CHAPTER 4

I'm Sorry

Kouichi spent the most of next week with Takuya and his friends. Kousei was happy because Kouichi had finally made friends. Their mother had been afraid that he'd never get over his brother's death.

Kousei turned away from the window where he could see his son walking away with his new friends. This was one of his few days off. He pulled out a locket covered with a layer of dust. How long had it been since he'd looked at this?

Popping it open, it revealed the picture of a small boy smiling. In the top of the necklace was the engravement of the date of the boy's death. Kousei sighed and closed the locket, putting it away until he decided to try and look at it again, maybe another 10 years later.

– – – – – – – – –

Kouichi was excited. After telling each other about the Kouji's they knew, Takuya had decided to introduce Kouichi to Kouji. He went to the spot where Kouji was usually waiting to talk but the boy wasn't there.

"Kouji?" Takuya asked, looking around. As Takuya looked around, so did Kouichi. He followed the beach till it turned around the bottom of the cliff, so close to the institute. As he turned to looked on the other side of the cliff someone touched his shoulder.

It was like looking in a mirror. The boy before him stared at him and his eyes widened. They both looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"K-kouji?" Kouichi asked. He reminded Kouichi of his brother. He.. Looked just like him.. It couldn't be. Kouji died!

"You're.. Kouichi." the boy said. That's it. He knew Kouichi's name. He had to be.. "You're the son.. Of Kousei Minamoto. The owner of that institute. Right?" he pointed over Kouichi's shoulder to the institute. He seemed normal now, but his eyes said he wanted to say something more.

Kouichi nodded and then closed his eyes. It couldn't be Kouji. There was no way.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." he excused himself and hurried off, past Takuya who stopped and ran after him. Kouji just watched them leave. He knew what happened when he got too far from the water.

– – – –

"Kouichi! Will you wait up? Stop!" Takuya finally caught Kouichi when the water was far out of sight. "W-what.. Was that... all about? Why'd you run off?" Takuya managed as he gasped for breath. Kouichi stayed silent for minute.

"I.. Changed my mind. I just don't wanna meet your Kouji yet. What if.. He doesn't like me?" Kouichi lied. He was still getting over seeing an older version of his little brother.

"Of course he'll like you. But.. If you don't wanna go today, that's alright." Takuya put a hand on Kouichi's shoulder to comfort him and gave him a smile. Kouichi smiled back.

"Thanks, Takuya." he looked ahead of them. To the left would be the institute, to the right was town and straight ahead was his house. "Let's go to my house, okay?" he asked. Takuya cheered and they headed off.

– – – – – – – – –

He checked the clock for what seemed to be the hundredth time. 4:58 am. Kouichi rolled over to looked at the ceiling.

'There's no way it was him, Kouichi. Think logically. You know he's dead!' but he couldn't stop. He couldn't stop himself from hoping his brother was alive somehow. And he knew he was crying now.

On the floor by the bed, Takuya grumbled and flipped over. Kouichi had asked him to spend the night.. He didn't know why. He sat up and wrote a quick note for Takuya before getting dressed and leaving the house.

– – – – –

Kouichi stopped in front of the institute. He could see his breath in the early morning air and he rubbed his arms to keep warm, even though he was wearing a jacket. He pulled a card from his pocket and unlocked the doors. The automatic doors opened and he hurried inside. He made his way down the 'employee only' stairs and into the lab under ground.

He'd been down here only 5 times before. He visited every 2 years. No one knew he came down here because he came before anyone showed up. When he reached the bottom floor, a long hallway, he made his way to the very back. He hated coming here so early, it was eerily quiet.

He entered the only door in the hallway, which only opened to Kousei Minamoto's keycard, and he stopped when he came up to the glass door. This room had a 'hospital' bed in the center but Kouichi was standing in what looked like a control room for something at NASA.

He reached out a cautious hand to the handle of the door and entered the main room. His footsteps echoed around the room until he got to the bed. He sat in the chair by the bed and looked at the person seemingly asleep there.

Kouji Minamoto lay there. His skin was once again devoid-ing itself of color like it did every morning. Only Kouichi knew it. Knew that Kouji Minamoto's body was aging itself even after it's death. It was strange. Kousei hardly came down here. Maybe once every 4-5 years. Once a month he gave his card to his most loyal worker and they came down to check the body. Not even Kouichi knew what his father was planning to do with the body and the worker who checked the body was sworn to secrecy of what was in that room.

