Chapter 2

Kaoru's parents told him all about their business-trip-slash-vacation to China. He waited until they asked about how he'd been during their absence. He had to wait until they were half-finished with their meals, but Kaoru was careful to play his cards right.

"I've been having some weird dreams," he reported truthfully.

"Well, they're only dreams, son," his father said.

His mother shushed the man. "Go on, Kaoru," she encouraged.

He set down his silverware and sat up straighter in his seat, eyes focused on his parents. "Can I ask you something? It sounds dumb, but I want to ask."

His mother nodded, setting down her own silverware.

Taking a deep breath, Kaoru asked, "Did I ever have a brother? Like, a twin brother?"

"Why do you ask?" she asked.

"Well, you told me I had to go to the care unit right after I was born, and that's usually because of twins being cramped in the womb, right?"

"It can happen in single births, too, dear."

"But did it?"

Silence crawled across the table like slime. His parents seemed very confused by his curiosity. "Do you think that we wouldn't tell you if you had a brother? If you did, he would be here," his mother assured.

"But what if something happened so he wasn't here. You had a cesarean so you wouldn't have seen, and Dad was away--"

"Is there something you want to tell us?" his father asked firmly.

"I just have a feel--"

"That's enough, Kaoru," his father barked.

Kaoru closed his mouth and slumped back into his chair like the wind had been knocked out of him. His father continued to verbally shun him. "We've taken you to the best nutritionists and dieticians to keep you healthy as well as hired the best chefs within our reach. You attend the best academy in Japan! You have had the best life imaginable for someone your age. And still you're disrespectful!"

Kaoru leaned forward in his seat and protested, "I know you've done a lot for me, and I'm very grateful, but--"

"Do you want a brother? Is that it?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but his father cut him off. "Enough with this foolishness. We're not discussing this anymore."

Kaoru stood from the table. "I'm finished. I'm sorry I upset you," he announced and left the table. "I'm going to bed. Good-night."

His mother stood from the table. "Kaoru, wait a moment."

He stopped and waited for her approach, making sure to not appear as angry and frustrated as he felt. She lowered her voice and said, "If it'll make you feel any better, go to the hospital you were born in and ask there. If you have any problems, call me. Your father is still tired from the trip so he's a little grumpy."

Kaoru nodded with gratitude and understanding. "I know. Thanks, Mom."

She smiled warmly. "You're welcome. Good-night."

"Good night," he repeated before leaving the large dining room for his bedroom. He waited several hours until after sundown before sneaking out to the tree house.

Once again, he waited until he was inside the tree house to speak. "Hikaru, let's go," he said into the darkness. His eyes were still adjusting to the dark so it was difficult to see.

"Okay," he whispered.

Kaoru heard the rustles of movement across the floor before he felt a nudge. "I'm coming down," Hikaru whispered.

He climbed down and out of the way to provide room for the other. "Ready?" Kaoru asked once Hikaru reached the bottom.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Follow me," Kaoru instructed, linking his hand to the other's and setting off stealthily towards the building. He led the way across the yard and through the mansion while carefully avoiding any staff and his parents. Once they were safely inside his bedroom, he locked the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

Hikaru stared in awe at the room. "This is your room?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He didn't see why Hikaru would be amazed.

"It's huge! This room is probably bigger than my whole trailer," he awed.

"You live in a house trailer?"

He nodded as he looked around the room. Hikaru laughed and said, "Your room is cleaner, too."

"Now, that has nothing to do with me: the room keepers take care of that," Kaoru said. He turned to rummage through his closet until he found a set of clean clothes and boxers. "You can take a shower in there," he said as he indicated to the bathroom with a jerk of his head, "I have a clean set of clothes you can use since I would think we wear the same size."

Hikaru blinked his eyes as he returned to reality and took the clothes gingerly. "Thanks," he said.

Kaoru stripped down to his boxers while Hikaru showered before settling at his desk to do what homework he had. He answered the final algebra question as Hikaru exited the bathroom in boxers with a towel draped over his head. Kaoru turned in his seat to talk.

He eyed Hikaru's hair under the towel. "When was the last time you had a haircut?"

Shrugging, he replied, "I don't remember. I don't have haircuts much."

"Want me to cut it for you?" Kaoru offered.

He shrugged again. "I don't care. If you want to, I guess."

Standing from his seat, he pushed it forward and instructed, "Take a seat," with a grin.

While Kaoru retrieved scissors, a comb, and a trashcan, Hikaru climbed onto the seat and straddled it so he faced the back to provide easier cutting access. He lowered the towel to wrap around his shoulders at the neck to act as a catcher for the hair.

Kaoru soon returned with the needed items and began immediately. He was very efficient with his time and his hands were graceful. Cutting hair seemed to be as easy as picking up a pencil for him: second nature. In less than fifteen minutes, he was finished. He dragged the chair to the vanity mirror and spun it around.

