az: Hopefully I can get the emotions right.

Atonement

Chapter 4: Fragile Hearts

Written by Izzu alias honou-no-izumi

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"You really had that case closed, isn't it?"

"Of course... it's not like I could charge you for any of the murders that happened during those times, or imprison you as a crime planner when you've lost your memory like that. You've been in coma for three months! Even we... cannot be unreasonable enough to insist such punishment to you in that kind of situation."

Yumehito laughed.

"There's those loopholes, huh? Since the only ones that I actually killed with my own hands was that man and Kokusho Akira. And even if you could try charging me using the files in my computer, I don't think our courts could do much about it. If I had a good lawyer to defend me, I'd just slip away freely."

"... Come to think, you could still charge me because I killed Kokusho, and even if the murder of Ikeuchi Tomoya was never treated as such, it was still murder. There was no self-defense at that time. As it is, the statute had still not run out yet... isn't it?"

"You... you really wanted to punish yourself, didn't you?"

The man sighed.

"I thought that was obvious from the very beginning..."

xxx

Kato thought it had been so simple... but somehow, the more he continued to press on; the more he got trapped inside the enigma that was Tanaka Yumehito. As expected, that guy was not so easy to understand... wasn't he?

That person... from the very beginning, did he want to punish himself so much?

He sighed as he opened the case folders to read. They had the odds against them since it was already the third day the children had been kidnapped. It meant that they still had four more days until the day the ransom should be collected. But well, at least they still had a bit more time...

Kato took a peek at some of the reports that had been gathered. It appeared that there wasn't anything much to be found. Kamata was only one among many employees in his company, there was nothing special about him that indicated any reason why would his family be targeted or of any foul play. He's a single parent, with two kids; his wife had passed away two years ago due to an illness. It's a typical family background. Nothing much—Kato frowned, it seemed that Kamata-san had been in some kind of financial crisis lately. Could this be related?

He hurriedly called out towards another officer to help him investigate something before he turned his attention back towards the case files. Perhaps those cases in the past had somehow affected him a lot or Yumehito's personality had rubbed on him a bit. He found that he finally got the hang over these detectives stuffs... or what Yumehito had once told him; the scientifical way in analysing how criminal minds worked. He shrugged. He better inform his partner about what he found out and ask for his opinions as well as asking his other team members. He had somehow promised to Yumehito that he would inform him on any progress on the case. In return, he would stay put and rest.

It was a bit funny now, seeing Tanaka Yumehito being very enthusiastic about solving a case while not being the one who planned the crime and pretending to be at the side of the police. Guess that guy really still had a strong sense of justice, like his younger brother—regardless how much he would deny that he had ever retain any kind of good conscience left inside of him.

xxx

"You should have let me die. "

Ainosuke paused as he felt another stab of pain in his heart when he recalled his brother's words. Indeed, his brother had wanted to die. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have stayed at that building... even if to watch his 'domino play' when he had been bleeding non-stop because of the shot he received that time.

If he hadn't gone back there, his brother would have just die on that couch.

Ainosuke wiped away his tears again as he slowly approached the road leading to his apartment. It was his fault, everything was his fault. Because of him, his brother had to kill that person to protect him. Because of him, his brother had done many unforgivable things—because he could not directly hurt him.

If only he had not been born, his brother would not have suffered like this...

Ainosuke glanced up as Miruku-san hurried towards him the moment she saw him approaching the apartment. He stared at her, puzzled as she started chattering away rapidly.

"What happened to your brother? The gash looked so bad... I really thought something bad had happened but he said it was nothing—"

"Brother was home?" he asked in surprise as she nodded, explaining that Kato had sent him back after the hospital had cleared Yume out. He frowned before setting aside his bicycle hurriedly to see his brother.

xxx

Both of them had moved to another room inside the apartment, slightly bigger than his old room that he rented before. And they had renovated the apartment a bit, with not much trouble. Because, contrary to what his brother had believed—when he used to be amnesiac—they still had a lot of money to spare to spend for things like this. As well as to support their livelihood. Heaven knows how surprised he had been when he found out about his brother's hidden wealth—that had surprisingly consisting of; clean money that had nothing to do with his criminal life! He could never imagine what his brother had done in the past in order to raise such wealth. Or did he collect all of the pay he received from his normal work all this time, never spending any while supporting his life using the money he acquired through his criminal ways...

Anyway, that aside... they had remained living in this apartment, partly because he couldn't bear parting with the memory he had with Oyasan while he had still been alive. And Miruku-san would have been lonely, living by herself...

Ainosuke entered the room to find his brother sleeping on the sole couch inside the room. His head had lolled to one side as it gave Ainosuke a good look at the bandage on the side of his brother's forehead. He took off his school uniform and changed into casual clothes before looking back towards his sleeping brother.

He sighed before trying to lift his brother slowly from the couch so that he could have him sleeping on the bed. It was hard, his brother was taller and heavier than he was after all... but he managed to get him on his bed. Actually, it's more like he got both of them on it as he sort of crashed themselves onto the bed.

By now he knew that he should get up to at least prepare some dinner for both of them but somehow... with his brother unconsciously wrapping his arm around his body, he didn't feel slightly obligated to do that. Perhaps he could just take a nap like this. Miruku-san probably gonna cook extra portions as usual and send some to them anyway. At least, let him be for a moment to indulge in a bit of selfishness on his part. Ainosuke fell asleep no sooner after that thought was formed as he relaxed in his brother's embrace.

Little did he notice the arms that had wrapped themselves around his body had slowly tightened their hold on him as both brothers were swept into blissful sleep...