"Kouji.." Kouichi brushed his brother's hair away from his face and straightened the cover that was placed over his body to seem like he was only sleeping. It had been 2 years since his last visit down here. And now he knew his suspicions were true. The boy on the bed and Takuya's Kouji were one and the same. Looking at the face, it was obvious.

But this boy's eyes never opened and he didn't breathe. His skin was devoid of any warmth. Kouichi wept.

'Kouji, I'm sorry.' he cried in his mind.

It was 20 minutes later that he decided. He was going to tell Takuya everything about Kouji.. Just.. When?

– – – – –

Kouichi had returned too late to catch Takuya. It seemed he'd gone home like the note had suggested. Now Takuya sat on a rock where Kouichi had seen Kouji. He was soon joined by Kouji.

"Afternoon." Takuya greeted.

"It's still morning.." Kouji corrected. Takuya laughed.

"Guess what!" Takuya gained his usual excitement.

"What?"

"I met this guy named Kouichi at the institute. His dad runs the place. He looks just like you, but he said his twin died." Takuya shrugged. Kouji seemed unaffected though.

"Must've been hard for him to talk about it." he guessed.

"Ya. He kept smiling at me but I sensed he was trying really hard just to keep it up. He loved his brother a lot." Takuya frowned at his shoes as he hugged his knees.

"Hm.." was the reply. Kouji stared at the ocean. Like it's tumbling waves, emotions raged inside him.

"Anyway.. I gotta go.. Dad wants to take us somewhere.. Like the movies or something. You wanna come?" Takuya stood up and dusted himself off.

"No thanks. I have plans too." Kouji waved him off. "Have fun." Takuya waved too as he left.

Kouji sat there a little longer, not aware that he was being watched by his other. He sighed and vanished as a wave came up onto the beach once again.

– – – – – – – – – – –

"Daddy?"

"I don't wanna talk to you. I'm busy."

"Daddy I'm sorr..."

"I said go away!"

He heard the rushing footsteps and saw the old bridge under his feet.. Not his feet. The footsteps stopped at the end of the bridge, heavy breathing followed and the owner of the feet sat on the bridge cried.

'I don't.. Know what I did.. Daddy! I don't understand!' the child's voice that rang through Takuya's voice so many times lately was back.

"Kouji!" the vision turned around where a young Kouichi ran happily toward the bridge. "Kouji!"

"Kouichi!" the boy stood up. 'So this is Kouji's memories.. Kouichi's brother..'

Kouji began to hurry toward his brother when the bridge gave out beneath him. And so he fell. Into the water. It covered him and he knew Kouji couldn't swim.. He pleaded.

'Ah! I can't swim! Kouichi! Help me!' Kouji tried futilely to get to the surface.

He was suddenly watching from a third person while still hearing every thought from Kouji.

Kouichi hurried out onto the bridge as far as he could get.

"Kouji!" he yelled. He turned toward their house and yelled for help. "Mommy! Daddy! Help! Someone!" he called. But no one came running.

'Kouichi!' Kouji called out in his mind, hands near the surface of the water and yet not there yet. The sun was bright and the salt water stung his eyes as he tried to open them to see.

Kouichi turned to the house and saw his father standing in the window, watching. 'Why isn't he going to help!'

Kousei Minamoto turned away from the window and the blinds shut behind him. Kouichi glared, tears brimming his eyes, before he turned and knew he was Kouji's only hope.

'I don't wanna die... not like this!...' Kouji cried. 'I don't wanna die!' and he opened his eyes, the last of his breath leaving him. He heard a splash above him and his eyes caught a light green glow below him. He reached to it as he lost all sense and life in him.

Kouichi grabbed his brother's arm, something was clutched in his hand, and pulled him to the surface. Kouichi wasn't a great swimmer.. He could hardly get himself above the water, much less Kouji, but he did.

"Kouji!" Kouichi pleaded as he tried to wake his brother up on the shore. His mother and father coming out to see what was taking them so long to come in. "Please Kouji! Kouji!" tears fell from his eyes. He held Kouji's hand and he knew. He was only 6, but he knew.

"KOUJI!" he cried as he was pulled away by his mother, who was also in tears. "NO! KOUJI!"

– – – – – – –

Takuya woke screaming and crying in his own soft bed. He sat up and thought about what had happened. Unlike normal dreams, it stayed clear in his mind. Kouji's pleas for life and Kouichi's cries for help. The cold look in Kousei Minamoto's eyes and the tears running down their cheeks. The feeling he'd lost someone so close to him. It all felt hopeless and empty.. And he wouldn't get over it so easily.

Takuya sat and cried over the loss of someone he didn't even know.


It:...I got nothin..