"What do you think?" Kaoru asked as he combed out Hikaru's hair again before carefully removing the towel so no pieces of hair fell on the floor.

Hikaru would have had to think a moment to determine how they looked different if his hair was parted on the left side instead of the right. Otherwise, their hair were exactly the same except for Hikaru's hair was still damp. He lifted a hand to run fingers through his hair.

Kaoru returned without the towel. "It'll look a little different once you gel it, but it's the same cut." After his sentence cut off, he noticed several scabbed-over gashes on Hikaru's arm. "What happened to your arm?"

Lowering his arm, Hikaru replied, "Nothing. I just tripped last night when I came to your place, that's all."

"That didn't look like a fall to me," he said. Kaoru reached forward and gripped the boy's arm at the wrist, pulling it into view.

The deep, sporadic gashes were inflamed, obviously relatively fresh. Most of the scratches were on the outsides of his arms, though there were a few on the insides, as well. Kaoru suddenly felt he needed a smack on the head for just noticing a few Hikaru's face. There were several aged green-and-purple bruises on the boy's body as his eyes trailed over the skin. He concluded the shadows of the tree house and the dirt from lack of bathing attributed to why he hadn't noticed these things before. He also supposed the longer hair and sleeved shirt had obstructed his vision, as well.

Hikaru jerked his arm away. "I get into fights a lot, okay?" he defended.

He decided not to ask further questions. It didn't seem like an unlikely excuse, but Hikaru didn't appear to be a violent person, ignoring Kaoru's dreams. "Okay," he surrendered. "It's late. We should both be able to fit in my bed: it's pretty big."

Kaoru turned and retreated to his bed, crawling beneath his blankets. Plenty of room left, Hikaru carefully climbed in to occupy the empty space. It took a while for him to fall asleep, while Kaoru was out almost instantly…

I drop my backpack by the front door as I enter my house trailer. I'm looking around the living room, but no one is there.

"Mom, are you here?" I call. It echoes back to me from the walls.

Assuming my parents are still at work, I walk down the tiny hallway to my bedroom. After a few minutes, I hear a familiar crash of the screen door being thrown open.

"Where the hell have you been?" my dad bellows at my mom.

"I was getting groceries," she screams back. I know this routine all too well.

"I'm fucking hungry! Dinner is to be ready and on the table when I get home," he roars.

"I was busy. I'm sorry," she says defiantly. My mom isn't afraid of him, even at his worst. Sometimes I think she should be.

"Hikaru," he barks, "Get out here!"

I stay quiet, hoping he will think I'm not home yet. I realize my backpack is still by the door and he knows I'm home. He's waiting outside my door as soon as I open it, and he drags me by the arm to the main room.

"Is your homework finished?" he demands to know.

"Yes," I lie skillfully. I do it late at night so I'm not caught off guard like I would have been right now if I'd been doing it.

"You'd better not be lying so you can goof around!"

"It's done," I bite through my teeth.

"Then help your mom make dinner," he commands.

I nod and join my mom in the kitchen. Dad steps out a moment and I ask quietly, "Mom, are you okay?"

She jerks a nod. "Get some milk for the potatoes, please."

I walk to the refrigerator, open the door, and lean over to reach in. The moment I straighten and close the refrigerator door, a heavy blow to my back k nocks the milk to the floor and the wind from my lungs. I hear the sack of potatoes hit the floor behind me before I start sinking slowly to join it.

Kaoru dimly remembered the bruises on Hikaru's back in the light of his bedroom…

"What's wrong with you? Clean that up!" Dad demands. "I'll be back in a few minutes and dinner had better be ready."

After the door slams shut, Mom bends down to ask if I'm all right. I reach up to the counter without responding and pull off a dishtowel. I begin to clean the spilled milk, not wanting to move much because of the pain in my back as I try to regain my lost breath.

Mom scoops up the potato bag to the counter and begins to peel speedily. "At least it wasn't glass," I mumble gratefully to myself…

Kaoru's eyes snapped open wide before craning to look at Hikaru. His eyes were also open and mirroring his actions. "How long have you been up?"

"A few minutes," Hikaru replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You looked like you were having a nightmare."

Kaoru sat up. "Something like that."

"Talking about it usually helps," he suggested.

"I think…" Kaoru's face twisted into confusion as he tried to make it not sound crazy, "…I think I was you."

"Why?" he asked as he sat up beside him.

"They called me 'Hikaru.'"

Hikaru waited several moments before asking, "What happened?"

"A lot of yelling," Kaoru recalled, "And I got hit in the back with a sack of potatoes."

The dark room was silent for a long period of time before Hikaru said, "Well, it's just a dream, right?" Pushing the snooze button as Kaoru's alarm began to buzz, Hikaru lay down again with his back facing the boy to catch a few more winks.

"I guess," Kaoru muttered, not truly convinced, before standing to leave for the shower.