19. Everything Will Be Okay

Souta sat down with Koga on a bench in front of a food mart. He looked down at the ground.

"What did they want from you Souta?" Koga asked.

"I...nothing." Souta looked up at Koga then looked back down quickly.

"I can tell you're lying to me." Koga sat back and looked up into the sky. "What was it that they wanted?" His voice was warm and soft.

"They wanted...a weapon." Souta confessed.

"A weapon? You were carrying around a weapon?"

"No! They said I had it!" Souta clenched his fists tightly. "They said that they gave it to me to hold on to...but...I don't have it!"

Koga looked at Souta. "Do they know you don't have it?"

"I don't know." Souta stared at the ground again with a guilty expression. "But I don't have it."

"I see. What was the weapon?" Koga had a small idea of somthing brewing in his head.

"It was a knife." Souta cinfessed once again.

"Was this your first time hearing them mention this?"

"Yeah."

"Well I didn't hear them mention about no knife back there."

"Huh?" Souta knew what Koga had just done and began to tremble.

"You know what the weapon was and this was your first time being attacked by them. Added on top of that, you just told me this was your first time hearing those boys mentioning it." Koga crossed one leg on top of the other, folded his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes.

"I...I..." Souta looked close to tears. "I didn't mean it! I thought I was being a good person by helping them! I didn't know they would turn on me!" Souta burried his face in his hands. "I'm afraid."

Koga was shocked. "Hey it's nothing to cry over. You just made a mistake thats all!" Koga began to wave his hands wildley about.

"But...but..." Souta sobbed.

"But nothing! Let's just go tell your family and call your school. Let's just get help." Koga said, patting Souta's back.

"It'll be okay?" Souta sniffed and wipped his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"Yeah, eyerything will be okay Souta. Trust me." Koga smiled warmly.

Souta smiled back, his cheeks stained with tears.

"C'mon. I'll stick beside you all the way through."

Not everyone was happy with this situation. Mainly the three boys that had demanded the knife were in the deepest pit. Souta got through the woods roughly, but he made it. Koga had stuck with him allthe way through, just as he said he would. Those three boys never messed with Souta again and Souta never got involved with anything that could harm him. Everything was good again. The woods may be thick, but Souta never gave up...just as Koga would. Soutais brave like Koga...atsome times that is. He is smart like Koga and he is respectful like Koga.

Souta is a brother....

...like Koga.

And brothers always stick together...

Like Koga, Ginta and Hakakku...

and Souta.