Why was the world so cruel to them?

A funeral was held in honor of Tsuchigomori a week later. The twins sat down next to each other completely silent. Neither had uttered a word ever since they were told that their guardian… their father… was dead.

"Amane!"

"Amane-senpai!"

Akane and Kou entered the building and immediately ran towards Amane. They didn't hesitate to hug him as they knew he needed one.

"He's gone… he's really gone."

"I'm so sorry for your loss Amane."

"Everything is going to be okay Amane-senpai."

It was hell.

It was hell looking at the coffin, it was hell knowing they were never going to see him again. It was hell knowing things would never be the same. Amane lost the one person who understood him the most, the one person that truly wanted what was best for him and Tsukasa. The only person that bothered to take them in and raise them to be proper citizens.

Amane looked at Tsukasa who was still sitting completely emotionless- staring out at the coffin unmoving- he wasn't even blinking. He knew something was going through his mind that was making him completely numb.

He wished he could feel nothing.

Natsuhiko, Mitsuba, and Sakura entered the building. They slowly made their way to the group. They were immediately greeted by Amane and Akane.

"Glad you guys could be here," Amane said, he mustered the best smile he could.

Sakura hugged him tightly. "Everything is going to be okay." She gave him a reassuring smile and made her way towards Tsukasa. She sat next to him and patted his shoulder saying something Amane couldn't hear.

Natsuhiko had a pained expression. "I'm so sorry to hear about Tsuchigomori-san. How did it even happen?"

"Nobody knows, I don't really wanna say it out loud but I guess that this was no accident." Akane eyed Amane hoping he didn't set him off.

Amane seemed extremely emotionless, like a part of him suspected the same thing. It wasn't a coincidence, right? The fire department doesn't even know what started that damn fire!

Natsuhiko cringed a bit, noticing how heavy the air felt around them. "Yeah, my words exactly, everything will be okay Amane-san." He hugged Amane reassuringly, while they weren't close they all knew each other since they attended middle school together.

The only one out of the loop was Kou.

"Bad time for introductions huh?" Kou extended his hand towards Natsuhiko and Mitsuba. "Minamoto Kou, wish we could have met under better circumstances."

Natsuhiko froze upon hearing the name but decided not to be rude, it wasn't the time or place, he shook his hand. "Likewise man."

Mitsuba didn't say anything and merely stared at Kou. He didn't expect to see him again this soon. Then again he should have realized it was inevitable if he was Amane's friend. "Yeah." He said eventually, for things to not feel awkward.

Kou almost did a double-take. How did he not recognize the guy? It was indeed a small world, a part of him was very happy to see him.

"Excuse us for a bit, we're going to see how Tsu is doing." Natsuhiko excused himself and walked towards Tsukasa with Mitsuba in tow. All three huddled around him as he seemed to be silently crying on Sakura's shoulder.

Amane hated this.

He hated this so much.

"Yugi-kun?"

Oh, he really hated this.

"Yashiro?" Why was she here? Did the boys tell her? Even Aoi was here!

"Hello Yugi-kun, I hope you don't mind that we came." Aoi gave an apologetic smile as Nene nodded.

Amane shook his head. "It's okay, the more the merrier, right?" A strained laugh came out. He tried so hard to not break down. Everyone was giving him that look… the look of pity.

"Yugi-kun." She hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry."

He couldn't help but break down.

Why was this happening to them? Right when they needed him the most. Why are things only getting worse?

"Excuse me?"

Amane and company looked up to see a girl they've never met before.

"Uh, yes?" Amane asked questioningly.

"I came!" She announced a bit cheerfully but it sounded like an attempt to lighten the mood.

Usually, it would make sense but… did she have the wrong place? "Uh… who are you?" He asked.

She looked at him in shock and even looked a little offended. "What do you mean who am I? I know we haven't seen each other in a few days but you couldn't have easily forgotten about me right?" She was holding a potted flower.

Amane had never seen this girl in his life. "I… no? I don't know who you are, maybe you're confused?" Amane was getting a bit annoyed. He could see Nene tense up a bit beside him, why did she seem tense?

The girl was in utter shock. "Wow okay I see how it is Yugi, I even got you a plant and everything, I know we're not close but I thought we were at least friends."

Amane was only getting more confused. "I'm sorry? I just, really don't know who you are, maybe if you gave me your name or something?" He didn't want this situation to escalate. He didn't need whatever drama was about to stir.

"It's me, Shijima Mei, from art class." She pointed to herself. She looked annoyed.

Art class?

He doesn't take art.

He's never liked art, the only person who's ever liked art was-

Oh.

"Oh! You're confusing me! I'm Yugi Amane, you're looking for my twin brother Tsukasa." He pointed towards where Tsukasa was currently sitting. Hearing his name he looked up curiously.

Both Mei and Nene looked at the two in complete shock.

They were seeing double.

"Wait, you have a twin?" Both girls voiced their questions at the same time. They paused and looked at each other.

