Brothers In Spirit

Disclaimer: We do not own Takuya, Izumi, Junpei, Tomoki and ...sniff sniff Kouchi or Kouji. Please RR!!

Authors' notes: This is our second fic so we really hope you will enjoy it! Oh... and also Kouji's going to be really nice from now on. Can't stand writing the mean, arrogant Kouji. I like friendlier one much better. HUGE GRIN

Pairing(s): Koukou (brotherly) and maybe Kozumi or Izuichi later onwards

Warning: Please do not read this fic if you are a Junpei (JP) fan. (contains Junpei bashing)

2nd part of Story:

Kouichi's P.o.V.

"Mother, I'm home!" I called as I walked into our apartment.

"Kouichi," My mother smiled as she saw me, "Welcome home." I could see lines of weariness under her eyes.

"Mother, you go rest," I told her, gently but firmly, "I'll finish making dinner."

My mother looked grateful and I helped her to her room. I was use to doing most of the cooking but since my arm was in a sling, I had to be careful.

-----Kouichi finishes making dinner-----

We sat at our table eating dinner in silence. There really wasn't much to talk about. Mother interrupted the silence.

"So how was school today, Kouichi?" I froze and wondered if my mother knew about the new student in our class. I became really uncomfortable. She gave me a questioning look.

"Mother... there's a transfer student who came to our class today," I chose my words carefully. "I guess I just find myself really uncomfortable around him..."

"Well, it's going to be like that for any new student. Maybe you should invite him over... you know, to get to know each other better. Who knows, you might even become great friends."

I must've looked horrified because she then reconsidered, "Or not."

Izumi's P.o.V.

As I was walking home, I saw Kimberly carrying a huge heavy sack.

"Kimberly!"

"Hey Izumi!"

"Where have you been?"

"Library." Kimberly grinned and opened her bag to show me books, books and more books. I sweatdropped. "Oh yeah, I saw that Kouji kid walking by today. I think he lives in that huge mansion down the block." She indicated a very nice-looking, white house with a lovely green lawn and tall gates a short distance from where we were standing.

'Wow...' I thought. 'He has a nice place.'

"Well, gotta run. My mom's going to kill me if she finds out that I've been in the library for more than 12 hours."

I watched her run off and since I wasn't in a rush to get home, I decided to give Kouji a visit.

'Ding dong' I pressed the doorbell at the gate.

"I'll be right there," came a low voice. The door opened, and Kouji appeared. At first, he looked surprised to see me, and then he glared.

"What are you doing here, Orimoto?"

"Just here to visit," I replied cheerfully. "Is this your house? It's really nice!" He remained silent.

"Kouji," I heard a feminine voice call from within the house, "is that a friend you made at school? That's nice, let her in!" I assumed it was his mother. Kouji gestured me in, stiffly.

"Your mother seems nice," I stated, as I observed the room in awe. It was huge, and neat, but there were still boxes in the corners of what they did not yet unpack.

"My mother's dead." He remarked, without any emotions.

"Oh... I'm really sorry. You must miss her a lot."

"She died when I was really little. This is my step-mom," he introduced as a pleasant, young lady entered the room.

"Hi there, I'm Kouji's mother. You must be one of Kouji's new friends," Mrs. Minamoto said, cheerfully.

"My name's Izumi," I replied, politely. "You have a really nice house." Kouji's step-mother seemed to glow with delight.

"Why thank you! Why don't you and Kouji run off and have some fun with you new friend while I unpack," she told us, while shooing us out the door, despite Kouji's weak protests. She shut the door after us.

Kouji's P.o.V.

'I can't believe this,' I thought bitterly as I walked down the streets of Japan beside Izumi. Although she seemed nervous at first, she became more and more talkative and lively.

"I've only been here for a day but what I've seen, Japan is still just as beautiful. I've lived here all my childhood life before I moved to Italy." She pointed to an old brick building, "That's the library. Kimberly--a friend of mine--says that they have really great books but there but I don't really have time to check... and that's the biggest theater around here." She turned her gaze at a huge building shaped like the Coliseum..." I simply nodded at all her statements. I was still thinking about that boy, Kouichi, who looked just like me. How was it possible? Was I just imagining things?

