CHAPTER TEN

His parents had indeed been on the first train to where Kunihiro was in the hospital. Yet he had to wonder if they were really concerned or if it was all just for appearances sake. Lately he had come to think that maybe they really didn't have any real love for either himself or Tetsuhiro, because throughout his whole life he had struggled for their approval. Their coldness, their bias had always influenced him, but his little brother just hadn't been the same. He was certain that it hurt his brother as it had always bothered him, though he hadn't quite realized how much until recently.

He looked up at them, "I'm sorry that you had to come all the way here from Fukaoka."

His father lifted his hand, even as mother stood beside him. "We had to make sure you were alright," but there was no reassuring smile on his face, Kunihiro couldn't even recall when either of them had last genuinely smiled.

Kunihiro sighed, knowing they were about to ask what had happened exactly, but he didn't feel like telling them all the details, he'd have to relay it to the police in the morning anyway. So instead he cut them off, even though it was rude and quite unexpected from him, but he wasn't in the mood to be interrogated when something else was troubling him. "Did you hear about Tetsuhiro?"

His parents shifted uncomfortably as they looked between each other.

"I'm taking that as a yes. Do you intend to do anything about it?" He watched them through narrowed eyes, wondering how Tetsuhiro had managed to put up with them –- and him.

It was his father who spoke first of the two, "What can we do? There's a search team looking for..."

His mother placed her hand on his fathers arm. He wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to think one of her children were dead or if it was just because she didn't want to hear about a dead body, no matter whose it was.

Such detachment however only caused an ache over his own heart. He supposed they had had children, because it was the natural thing to do, but unlike some families they had little if any real love to spare. "So you're not going to do anything to help? Besides that, why didn't you try to inform me when you learned of this?"

His mother glared at him, something which was rare as he had tried to be the perfect son for them, to make her and father proud. Despite that, whenever he disappointed them, even if it wasn't often it would earn him such a cold response. "Kunihiro, there is nothing else that can be done, other than to prepare a funeral."

He stared at the two of them, confounded still by their attitude. He would have thought they would at least grieve for Tetsuhiro, he was also their son after all, the baby of the family. However, they stood there before him talking so cooly about a funeral. While he wanted to yell at them, as uncustomary tears swam before him he uttered under his breath, "Please. Get. Out."

"Kunihiro?" They questioned, but he was not in the mood to talk to them, to discuss anything with them.

"Just. Get. Out. Now!" He glared at them as they backed out of the room, both looking confused and not quite sure what to think, because he didn't usually treat them in such a way. Luckily they left, probably thinking it had to do with the injuries he'd sustained earlier that day. Once they were gone he sank back into the pillows of the hospital bed, releasing a shaky breath.

'They're so ready to put Tetsuhiro to rest, even without a body! What if he's still alive?' He really hoped that he was, because despite everything, he did love his little brother. Not that he'd realized how truly stupid he'd been until the last few months, or that he'd really been nothing more than an extension of his parents ideal. With the divorce he'd already fallen from that particular pedestal and although he was sure to continue to fall further from it, he didn't give a damn anymore. 'I wonder how his partner is taking this...' Once he was released and had given the police their report, he was determined to go speak to him, especially since he couldn't go searching the Atlantic for his younger sibling himself with his broken leg.

While he did wonder how Masaki was, he wanted to first see to the matter concerning his little brother.

Turning over, with a frown, the long haired blond stilled. The pillow beneath him felt damp, and his eyes stung as he slowly opened them. Rubbing his eyes, he reached for the bedside table where his glasses lay. As he sat up and put them on, his gaze coming into focus he recalled the events of the past twenty-four hours or so. The bed he was in was missing something important, as it was Morinaga's bed. It was Morinagaless, and while usually he thought that any bed was good that way, he wasn't able to think that way at that moment. As he wrapped his hand around his opposite arm, his eyes were cast to the side on the bed.

He frowned, because he actually found himself missing those arms which he'd often found wrapped around him in the morning after engaging in certain acts that he'd disapproved of. It took a little while before he managed to talk himself into getting up and getting ready for the day. However, he didn't feel like going to school, because there too there wouldn't be that idiot kouhai of his and it wasn't a simple absence either.

He wasn't completely sure what he was going to do, but he decided to visit Matsuda-san's first before anything else. Hopefully Kanako had gone to school and hadn't heard the news and hopefully it wouldn't be talked about at school, although she hadn't known the flight number. He didn't want the news to worry her, it was the end of the week. He'd tell her when she got back, since he was certain she was already on her way to school.

Matsuda-san opened the door, "Oh Souichi-kun! Come in, I just read the newspaper." She frowned, because to her Souichi looked very upset, in such a state she hadn't witnessed him in really since they'd all lost his mother Hana.

Souichi kept his head down, "Did Kanako make it to school?"

"Yes, she left before the paperboy came by, so she doesn't know."

"That's fine, I'll tell her about it when she gets home." He stepped inside and sank down onto the couch, feeling exhausted due to his uneasy sleep.

"Have you head breakfast yet? If not, I'm sure I could whip something up for you."

"No... no thank you. I'm not...hungry."

"But you should eat something, at least a piece of toast or fruit. I know the news was upsetting, but you shouldn't skip meals."

"Maybe later...Matsuda-san."

"Alright Souichi-kun, but please do eat something today."

"Okay..." was the reply Matsuda-san received. To her he didn't seem lively at all, but then she could hardly blame him for losing the only friend he seemed to have as she turned around to prepare something in the kitchen.

Souichi, just stared at the floor, his hands gripping his knees, as everything continued to replay in his mind yet again. 'Fuck.'