Tsukasa got up and walked towards Mei. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to support you." She said as she handed him the potted plant. "It's for you."

Tsukasa didn't know why his heart was beating. "Uh… thanks." He didn't understand why this girl was so eager to come to support him. He's not even worth it…

Everyone in the back watched the two in confusion. Well everyone except Sakura who was a bit surprised and at the same time not.

"Wait… since when is Tsukasa taking an art class?" Amane voiced his question. He didn't expect it to be so loud and for everyone to hear it.

Tsukasa flinched and turned around. "Uh… it's been a few days."

"A few days!? And you never bothered to tell me?" Amane exclaimed.

The tension in the room grew thick.

Tsukasa looked away. "I didn't think you'd care."

Amane was offended. "You what!? What do you mean you think I wouldn't have cared? OF COURSE I WOULD HAVE!"

This was escalating and fast, both boys were stressed the fuck out right now.

"Oh that's BULLSHIT Amane and you know it! Just admit it! You hate me, you've always hated me!" Tsukasa yelled back, he didn't notice when the potted plant was taken out of his hands just in case shit gets hazardous.

Amane was taken aback. "Hate you? What are you fucking talking about!? I don't fucking hate you Tsukasa, it's you who hates me!"

"NO I DON'T!" He screamed, this was getting too much. It was killing him inside. "I DON'T HATE YOU AMANE! I HATE MYSELF!" Oh god, he was spilling his goddamn feelings in front of everyone. He needed to stop, Tsukasa needed to stop himself.

Amane looked like he was going to cry at any moment. "Why? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you? I didn't mean it, Tsu, I never wanted to leave you alone I swear! I didn't realize I was hurting you-"

"STOP!"

The room was silent and cold. Everyone had flinched at that. Nobody even dared make a move or say anything to stop what was happening right in front of them.

"Stop, just stop! I'M NOT WORTH IT!" He hated this, everything… "I don't care Amane, just stop, it hurts." He hugged himself.

The threats.

The beatings.

He couldn't tell him yet…

He couldn't tell him that he saw their abuser days before his death.

--

Nene hated this.

She barely knew Amane and yet that scene… the way he was looking at his broken twin brother, a brother she didn't even know he had by the way!

It hurt her.

She felt like protecting him from all harm. She wanted to continue hugging him and letting him know everything was going to be okay…

She barely knew him!

And yet…

"Aoi why do I care so much about him?" She asked.

Aoi was surprised at the sudden question but smiled at her friend. "It's natural, he comforted you in your time of need and you feel like doing the same."

Right, that's how they met…

"Don't worry, I'm sure Yugi-kun will be fine," Aoi reassured her although Nene didn't think it would be that simple.

It was really serious… there was something more going on there than simple…

Ah, what is she even thinking? This isn't the time to try and decipher things that weren't any of her business, to begin with.

Still… it just felt strange…

So she texted Amane later that evening to try and meet up and talk. She was glad he took up her offer and seemed like he didn't want to be in his room all day. He did take his time, she can only assume something probably delayed him.

"Hey sorry, I was hesitating since I didn't want to leave Tsukasa alone right now." He explained, he sat beside her on the bench.

Nene wanted to facepalm so badly. She had to call him when he was likely trying to comfort his only family member left. She was so stupid. "Ah, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's fine, that girl we met today came by… not sure how she even knows where we live." He assumed maybe Tsukasa told her… maybe.

Nene chuckled. "Well, at least he's not alone." She was relieved to hear that.

"Yeah…" Amane remained silent for a bit before speaking again. "So why did you call me out here?" He asked curiously.

Nene paused and panicked for a bit. Why did she call him out? "Ah… I was worried about you." She blushed a bit.

Amane didn't seem to notice. "You don't have to be… I've gone through this before… not that it gets any easier."

At this Nene looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Amane knew he could trust her. "Tsukasa and I saw our dad kill our mom when we were young." He sighed and grabbed his head as the memory threatened to resurface and hurt him again. "He was a bad person… which is why we were glad he was killed."

Nene had no idea Amane had gone through so much. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She grabbed his hand.

"It's okay… we were happy when Tsuchigomori took us in… but now he's gone too." He covered his face with his remaining free hand. "I think it's my fault."

Nene's eyes went wide. "Your fault? What do you mean?"

"I'm fairly certain he was killed, even my friends seemed to think so. He had cases open about corrupt politicians and other bullshit that's running rampant in the city, it's not surprising that someone likely wanted him dead." He explained. "But I feel like I contributed to that considering I'm starting fights with rich people at school." He hated thinking it was probably his fault. For starters, there was that guy he beat up for hurting Nene. Then Teru's very real and very serious threats were hanging on his head for a few days. He hadn't exactly gotten away from Kou so it's likely this was the consequences of his actions.

Nene grabbed his shoulder. "Don't blame yourself Amane, we don't even know if it was on purpose."

Amane scoffed. "The fire department doesn't fucking know what started it, it's so damn obvious Yashiro." He grabbed his hair and started pulling it trying to forget everything, the events that led to this horrible outcome. Was his life just destined to forever be full of pain?

