Author's Notes

Nothing much to say, except only two chapters to go.

Oh yeah, the twin switch thing? That's actually another ficlet of mine, which I'm still less then halfway through. I'm working on it though...slowly. When I can find a seat on the rain and not fall asleep in it.

Enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Cold Trip

Sequel to Present Ideas. Mountains, snow, the sea, forests and three weeks together. What could possibly go wrong?

Kouichi K & Kouji M

Chapter 3

He was awake, but simply too comfortable to get up. In fact, he was too comfortable to wake up, but that aspect couldn't really be helped, seeing as the foggy residues of sleep were quickly deserting him.

That's what he got for being a light sleeper he supposed. It was at times like this in which he wished he was more like his brother, presumably still dead to the world.

Speaking of, what had woken him anyway?

He opened his eyes, a little reluctantly (he would have rather kept them closed at that present moment in time, but he didn't want to be found as a dead cat), to find his face buried into an almost violet pillow, swirling with black.

Since when did they have pillows like that? he wondered, before realising he wasn't lying on a pillow at all, and he shot up from his brother's stomach as said boy gave a light, unconscious moan of protest and slept on in his lap, the heavy blankets that covered them each slipping back into place.

And then he glared at the source which had disturbed his rest in the first place, Izumi's camera, with, apparently, flash still on.

'Whoops,' she said, though not sounding the least bit apologetic from the couch, picking up the paperback she had previously been engrossed in before deciding to sneak in another picture. 'Didn't realise the flash was on.' She smirked as she said it; evidently, him waking was intentional.

'Yeah right,' the other scoffed, not buying the white lie, stretching slightly and giving a small yawn, which turned into a sneeze half-way through. Taking the tissue which suddenly appeared in eyesight, he blew his nose, before thanking Tomoki as he slid back to his own seat. 'What time is it?'

It was Junpei who answered, leaning forward to straighten his back a little. 'A little after seven. Want some breakfast?'

Kouji nodded, and the eldest stood and walked through the entrance, returning a moment later with...a plate of ramen?

'Ramen?' he asked, taking the chopsticks, before grimacing slightly as he realised he hadn't even brushed his teeth. But he could hardly get up with his brother on top of him...still shivering, even after having slept in front of a warm fire for thirteen hours under a warm blanket and stealing some of his body heat...he needed that, thank you very much.

'Your mother said it was easier than the usual breakfast to eat on the couch,' Junpei shrugged, slipping over Takuya and Tomoki's card game to take a seat in the armchair.

'Which one?' he asked, blowing on a scoop. Sometimes it got a little confusing in conversation with two mothers.

'Minamoto-san.'

'By the way,' Izumi interrupted from After Dark, tone transcending on 'biting'. 'Realise your stupidity yet?'

He winced slightly, but knew he deserved the jibe. 'Yeah, I just hadn't thought...or hoped I guess, that-'

'Can someone clue me in?' Takuya asked from the couch, handing his cards over for a reshuffle.

Kouji sighed through his teeth, before looking at his still sleeping brother, then made to continue, only to sneeze again. 'Damn cold,' he muttered under his breath, before actually starting on the explanation. 'After the Digital World, he'd sometimes get nightmares. He'd never tell anyone what they were about, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Duskmon, with the way he looks at me whenever one of us slept over and I'd wake him up. He'd hide it most of the time too, so I'm not even sure how often they occur, but because he won't talk about them, just smiles and says everything's fine you know, all I can do is try and cheer him up. He normally laughs at my hopeless sense of humour, so I guess I hadn't thought past the implications of lying in a grave.'

'Which he dug,' the goggle-head said, still sounding rather confused. 'Why?'

Izumi groaned, resisting the urge to whack him over the head with the book; the only reason she did not do so was because the book didn't belong to her. 'Just because your subconsciousness is the size of a pea...'

'I win,' Tomoki suddenly interrupted, taking Takuya's cards and reshuffling again, grinning cheerily at the groan the announcement initiated, Kouji taking the opportunity to finish his breakfast. 'But shouldn't we be talking about this when Kouichi's awake? I mean, it's kinda rude and all talking behind his back...'

Kouji looked at his brother's still pale face, right cheek twitching slightly at random moments. 'It's ironic in a sense. He gets people, but no-one gets him.'

'You do,' Junpei disagreed. 'He's your twin and all...'

'If I had,' the other rebuked, 'I'd have known it would upset him. I'd have known why he was so down in the Digital World-'

'You knew something was wrong,' Izumi pointed out, now content to let things mellow out. 'And you know now. Sure, the two of you don't know each other perfectly...but things would get rather boring if you did. Where would the unpredictability be? The excitement? The life? And I can name quite a few instances where he hasn't, borrowing your word, 'gotten' someone.'