My mind in deep thought, I unknowingly tripped and lost my balance.

"Kouji," Izumi caught me before I fell, but was unable to support my weight and fell, me on top of her. I had never been so close to another person before. I felt VERY uncomfortable. Quickly, I pulled myself back up, and helped her to her feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"No prob!" she said cheerfully, although she was blushing like mad. People around us looked at us in wonder. I glared at them, and they returned back to their own business.

"Anyway, that's the tallest building in Japan over there and-" I interrupted her.

"Why don't we... get something to eat?"

"Sure! If you want..." We wandered into a pizza parlor where we found Takuya having an eating contest with Junpei. Kouichi was there too, but he was just a spectator.

"You two are impossible." Kouichi shook his head.

"You--shuoe-jeo--uck" Junpei said with his mouth full.

"Come again?"

Junpei swallowed his mouthful, and replied, "You should join us!" Kouichi just stared at him in disgust.

"I think I'll take a pass on--hey Izumi, hey Kouji!" Kouichi acknowledged, noticing our arrival.

Junpei immediately dropped his pizza, and gaped, "Izumi?" He suddenly looked embarrassed for eating so much. Takuya however, showed no shame and continued eating, however more slowly. I could tell his stomach was complaining about the sudden amount of food.

"Hey! Don't stop because of me... I don't mind," Izumi stated. Junpei grinned and started shoving in more pizza. Tomato sauce covered his face, and there was a piece of cheese sticking to his shirt. I stiffened with disgust.

"I'll get the pizza," I offered, willing to do anything to take my eyes off him.

"Oh! Thanks Kouji. I'll take Pepperoni...." Izumi said. I nodded and went off to order it.

-----After Ordering-----

Gratefully, Izumi bit into her slice of Pepperoni. She then noticed I hadn't ordered anything.

"Kouji..."

"I'm not hungry." I replied. I decided to continue watching Junpei and Takuya compete in their eating contest. I noticed Kouichi had peacefully fallen asleep on the table beside them.

"Uh... I can barely eat another bite." Takuya groaned.

"HA! That means you owe me 5 bucks!" Junpei cheered happily.

"Oh yeah?" Takuya burped, and picked up another slice. He couldn't handle it, and hurled a lot of his eaten pizza onto the sleeping Kouichi who woke up abruptly.

"GROOOOOOOOOSSS!!! TAAKUYAA!!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" Most of his hair and shirt covered with Takuya's hurled-pizza-stuff. He grabbed a plastic knife nearby and tried to stab Takuya.

(Kate: Yes... Kouichi's right arm had miraculously healed within a day)

I didn't try to stop him because I had this strange feeling that Kouichi knew what he was doing, and that he would never really try to kill Takuya.

Junpei and Izumi were helplessly laughing nearby, even though they tried their best to stop. I found myself actually smiling a bit, but realized it, and quickly stopped. Fortunately, no one saw.

"I'M REALLY SORRY!! TRULY I AM!!!" Takuya yelled, as Kouichi's aim actually hit, but the plastic knife just broke off, leaving Takuya without even a scratch.

"ARGH!!!!!" Kouichi stormed off, obviously angry, as Takuya continued his useless apologies.

-----A Time Period Later-----

"I hope he'll forgive me," Takuya sat down, defeated.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will. Kouichi doesn't seem to strike me as a guy who would hold a grudge for long," Izumi replied optimistically, still laughing a bit. We were all silent for a while.

"So who won?" I asked, deciding to break the silence. Both Junpei and Takuya stopped at the exact same time. The two stared at each other, dumbfounded.

"I think I won," Junpei announced, "after all, you were the one who vomited over Kouichi."

"No. You weren't eating anymore. How can you if you were laughing?"

I sighed. This was going to take a long time. I decided to leave, but it didn't feel right to just leave Izumi with them. After all, my mom did force me to spend the whole day with her. Should I just leave her?

Awkwardly I asked, "Er... Izumi, do you want me to walk you home?"

She looked at me surprised. "Sure, if you really don't mind." I didn't really know if I didn't mind, but Izumi already grabbed my arm and we were off.

Izumi's P.o.V.

It was very quiet as we walked down the sidewalk in silence. The loud buzzing in my ear became very irritating.

