Chapter 6: Revelation
"Always." This Kiku seemed so fond on protecting Alfred, he would have screamed by now if something actually came out of his mouth. He was too frightened to scream.
Suddenly the fake Kiku chuckled. "Just kidding! Did I scare you?" he was holding Alfred by the cheek, but then let go.
"W-what…?" Alfred's face was filled with fear, but he was already filling with anger from the clone's actions.
'Kiku' looked down, and began stroking a bit of his hair like he had been doing earlier. "You're upset…I won't do that again…I promise…" His voice suddenly sounded lower and depressed. Everything he said had a pause in it.
Of course Alfred wasn't happy, he was speaking with a clone, not the real Kiku! "I was told you brought me here, is that true?" Alfred demanded. The clone nodded, but didn't say anything.
"How?"
Kiku sighed, "I'm sorry…I can't tell you."
Alfred huffed. "Then is there something you can tell me?"
Kiku shook his head. "Wow… Such garbage I must be to you." he quietly mumbled to himself, looking like he was about to depart from Alfred. "Anyways, you shouldn't try telling anyone about my actual identity, okay? Everyone still thinks you actually hit your head after all… What you say will just be nonsense to them. Goodbye." Kiku turned around from Alfred, walking away. He muttered things about him being garbage to Alfred.
How annoying that damn thing is. Now what was Alfred to do? That Kiku did actually have a point though. Would anyone even believe him if he insisted that this Kiku was actually a clone?
Alfred needed to speak with somebody. But who? Was there anyone else here that Kiku was friends with before he died? Sitting in bed and not doing anything wasn't going to help out at all, but everyone thinks he's injured. Would Alfred be able to leave the Infirmary on his own?
It was a worth a try. Alfred got up, and jumped from his bed. He could use an excuse such as he needs to go the bathroom or something else.
Already on cue, somebody had questioned him. "Hey, where are you going? Aren't you injured?" a young girl asked Alfred.
"Actually, I'm feeling fine, I just need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" Alfred explained to her. The girl offered to ask somebody to help him walk there, but Alfred declined.
More people questioned him, but in the end Alfred got out. "Geez, it was like I was imprisoned or something!" Alfred exclaimed to himself. Now someone to speak with. How was he going to find someone anyways?
"Are you looking for me? You couldn't possibly!" Kiku literally came from nowhere, and looked at Alfred with a frown.
"Of course not," Alfred spat at him, "I don't want to listen to your stupid acting."
Kiku looked down and rubbed his arm awkwardly. "You think I'm acting?" he asked with a sigh.
"Then explain to me how you can 'joke' with me like you did earlier, and then suddenly act like this." Though this clone was much different than Arthur's. Obviously Alfred couldn't trust it still.
It didn't even seem like Kiku had listened to Alfred's statement. "You really are a flower, Alfred. At least… Compared to me. To you, I'm just a weed; a nuisance. No one likes weeds… Back then people would grow gardens, and weeds were bad things. No one likes weeds, no one…"
Would he just shut up? Alfred let out a frustrated huff. "Yeah, yeah, but will you be quiet?" Why couldn't anyone be listening in on their conversation and notice how strange 'Kiku' is sounding?
Kiku nodded. "I'm annoying you… I can tell. I'm sorry." Kiku was saying that to Alfred, but it sounded like he was muttering it to himself.
Of course he was annoying him! Alfred just wanted to get away from him! "…No, you're not annoying. I just don't feel like talking to anyone right now, okay?" Alfred responded. His tone sounded awkward.
Kiku blinked, astonished. "R-really? Me? Just my existence should be awful for you, your friend is dead after all."
Alfred squeezed his hands tightly, and tried sounding normal. "You heard me! You're not annoying! Like I said before dude, I don't feel like talking with anyone." Alfred quickly walked away from Kiku. Somebody was probably going to notice how long he had been missing from the Infirmary, but he didn't want to head back.
Alfred headed all the way to the Diner. He sat at an empty table in the back. Now he actually felt like not speaking with anybody. His glance varied to different people as they ate. Alfred even didn't feel like eating.
"A-Alfred." Alfred frowned when he saw the clone quickly shuffle towards him.
Alfred looked away from him. "Now what do you want? Didn't I tell you that I didn't feel like talking with anyone?"
"Ah, I'm sorry," Kiku winced, looking down. "I went out of turn again. I'm sorry. I'll tell you later…" Kiku didn't look at Alfred, but slowly backed up.
Was he trying to make Alfred pity him or something? "Fine, what is it?"
"O-oh, you actually want to hear from me? S-since, you're a flower, and I'm—"
"…Just get on with it."
"Well…I was actually going to ask you this awhile ago, but I wasn't sure if you'd want to hear this from a person like me. Since the Infirmary is kind of big, I guess you didn't see him… Right?" Kiku began to mess with his hair again.
Alfred was supposed to see somebody? "No? See who?" Alfred questioned.
"I-I guess I'm being useless… I don't remember his name…" Kiku began to apologize.
"Then what does he look like?" Did he even know this person?
"Um, I don't really remember! D-do I even deserve to speak with you now?"
Frustrated, Alfred put his hand on his face for a moment. "Then why don't you show me him?"
"Oh…I should…" This time Kiku's pause between words were longer, of course bothering Alfred. It also seemed like he had something else to say, but didn't say it.
Kiku walked in front of Alfred, but eventually slowed his pace when they neared the Infirmary. "Hey, um there was something else I wanted to tell you. Is that alright?" Kiku shakily asked Alfred. He stopped and faced him.
"Alright." Alfred nodded.
Kiku slowly shuffled a foot on the ground. "You're being much nicer than I thought you would be to me, so thank you." the clone smiled, but Alfred could tell it was a forced nervous one.
Alfred expected him to say something mopey when Kiku looked like he had more to say. Instead he did something Alfred really didn't expect. Hug him.
"You're much, much nicer than I thought you would be." Kiku warmly said in their embrace. He then let go, realizing he shouldn't of done that. "S-sorry…"
Alfred awkwardly blinked a couple of times. "Uh, can we just move on now?" he looked off, changing the subject.
"Yeah… Let's go." Kiku led Alfred through the Infirmary, trying to think of something of this person.
"I think I remember now. You guys had the same surname… I think…" Kiku spoke up.
They have the same surname? It couldn't possibly be one of his parents. Alfred didn't want to think about them. But that left one other family member.
Right then, what Alfred was suspecting became confirmed. Kiku pointed to someone sitting on the ground that was speaking with somebody else.
Blue eyes that almost looked violet; wavy hair that was the same color as his, but a little longer. They both even had glasses. All of these features were proof enough of who this was.
It was Matthew.
