A little behind schedule, but not so late overall... Right? (sheepish)
Anyway, here's a slightly longer chapter to compensate for the lateness! Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review!
In the Kimura residence, the doorbell rang. A dark-haired boy stood in front of the door, tapping his foot on the ground rather impatiently. A soft rustling could be heard as Kouichi managed the locks. After a while, Koichi opened the door to allow Kouji to enter the apartment.
"How's Kaa-san doing?" asked Kouji, cutting to the chase.
His brother sighed. "Slightly better than before, at least. She's still insisting she's fine, though."
Hearing the sound of muffled coughing, Kouji moved towards his birth mother's room. He peeked inside after knocking on the door. "Kaa-san?"
Tomoko glanced at her twin sons, and shot a baleful glare at the elder. "I told you I'm fine, Kouichi. You didn't have to call Kouji to come all the way here."
The two boys traded a long-suffering look. Even Kouji had become familiar with their mother's stubbornness when it came to her own well-being.
"You should rest more, Kaa-san. Nii-san and I will take care of everything." Kouji entered the room and gently pushed Tomoko back down onto the futon, drawing the covers over her.
Tomoko looked like she was about to protest but was soon overcome by a fit of coughing.
"I'll go get the medicine," offered Kouichi before leaving the room.
Kouji sat down beside his mother. "Sleep, Kaa-san. Just focus on getting well again, alright?"
Tomoko smiled, tears in her eyes. "You've grown into such a good boy, Kouji..."
"Kaa-san..."
Kouji joined his brother in the kitchen after Tomoko took the medicine. "She's finally asleep."
"Good, now she can get some long-deserved rest." Kouichi opened the fridge. "So, what do you want to eat?"
Suddenly, Kouichi started coughing. He tried to muffle the sound in his sleeve. Key word, tried.
Kouji glanced at him suspiciously. "You caught Kaa-san's cold?"
"I'm fine, no need to worry." Unfortunately, this was punctuated with more coughing. "It's nothing serious."
Exasperated, Kouji knocked him over the head. "Jeez, you're as bad as Kaa-san."
Ignoring Kouichi's protests, Kouji fished his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed his home. "Kaa-san? I'll be staying over at a friend's house tonight, okay?" "It's fine." "No, never mind, I'll just borrow some clothes from my friend."
Snapping shut the device, Kouji turned towards his brother. "There, it's decided. I'll stay here and look after you two, or else who knows what you'll do."
Resigned, Kouichi sighed. Apparently, stubbornness runs in the family.
Kousei entered the house. After taking off his shoes, he walked towards the study where he dropped his office bag.
"Hmm? Where's Kouji?" he asked as he strolled into the kitchen. Usually, the family of three would have dinner together, and Kouji would already be in the dining room by the time Kousei got back.
"He phoned just now and said that he is sleeping over at a friend's house tonight. So it's just you and me."
Kousei wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her lightly. Smiling, Satomi gently pushed him away. "It's time for dinner."
Taking the hint, Kousei sat down at the table. Satomi arranged the food on the table and sat down opposite him.
Halfway through the meal, Kousei remembered the events of the day and fell silent.
"Kousei? What's wrong?" Satomi immediately picked up on the mood change and looked in concern at her husband.
"Satomi... I think I saw Kouichi today."
Satomi said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"I've been thinking about him recently. Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice all those years ago. It's not that I regret breaking ties with Tomoko, don't get me wrong. I would never have met you if I hadn't."
"I understand. I don't harbor resentment for Tomoko-san, Kousei."
"...Thank you, Satomi. It's just that I keep feeling that Kouji and Kouichi should have been allowed to grow up together. This arrangement isn't fair for them. Tomoko and I, we only cared about our peace of mind. We forgot about the children's feelings. I suppose it's good that Kouji doesn't remember anything."
"Kousei..."
"I just hope Kouichi's doing okay."
Kouichi sneezed, and that gained him a pointed stare from his brother. He rolled his eyes.
Accepting a glass of water from Kouji, he gulped its contents down. "Thanks." As Kouji went to put the cup away, Kouichi lied down on his futon. Kouji had insisted that he get some rest, so now he was being forcibly kept in bed. Come to think of it... Where will Kouji be sleeping?
The question was answered as Kouji slid under the covers next to him.
"You'll catch my cold, Kouji."
"It's nothing, isn't it?" Kouji threw his words back at him. "Anyway, I don't really fancy the hard floor, and there's no way that I am letting you get out of this bed. So just get used to it.
Kouichi sighed. There was no arguing with his brother. Better to just let it be.
"Fine. Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, Nii-san."
Early next morning, Tomoko left her room feeling much better. It was all thanks to her two boys, she thought with a tender smile.
Glancing into Kouichi's room, she was surprised to see both of them there. The scene they made warmed her heart. The twins sleeping side by side and unconsciously snuggled against each other. As she watched, Kouji shifted to throw an arm over his brother. A small smile could be seen on Kouichi's face. In that new position, they continued sleeping.
The smile on Tomoko's face was slightly sad. It should have always been this way. They should never have been kept apart for so long.
The past cannot be changed, but thank goodness they found each other. This way, the mistakes of the past may be able to be remedied. Tomoko could only hope that it would be so.
I hadn't planned on it being so angsty, but it just came out this way... What do you think? Leave a review please!