"So... do you like the school?" I asked him, abruptly. Kouji shrugged. 'He's too quiet,' I thought to myself, 'and way too serious.' I sighed.

-----At Izumi's House-----

"Well, thanks." I said as my mother opened the door.

"No prob."

"Izumi!" My mother greeted me happily. She spotted Kouji, "I see you have made a new friend! What's his name?" My mother looked so eager. I think she was getting the wrong idea.

"My name is Kouji Minamoto," he answered, politely.

"Er... yeah... right," I said restlessly, while pushing my mom into the house. I peeped out of the doorway and saw that he was already leaving.

"Thanks for everything Kouji!" I yelled so he could hear me. Kouji shrugged and then walked off.


Kouichi's P.o.V.

"I'm home," I announced. The house was real quiet; a little too quiet for my liking.

"Mom?" I rushed over to her room, just to find her crying.

"Kouichi..." she said coarsely, "your grandmother... she's really ill. The doctor says... she's going to..." She burst into tears. I tried my best to comfort her, and to stop myself from crying myself. After she fell asleep, I decided to give my grandmother a visit, knowing that it would probably be my last chance.


-----At the hospital-----

"Grandma," I whispered softly. I glanced at the aged women in front of me. Her face was lined with wrinkles and sadness. Her breathing was irregular, and she coughed every few seconds.

"Kouichi..."

"What is it grandma?" I asked shakily.

"Kouichi... you have... a brother."

I was shocked. It couldn't be. Who could he be? And why didn't my mother tell me for all these years?

"His name is... Kouji..." She croaked painfully. I gasped. I couldn't be. Kouji Minamoto? I wanted to know more, but I saw my grandmother's state, and it wasn't good.

"Grandma, please, rest now." She nodded, and closed her eyes, for the last time. Heavy tears threatened to fall. I ran blindly out of the hospital.

-----At the park-----

Kouji's P.o.V.

'What a day,' I thought silently to myself, as I walked slowly down a path in the park. I had just left Izumi's house and didn't feel like much of going home quite yet. Slowly, I felt rain starting to fall. 'Just great,' I thought sullenly, as I ran under the nearest tree for cover. Even there, the rain still dripped. As I drew my jacket over my head, I saw a familiar figure run into view: Kouichi. He seemed to be upset about something. Suddenly he tripped. I ran over to him.

"Um... you alright?" I asked awkwardly. He looked up.

"K-kouji?" I could see he had been crying.

"Um..." I stared at him uncertain, as the rain pounded on us both. He dried his tears.

"It's nothing. I'm fine, really," Kouichi said, his voice trembling. He coughed a bit after that. I knew he was lying, but I really didn't know what to do.

"Well, I guess I'd better be going now," he gave me a reassuring smile, and then walked off. I was about to leave when I heard a soft thud behind me. I turned and saw that Kouichi had collapsed.

"Kouichi!" I ran over to him, and realized he was burning up with a fever. 'Just great,' I thought bitterly. I had no idea where he lived, and I would have to walk miles just to get to my house. Then an idea struck me... Izumi. I quickly hoisted Kouichi over my shoulder, and ran to Izumi's house, trying my best not to slip in the rain.


-----At Izumi's House-----

Izumi's P.o.V.

Knock knock knock

"I'll be right there!" I called, wondering who would be knocking at this time of night. I reminded myself to thank them later, because my parents were asleep and it would be a major catastrophe if they found out I was still awake. I opened the door, to find Kouji carrying Kouichi over his shoulders, both of them drenched.

"W-what just happened?" I asked, stunned.

"Can we come in?" Kouji asked breathlessly. I nodded, and quickly helped him set Kouichi down on a nearby sofa.

"He burning up," I whispered softly to Kouji, who was already wetting a cloth in the kitchen.

"Here," he handed it to me. I placed it onto Kouichi's forehead. Kouji and I sat in silence.

"So... you mind telling me what happened?" I asked in a soft voice.

He was quiet for a second, and then replied, "I was walking in the park, when I found Kouichi. He looked upset, but told me he was alright. Then the next thing I knew, he was on the ground. I decided to bring him here, since my house was too far away."

He looked at me hesitant. "I hope you don't mind."

I shook my head, "Of course not."

