The rain had picked up and large gusts of wind slammed against the windows. An orange haired boy stood behind one of the windows, staring out. Had one been in the room watching him, it would seem as if he was waiting for something. Perhaps not something but rather someone. But it was far too dark, far too late at night. Yet he kept staring. Not that there was anything to see.

"Attention. We will be landing shortly. Please return to your seats, fasten your seat belts, and remain seated until landing has completed and we arrive at the terminal. Attention. We will be landing shortly. Please…"

A firm hand grasped his shoulder, waking him up from his semi-slumber. Looking to his left, an older woman smiled at him. Removing his headphones from his ears, he tilted his head at her, questioning why she had awoken him from his dream. She let him know the earlier instructions before quietly returning to look out of the airplane's small, oval window. Not that there was anything to see.

They had dropped gradually over the past year. A few had showed up here and there, but more out of pity than anything else. He had tried many things, yet it had never been the same.

So he quit.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Instead of going upstairs and down the hall to the unused music room, Kaoru headed towards the front gate. He looked up at the dark sky as he opened his umbrella. It was only April and school had barely started, yet, the rain poured down; the rainy season was in full effect already.

His driver, a man dressed in a black suit, opened the car door for him. Shaking his head, Kaoru announced he would walk home. As the driver insisted on his services, Kaoru turned and walked down the street, ignoring the man completely.

The rain hit his umbrella as he walked. Where exactly was he going? Home? No, he wasn't going there. Home. What a strange word it was to him. His house, for over the past year, had become very lonely. The many large halls that ran through his home that had once filled with laughter and warmth had become empty.

Not that walking down this street was any better. The overcast sky didn't help either. He walked past the many shops and past a park, still not going anywhere in particular. So, without direction, he stopped. Leaning against the side of an old brick building, he looked up at the sky again and let out a long sigh. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He closed the umbrella and let the arm holding it drop to his side, feeling the cool raindrops hit his face.

It had been slightly over one year since his mother had taken his twin brother and gone to America. He felt as though half of him had been ripped off and thrown into an unknown abyss never to be found again. He felt weak and hopeless. Dark thoughts filled his mind; thoughts of sadness, anger, and loneliness. Thoughts of suicide. He shook his head, trying to get that thought, among others, out of his mind. If he killed himself, his chances of seeing his beloved brother again were zero.

"Kaoru?" he heard a voice ask. He responded with a small noise, assuming it was the little voice in his head talking to him.

"What are you doing?" the soft voice asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, eyes still closed. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I don't know anymore," he answered himself.

It was then that he felt a warmth come over him. The warmth of someone hugging him. His eyes snapped open. Pushing away the person, unsure of who it was, his now open eyes widened. A mirror image looked back at him. Yet, unlike himself, the image was smiling. He stared in disbelief and, closing his eyes again, took another breath. It hadn't been the first time he'd been seeing things, seeing what his heart desired. This was the first time he had felt the illusion touch him, though. But upon opening his eyes again, the red-haired reflection didn't disappear, as it normally would have.

"Kaoru?"

He was starting to believe it. Starting to believe it wasn't a mirage manifested by his emotions.

"H-Hikaru?" he asked with uncertainty.

The mirror smiled and covered Kaoru with his umbrella, protecting him from the rain.

"Long time no see."

I know this chapter was short. I'm sorry. I'm just getting back into this whole writing thing again, so I apologize also if this sucks. And I'm also sorry it took me a while to post this. I said two weeks, but it's been past that. I've been busy with work. Working on chapter three now, which will be not only longer but will also definitely have a lot more going on.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment. If you liked it, let me know. If you didn't, I'd like to know exactly why. It'll help me improve.