CHAPTER 5
Kouji
Kouichi rushed over to the park. He'd gotten a voice mail from Takuya. He sounded like he'd been crying and only asked for Kouichi to meet him in the park.
Takuya sat on a bench, looking at the ground. He had a book in his hands but he wasn't reading it.
"Takuya?" he raised his eyes to looked at Kouichi who was standing there breathing hard. He merely tossed the book at the boy and sighed, returning to staring at the ground.
"Fantastic Pirate Tales: Treasure Plant & Treasure Island.." Kouichi read. He looked up at Takuya, wonder on his face.
"I had a dream last night, ya know. I had one with that book in it." he said softly.
"This book is.." Kouichi began to explain.
"The one Kouji read you. I know." Takuya stood up.
"But how?" he asked. Had Kouji told him?
"I.. Had a dream last night.." Takuya's eyes filled with water. "I saw.. Your brother die.. And I heard him as he died.. And you cried.." Tears fell down his face. "And I knew I couldn't do anything.. to help. I felt so useless." Kouichi hugged him and comforted him as he cried into Kouichi's shirt. He sat him back on the bench and sat beside him.
When Takuya was done crying this time, Kouichi looked at the sky.
'Kouji, give me strength.' he took a deep breath.
"No matter how hard I try.. I never feel his presence near me. I thought, that means he blames me or he moved on without me.. And then I was at the institute, gazing out the window at the sea, when I suddenly felt whole again. Like he was standing right beside me. That was just before you called out his name thinking I was him." Kouichi explained. Takuya just sat there, quietly.
Kouichi stroked the cover of the book.
"Even now, I don't feel his presence. It's strange. What do you think, Takuya?" he asked. Takuya had somehow seen into his past and felt all his pain from his brother's death.
"I..." Takuya looked up at the sky. "I can feel him." he said, smiling. Kouichi looked surprised but Takuya didn't notice. Takuya didn't know that the Kouji he was talking about and the Kouji that died were the same person.
"I never met your brother. But.. I met Kouji. And I feel him. After every dream I have, I feel him becoming stronger. Every time I speak to him and he smiles, I feel completed. Even now.. When he's nowhere around here.. I feel he's here.. I feel him.. Here." Takuya's hands were cupped by his chest and he was smiling.
Kouichi smiled slightly as well. True. Kouji was still here. In the hearts of everyone who loved him. Takuya obviously loved Kouji, or he wouldn't feel so strongly about this.. And his smile wouldn't be so serene.
'Kouji, if you only knew..' he sighed.
– – – – – – –
"J.P. Do a search on Kouji.." Zoe said, laying on a table in her dad's office at home.
"Kouji who?"
"I don't know.. Cant u search just with his name?"
"Only if I have both his names. You can't expect me to be some miracle worker!" J.P. groaned.
"You're so boring.." Zoe sighed, sitting up. There was silence for awhile.
"I wonder what Takuya and Kouichi are doing right now.." Zoe wondered aloud, looking out the window at the sky. (yes. fear the randomness of this scene!)
– – – – – – – – – – –
Takuya was staying at Kouichi's house again. Kouichi hadpromised not to vanish again. He said he wanted to show Takuya something important. But that wasn't until morning. Right now, Kouichi was rummaging through his drawers looking for something he'd hidden and obviously lost.
"Found it!" Kouichi cheered, pulling out one of those boxes you'd usually find some expensive diamond ring in.
"What is it?" Takuya asked.
"Observe." Kouichi opened it up. Inside was a small, glowing, green stone. Takuya held the box as Kouichi wrote something on a sheet of paper. "I need that." he said to break Takuya out of his thoughts.
He closed the box and left the room with the letter. His father had already gone to bed so he unlocked the office door and set the box and letter on the table where his father would find it in the morning.
"So." he said, returning to the room. "I should tell you the story of Kouji." he got comfortable on his bed and began.
"Kouji Minamoto... where to start. While we grew up, Kouji loved the ocean. You know this. Our father was trying desperately to get funds to search for a rare stone. People thought he was crazy because the stone was supposed to bring the dead to life, and was something of fairytales."
"So that stone was.."
"Ssh!.. as I was saying. My father is usually a calm, sensible man. But he was getting desperate for funds and angry every time he was rejected. He randomly chose something to take out his anger on.. And Kouji happened to be that thing. He used to hit Kouji for no reason and when Kouji tried apologizing for something he didn't understand, he just got mad and made Kouji leave the room."
"Kouji said he liked the ocean because it was free and open. He used to wish he could be like the sea, or at least know why father hated him so much. Kouji never learned to swim.." Kouichi added randomly.