-----Later-----

Kouichi's P.o.V.

I groaned as I opened my eyes, confused. 'Where am I?' I sat up quickly and looked around. My throat felt strangely dry and my head was spinning.

"You're awake!" Someone behind me exclaimed, cheerfully. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Izumi. I spotted Kouji standing silently nearby.

"How'd I get here?" I asked, mystified.

"Kouji brought you here when you were out," Izumi replied, handing me a glass of cool water, "Drink. You're really burning." I nodded and obeyed. The water soothed my parched throat, but my head still hurt.

Suddenly, I remembered the recent events. My mother crying, my grandmother's death, Kouji at the park.

Kouji cleared his throat. "So, what were you doing in the park?" he asked, gruffly. It occurred to me that Kouji didn't like talking much.

I recalled one last thing. My grandmother's last words...

'Kouichi... you have... a brother... His name is... Kouji...'

I didn't know how to answer.

"Well, you need rest." Izumi interrupted the still silence, "I'll get Kimberly's sister to drive you (No, I don't really care that Crystal's 8...pretend she's 18 or sumfin). She never sleeps till very late." She walked towards the phone. I stood up, only to feel myself threatening to blank out again, so I decided to sit back down for a while.

Kouji gave me a hard glare and stood up. "I'm going to walk home." He stated, evenly. With that, he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

"Well, bye!" Izumi called after him. As she looked up the number in her address book I glanced around. She had a very neat living room with a brick fireplace. I noticed a picture of Izumi and her family when she was probably only around five. They seemed very happy. 'I wish my family were like that,' I sighed sorrowfully.

"What's the matter?" Izumi asked me.

I looked up. "Huh? Oh... its nothing." She stared hard at me, as if knowing I was hiding something. I looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

"There's something wrong, I can tell."

I shifted uneasily, but didn't answer her. What was I suppose to tell her? That my dying grandmother had just told me I had a brother. And that brother was actually Kouji Minamoto, who didn't seem to know our mom was still alive, forget even me. I suddenly realized that Izumi as staring at me.

"Kouichi... you wanna talk about what's on your mind?" I couldn't make myself meet her eyes, so I shook my head, staring at the ground defiantly.

"Alright... but I hope you know that I'm always here to talk. Oh... and Kimberly's sister will be here any minute-"

Ding dong

Izumi's P.o.V.

Argh! I forgot to tell her to knock. I hastily listened for any signs of stirring upstairs. Luckily there wasn't any. I sighed in relief.

"Thanks a lot Crystal." I thanked Kimberly's sister for coming, with Kouichi doing likewise.

Crystal grinned. "Anytime." She and Kouichi headed out the door. I sighed. 'What was wrong with Kouichi though?' I wondered to myself. I heard some movement upstairs. 'Darn!' I thought, fiercely. I dashed to my room and pretended to sleep. I listened to the sounds outside my bedroom.

"Izumi, are you awake?" my mom peaked into my room and found me 'sleeping'.

"Honey," my dad whispered, "I think we might have-you know intruders..." I giggled silently.

"Your right, I'll get the baseball bat, you take this flower pot."

"WHAT? WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO WITH THIS FLOWER POT?"

"Shhh... quiet, we're gonna scare the intruder away."

"Isn't that what we want to do?"

"Oh...good point." I rolled my eyes. My parents could be so silly sometimes. I listened as the two quarreled in the darkness. After becoming real bored, I hugged my teddybear and fell asleep.

-----At school next day-----

I ran into the class, yawning from the lack of sleep, to find Kouji and Kouichi already there. Both of them looked as if they were in deep thought.

"Hey Kouji! Hey Kouichi!" I yelled. They both jumped. The looked so alike, I was almost sure they were brothers. I laughed at the thought.

"I see your better," I noticed, as Kouichi nodded in reply. Takuya suddenly burst into the room, followed by a VERY angry Kimberly.

"MR. KANBARA! YOU'D BETTER GIVE THAT BACK OR ELSE!" She yelled as she attempted to grab her math notebook away from Takuya.

"Be patient, come on. Just for a second," Takuya complained, as Kimberly snatched it away. She stuck her tongue at him and waved to me. I waved back, amused. Takuya walked over to us grumbling. He looked hopefully at Kouichi's unattended notebook on his desk. Kouichi sweatdropped and hastily shoved the book into his desk.

