I have had enough of it. Today I am going to turn the tables.

My twin brother and I met at the same park as usual and I could sense the heat smirking and watching our every move, I laughed mentally in my mind. The cat then jumped out of the teen's lap and dashed out of the path, and just as I thought he followed it. I followed them too and made sure I was close enough to my brother for the next part of my plan, the cat ran onto the street which were crowded with multiple vehicles. Being oblivious about his movements he ran onto the road and scooped the small animal into his arms.

When the lights flashed to red I made a grab for his arm and threw him back onto the sidewalk, he fell backwards and was shocked about what I just did. I looked back at him and then I shut my eyes tight as I felt the impact of the truck as it rammed into my side. I could feel pain rushing through my entire body as I tumbled and landed on the other side of the road, with blood pouring out through the side of my head. I slowly opened my eyes, my vision was blurry and hard to make out. But in the distance among the crowd that surrounded me I could see the figure standing there with shock in those emotionless, colorless eyes. Then my eyes caught the crying figure of my brother with tears violently streaming down his face. I felt bad for the poor idiot but I didn't regret my moves. I couldn't help but feel a small tug at the ends of my mouth, but then it ended quickly when I saw another person right next to him. My widened, it couldn't be. But before I could figure out who that mysterious person was, my vision died out and every single bit of my soul left my body.

One hot, summer's day, a young, teenager boy woke up to the sound of crickets chirping soundly outside his room. The clock changed to 00:00 AM, 15th of August. The teen held his cat close to him as tears fell down his face once more.

"I've failed again..." he whispered to himself.

And he silently wept to himself as the loop began once again.