'Oh yeah?' he half challenged. 'Who?'

She met the challenge calmly. 'Gotsumon.'

'Oh.' She one that round with a flying head-start.

She frowned slightly at him. 'Name five times Kouichi's been wrong about something concerning you? Not completely wrong necessarily, mind you, but just...well, missing the mark so to speak.'

He mirrored her look, but more in concentration, one hand automatically running itself through his brother's hair.

'Does trying to convince me nothing's wrong so I don't worry count?' he asked dryly, having trouble coming up with anything else as well as an annoying tickle in his throat. He coughed once to get rid of it, before it erupted into several more...though no-where near how his brother had been coughing once he finally saw him (awake that is).

'That depends on whether it worked,' Izumi said finally, once he stopped, dropping her book before returning with a cup of water which the other gratefully accepted. 'And don't get used to this,' she added, pointing to the other. 'It's only because you're too overprotective. Because you could move him and chances are he won't wake up.'

'True,' Kouji sighed, returning to thinking. 'And it didn't. The twin switch?'

'Where he told you to cook dinner, not knowing you had no idea?' Izumi looked at the others. 'What do you guys think?'

'You can't come up with anything better?' Junpei asked sceptically. 'That's a fairly innocent mistake.'

'Umm...that time in the hospital?'

'When he was being uncharacteristically sarcastic and the Doctor freaked?' If anything, he sounded even more doubtful, though he was beginning to understand the female's point in issuing that particular challenge. 'How does that relate to you?'

The blue eyes rolled in his direction as he set the empty plate on the arm-rest. 'I was there too, and I freaked...for a few minutes.'

'Considering the painkillers and what not, should we count that?'

Takuya shrugged from the floor. 'Painkillers or no, if Kouji really thought his brother was suicidal with that reply to being lectured about not doing stupid things when you're stressed out, then yeah, it counts.'

Tomoki blinked. 'That's what the lecture was about?'

'You know how many of those he got,' the brunette shrugged again. 'Probably got fed up with them. Honestly can't blame him. Though he has one hell of a poker face, so I can't blame you for freaking out.'

'Yeah...' he agreed. 'Good thing 'kaa-san had her head on straight. Now...number four? Well...'

'Whatever,' Izumi rolled her eyes. 'It's enough. Point was, he isn't right about you any more than you're right about him, relatively speaking. Sure, he may be better with other people, but when it comes to the two of you, he's still trying to get his footing as much as you are. Relationship rifts don't heal in a few seconds you know. Sure you're close and all, but you can't know everything there is to know about him in a few years. You can't even know enough about him in a lifetime. And it's the same with him concerning you. So of course you're both going to make mistakes now and then, but you two just need to talk things out when they do...once you've both cooled off a bit.'

'You approve of him walking off?'

'Seeing as he was just trying to clear his head, yeah. The timing was horrible though.'

'...yeah, it was.'

Izumi sighed at the guilt creeping back in. 'Takuya?'

The addressed looked up to meet the green orbs, before nodding and going to stand in front of Kouji. 'Sorry about this bud,' he said, not sounding particularly sorry. Kouji, recognising the tone, made to duck...only to yank back before he almost knocked his chin into his brother's forehead, burning with the fever he was trying to sweat off under duel blankets (seeing as he was worse off than the younger twin after spending almost three hours in completely soaked clothes, and another almost two without anything else which could warm him at all. Junpei's jacket and body heat (or rather, whatever got through the layers) had really helped in the last hour or so; in fact, it had saved his core body temperature from falling too far into the danger zone.

His head shot back up, just in time for Takuya's anticipated fist to connect with it. 'Remind me to thank Kouichi for that one,' he grinned, before returning. 'Izumi, all yours again.'

'What happened to your famous speeches?' the girl grumbled, stubbornly returning to her book...well, not particularly hers.

'Hey, isn't that Kouichi's?' Junpei asked.

'Of course. Who else brings books on vacation?'

'True. True.'

Kouji just rubbed his cheek in vague annoyance. 'Should I ask what that was for?'

Izumi remained stonily silent, so Tomoki, after handing Takuya his share of cards, answered. 'Izumi gives you a lecture about both of you making mistakes, it being natural and all so you shouldn't feel guilty about it, and you go back to guilty tone as soon as she finishes.'

Whoops. He hadn't even noticed his tone.

'And I'll bet my allowance Kouichi's feeling guilty too,' the younger continued. 'I know Junpei and Izumi are.'

'We are not!' the two accused said at the same time, the female's cheeks strangely flushed.

'See what I mean.'

He couldn't help but smile, though his cheek was still stinging. 'Yeah...I do.'