"I've hated my father ever since Kouji's death. He didn't have a funeral and he didn't try to help save him. One day, I was following this man as he went down to a level of the institute I'd never been to before. He didn't notice me because I was so quiet. When he finally caught me, he asked me never to tell anyone what I saw. I agreed, but at the time, I didn't understand."
"Understand what?" Takuya asked.
"You'll see tomorrow." Kouichi said softly. Footsteps were heard going down the hallway outside the door. "We'd better get some sleep. We need to wake up early." he whispered. Takuya nodded and they shut off the lights.
– – – – – –
"I come down here every two years to check if he's still here." Kouichi explained as they descended stairs to the lowest level of the institute. Takuya was lost beyond compare.
"As I said, my father was looking for money to find the stone to bring people back to life. When Kouji died, people felt sorry for my father and finally gave him the money. I think father felt guilty for what he'd done because he started searching immediately for a stone to save Kouji. He's lessened up since then. I guess he thought that so many years had passed that it wasn't worth it anymore. He only searches for it as a side job now." Kouichi opened the last door.
"Takuya. My father never gave Kouji a funeral. And he never comes down here. I want to make sure you're ready for anything before I let you in here." Kouichi looked at the ground, not Takuya.
"Ya. Anything." Takuya said shortly. Kouichi opened the door and they walked in. Kouichi then opened the glass door and pulled Takuya out with him.
"When Kouji died, I pulled him to the surface. He was holding a glowing stone, which I found when I held his hand. My father doesn't know it yet, but.. Kouji's body.." he said as Takuya approached the table.
Upon seeing Kouji laying there, he jumped, tripped over his own feet, and fell on the floor.
"Kouji!" he exclaimed.
"Ya." Kouichi commented, smiling like it was a joke. "Kouji ages even when he's dead. Can't keep a good guy down I guess."
"H-how!" Takuya asked. This wasn't humanly, physically, scientifically possible!
"I think Kouji found the stone my father has been looking for and that that's the reason he's still aging. I think your friend Kouji is my brother as a ghost. I was surprised after I figured it out. Why wasn't he still his 6 year old self. I decided that since his body was aging, logically, so would his spirit." Kouichi spoke like this was everyday stuff.
"You are so crazy.." Takuya sighed. After a minute, he laughed. "This is so creepy, it's funny."
"And yet it's so very real." Kouichi said, taking a deep breath. "Do you know how it feels to drown?" he asked. Takuya was thinking about Kouji. Did he know he was dead? If he did, why hadn't he told him?
"I.. Need to go.." Takuya said, getting up. He took one last look at Kouji's face before turning to leave. He froze when he saw Kousei Minamoto coming to the door. "Kouichi.."
– – – – – –
Kousei Minamoto yawned and walked into his office. Turning on the light, a small box on his desk caught his attention. He held the box in one hand and unfolded the letter with the other. We sleepy eyes, he read.
Dear father,
When Kouji died, he left you something. I found it in his hand on the beach. Kouji hasn't died yet, dad. I've gone to visit him and I've taken Takuya with me. Happy Anniversary.
Kouichi
Anniversary? What nonsense was his son talking about now? He checked the date.
'Hm..' it hit him. Today was exactly 11 years after Kouji's death. He put the note down and stared at the box. Cautiously, he lifted the lid and gasped. A bright, glowing, green stone.
'I've gone to see Kouji..'
He closed the box and put it in his pocket. His card was missing but he left anyway. He'd be at the institute in no time.
– – – – –
So now, entering the solitary room, he was still shocked to find two teenage boys inside the unlocked room. He froze just like Takuya.
"Kouichi.. So you've known.." he said, looking at the floor as though in guilt.
"It's okay dad.. I really think that stone.."
"The stone? It's a rock, Kouichi!"
"Dad! Just try it!" Kouichi argued. Takuya felt as though he'd walked in on a personal argument. "At least if u try it, you can't say you didn't give it your all. You could finally let go of the past. But dad.. If it doesn't work, you have to promise me something.."
"What?"
"If Kouji doesn't come back... can you finally give him a burial?" Kouichi really wanted that. Kouji, the person he'd trusted more than anyone in the world.. had been lying in a cold room all alone for 11 years..
Takuya's eyes fell on Kouji's tan skin as it began turning pale.
'Kouji.'
'I'm six.. teen..'
You were lying, weren't you?
'No thanks. I have plans too.'
You don't... don't you trust me?
Takuya squinted his eyes shut and hurried from the room as Kousei agreed. He had to see Kouji. Right now.
"Takuya!" Kouichi rushed after him. Kousei stood there a minute before opening the small box again and letting the green light reflect off his glasses. Anything was worth it.
– – – – – – –
Onee-chan: fear me as I saved a very.. well.. indescribable chapter for next. Taky I expect a heart touching review next chapter. -smiles and waves-