"Attention, class." A voice barked at us. The class fell silent, immediately recognizing the voice. "The principal has informed me that it is about time I give my class at least one fieldtrip for all these years..." Ms Yaiko gave us a painful smile. "We will be going to a nice outdoor camp for a few days." Kimberly's hand shot up.

"Yes Kimberly?" Ms Yaiko glanced at the only student she didn't despise in the class.

"Is this going to be an educational outdoor experience?"

Ms Yaiko beamed at her. "Yes it will be. I expect everyone to fill in this form and get their parents to sign it...by to-mor-row." She emphasized the last word. "I need a volunteer. ...Good girl, Kimberly." The short girl had raised her hand again. Ms Yaiko gave her a stack of forms. "Hand them out."

Takuya looked excited at the thought of finally having a class trip outdoors actually having fun instead of having a 'fieldtrip' picking up trash in the school yard.

"I can't wait? No homework or detention for an ENTIRE week!" He beamed.

"Yay! I'll be with Izumi for a week!" Junpei screamed. We all sweatdropped. I shuddered, disgustedly.

"CLASS! Settle down or else..." Instantly, the class came to complete silence, and looked eagerly at Ms. Yaiko. She sighed.

"The groupings will be posted on the class bulletin. It will be four to a cabin, same genders... This might also be your assigned group for any activities, unless I decide to make any changes..." She looked as if someone had died, when the class cheered as the bell rang. I rushed up to bulletin board and scrolled down the list: Izumi, Rachel, Kimberly...

"ALRIGHT!" I cheered and hugged Kimberly who looked shocked.

"Don't celebrate just yet Izumi..." I gave her a confused look. She pointed at the last person in our cabin. MS. YAIKO. She smirked.

"I don't mind that much but if I still know you..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Everyone in the class stared at me.

"I... just got a papercut!" I put on a very fake smile, and caressed my unwounded finger. Takuya ran towards me, followed by Kouichi and Kouji in a slow walk.

"What's the matter?" I pointed at my list. He looked horrified.

"Wow. What bad luck!" then he smirked. "Wish you the best." I glared at him.

"Unlike you," he wringed his arms around Kouichi and Kouji, "I've got two of my best friends with me." Kouji just kept his emotionless face, while Kouichi looked very absentminded. Takuya then dropped to a more distraught mood.

"But... I get your boyfriend as my fourth companion."

"Who?" I asked confused. He pointed at Junpei who was still gleefully jumping up and down at the idea of the camp. I simpered.

"Let's just hope that Ms Yaiko doesn't serve meals in the assigned groups too." I was furious at the thought of having Ms Yaiko in my cabin but Kimberly didn't seem to mind.

-----After School-----

Takuya's P.o.V.

I couldn't believe my luck! I was in a cabin with. Well I suppose its two of my best friends and Junpei. I don't know if I would say Junpei were one of my best friends but he was certainly a friend. After all, with a Do-Not- Talk-To-Me Kouji and I-Have-A-Lot-On-My-Mind Kouichi around, I'd die to have someone to talk to, even if it had to be Junpei.

"You are so lucky," I heard Izumi grumble as she approached my locker. I grinned.

"Hey, you never know. Maybe you'll find a good side to Ms. Yaiko," I teased. She glared, but suddenly softened.

"What's the matter?"

"Don't you think Kouichi's been acting weird lately?" Izumi asked.

I gave her the 'isn't-it-obvious' look. "His grandmother died, is he suppose to act cheerful about it?" She shook her head.

"Not that... I meant around Kouji and all. I mean he was jumping every time someone says Kouji's name."

"Really?" I questioned slowly. She nodded. I shrugged.

"Well, if there's anything wrong with him, I'm sure he'll spill it soon enough. I mean, I'm not sure if I'd be all that comfortable with a guy who looked just like me." I told her.

"Yeah, I know. I mean, who could stand two Takuyas?" she teased.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I asked her angrily. She gave me a sly smile and walked off.

I grumbled. 'I'll show her,' I thought to myself.

Author's Note:

Kate: I don't feel up to writing a cliffie. Maybe next time...