He sort of ruined the moment by sneezing again though.

Takuya groaned, though whether it was from relief or the bad hand he received from the cards, no-one was entirely sure. 'It's about time,' he muttered, before surrendering his cards. 'Redeal them.'

'What?' Tomoki sounded amused.

'You expect me to believe I somehow managed to get the same bad hand twice out of pure luck?'

The boy grinned sheepishly. 'Well...yes.'

'I'm not that gullible. Shuffle them again and this time properly.'

'Um...Takuya?'

'Yeah Junpei?'

'You do realise some of the cards are missing, right?'

'WHAT?'

The other four had abandoned them in favour for the sea face view by the time Kouichi finally woke up. Of course, disorientated as he was, his immediate reaction was that he was hot, hence attempting to get out of the covers...which is how he landed on the floor with a thud, bringing Kouji, who had zoned out by that time, on top of him.

Kouji, being the overprotective brother he is, was up like a shot, helping his brother back onto the couch and recovering him before the other had fully absorbed his surroundings.

'I'm hot,' he whined cutely, attempting to push the covers off again, only this time the younger twin held them fast.

'Stop it Ni-san,' he ordered gently. 'You've still got a fever.'

Kouichi sunk into the couch, making a tired grimace of sorts. 'Tell me this doesn't mean I'm confined to bed rest.'

'Seeing as you're on a couch, I doubt it,' Kouji said dryly. 'But I've got a question I want answered thoroughly before I apologize. What was your nightmare yesterday about?'

The other paused too long for his lie to be believable. 'What-'

'Don't even try getting out of this.'

The elder twin sunk further into his spot. 'What if I don't want an apology?' He coughed harshly immediately afterwards.

Truthfully, he hadn't thought about that...not that he needed to. 'Somehow, I don't think that will be an issue.'

They were both silent for a while after that. Then, realising his brother wasn't going to relent and wanting out of this situation, Kouichi finally gave in.

'You died,' he began, slowly, reluctantly, coughing again and lethargically waving away the glass that was offered.

'I gathered that much with the grave.'

'I killed you.' He said it rather badly too.

'Does this have anything to do with Duskmon?' Kouji asked, though he had a feeling it wasn't really.

'No...some sort of accident...'

'That you blame yourself for? Déjà vu ne?'

He shifted uncomfortably. 'It was just a nightmare.'

'Which almost flipped in real life. Talk about weird coincidences.'

'Mmm hmm.'

'Kouichi?'

'Mmm?'

'We're-'

'-a bunch of idiots that make mistakes and haven't gotten around to learning from them?'

'How'd you guess?'

'Weird dream.'

'Dream right?'

Kouichi rolled his eyes. 'That's what I said...isn't it?' he paused, scrunching his face up slightly, before it scrunched again in pain.

'Ni-san?'

'Fine, I'm fine. Just a headache.'

'Just?'

'Kou-jee.'

'Okay, okay. So next time you have a nightmare, you tell me and we avoid this whole thing. And I don't try stupid, out of character things to cheer you up. Deal?'

'Can I add something?'

Okay, now he was worried.

'What?'

'You stop over-worrying about me. I'm the older brother.'

'If you don't run away from your problems. Figuratively as well as literally.'

'Why do I get the feeling I'm getting the short end of the stick?'

'Sounds equal to me.'

Kouichi rolled his eyes again. 'I'm obviously outnumbered here. No fair, you and my heart are ganging up on me.'

Kouji couldn't help but laugh at that. That was the oddest conversation they'd ever had...but it funnily enough worked. Must be their friends. 'So, deal?'

'Deal.'

'Good, then start on your lunch. You've slept through breakfast.'

Kouichi groaned again. 'I feel like I want to throw up non-existent dinner.'

'You can't. You slept through that too.'

'Nonexistent I said.'

'How long do you think that's going to last?' Junpei asked, as the four crept away, having taking a momentary break to eavesdrop on the twins' conversation.

'Knowing them...till the next time something bothering one of them,' Tomoki replied, turning on the TV in the empty bedroom. 'Haven't they already had the guilt discussion?'

'That was more the Kouichi dying one,' Takuya pointed out. 'And I think they'll try harder than that, so it's bound to last. When they promise each other things, they always get fulfilled.'

'Promises have power in them,' Izumi sighed, closing her eyes. 'It's beautiful.'

Her eyes flew open again though when the news made a disappointing announcement.

'The sea of Okhotsk is being closed for all tours till improvements in weather are seen, expected to be some weeks from now...'

'No fair,' she exclaimed. 'I wanted to go on that tour.'

Tomoki beside her breathed a sigh in relief. He really hadn't, and now he won't have to.

Not that he would say that out loud though.