What did he do?

What could he have possibly done to deserve this?

What sins did he commit!?

"Yugi-kun please don't hurt yourself." Nene buried her face on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. "I don't think he would have wanted you to blame yourself over this."

Amane felt himself relax and bury himself in her hair. He always felt at peace when he was with Nene. "Thanks, Yashiro."

Nene smiled. "No problem!"

Meanwhile, Tsukasa and Mei were having a similar conversation.

"I don't understand why you're here." He said as he looked away from her.

"Hm? Do you shut people out often?" She asked him.

He didn't answer.

She sighed. "You know… we don't know each other well but… I know what you're going through…" She grabbed his hand, a sad expression on her face.

Tsukasa felt his heart stop, he quickly backed away from her. "Don't do that… you couldn't possibly understand."

"But I do." She said firmly. "I do know what you're going through."

"How?" He looked at her, she didn't seem like the type to lie about this stuff.

"My dad died a week ago." There was silence as her confession weighed on Tsukasa for a bit.

"Oh." He didn't know what to say, he never bothered to ask her stuff about herself now that he thought about it. "Sorry to hear that."

She chuckled. "I know… you don't have to hide your emotions." She attempted to grab his hand again, this time Tsukasa didn't run away. "Just let them all out."

Letting his emotions run wild would be a bad idea, Tsukasa had too much pent up anger and frustration to let it all out. But he could… at least let himself cry for a few minutes right? "Why did he have to die?" He asked out loud as tears ran down his face.

Mei hugged him as he continued to cry on her shoulder. "There, there, let it all out." She whispered.

The sound of Tsukasa's sobs filled the room. He was sure he cried for more than a few minutes honestly. He felt terrible and weak, so weak… why couldn't he be honest with Amane? Why was it so hard to tell Amane the truth?

It was then that he voiced this suspicion. "I don't think it was an accident."

"What?" Mei was caught off guard over that. She looked at him, seriousness written all over him.

"I don't think the fire was an accident… I think Tsuchigomori was killed…" It was too much to be a coincidence. He was involved with bad people, it's what he did for a living. Catching them and making sure they face justice, no way someone wouldn't eventually try and take him out.

"You think so too then?" She said.

Now, this caught Tsukasa off guard. "Huh? You think so too?" He looked at her in surprise. How could she possibly come to that conclusion? She barely knew Tsuchigomori and what he usually did on a day to day basis. She had no prior knowledge about their family too so why…?

"He was investigating my father's death." She admitted, she took a shaky breath. "He told me and my mom that this wasn't a typical hit and run, it was no accident… they wanted him dead." Her voice became shaky as she whispered.

"He suspected my dad might have seen things he shouldn't have…"

It was then that Tsukasa finally connected the dots.

The guys back at the house, why the name Shijima was so familiar…

He saw Mei's dad get killed.

"That… that was your dad?" He said, it was barely a whisper but it was loud enough to catch Mei's attention almost immediately.

"What!?"

The weight of this horrible knowledge he let Tsuchigomori know before he died suddenly came back. It was only proper to tell Mei the full truth, how her father's death was.

"He was right to assume it wasn't an accident. They confessed to it and I heard the whole thing! They pretty much implied they got paid for it, Tsuchigomori was trying to find out who they were but…" He closed his eyes trying to stop his tears.

Mei had tears of her own. She had no idea what her father could have possibly involved himself in to get murdered. A part of her however was at least glad he wasn't completely alone in his final moments. She wouldn't voice that out loud though, Tsukasa seemed to be in constant pain when telling her what he saw that night.

It was something he regretted witnessing.

"Thank you for telling me this." She squeezed his hand a bit. "Hopefully we can both get closure soon." Deep down that was probably a lie. If someone wanted them dead then both cases were going to be permanently shut forever. What's worse is that there were finally leads and this happened.

It was then that Mei had an idea. "Fuck that, the police won't do anything so I'm going to look into it myself." She declared.

Tsukasa looked at her as if she grew two heads. "What!? Are you crazy?"

She gave him a cheeky smile. "Maybe? Who knows, we both want answers and if someone has to risk their life then it'll be me."

Tsukasa immediately shook his head. "No, if you want answers then I'll go looking, nobody will miss me if I die." He flinched a bit realizing he let out his inner thoughts.

Mei looked like she wanted to smack him as she glared. "Don't say that, I'd miss you and I'm sure your brother would too." Tsukasa didn't respond so Mei sighed and hugged him tightly. "You're loved even if you don't think you are."

He hugged back tightly as Tsuchigomori's last words echoed through his head.

What was the point of being loved?

In the end… he left him too...

--

Uploading this late at night (for me) since its my birthday tomorrow! (February 10th)

And I figured I couldn't keep everyone waiting after how last chapter ended xD

Feel some more angst

If you want to support me and my work please consider checking out my !

(Link on my profile)

A new benefit has been added!