CHAPTER 6

Good Bye

"Where did he go!" Kouichi asked. He'd lost track of Takuya somewhere on the way out of the building.

Takuya was running toward the beach. Unlike usual, where he had to look and call for Kouji, the teen was already there, standing and looking at the dark water in the morning light.

"Kouji!" Takuya yelled. Kouji turned, surprised.

"Takuya?" why were Takuya's eyes so angry? Takuya raised his fist to punch Kouji and Kouji flinched back. He waited for the hit but it didn't come. He opened his eyes to find Takuya's fist stopped right before his face and Takuya's head near his shoulder.

"Even if I hit you.. You wouldn't feel it.. Would you?" Takuya asked, angry tears in his voice. Kouji frowned.

"Probably not.." he said truthfully. Takuya dropped his fist.

"I thought.. After a month or so.. You might actually trust me enough.. To tell me you had a twin.. Or that your dad owned the institute.. Or.." Kouji stared at the brunette as he spoke, surprised. "Or that.. You're dead.. And I've been talking to myself for hours on end.."

"But Takuya. You haven't been talking to yourself.. You were talking to.." Kouji tried.

"Why couldn't you at least try to tell me you were some poor stupid runt who drowned at the age of 6! Then maybe I wouldn't have been so damn confused every time I had some weird memory dream, or when I woke up gasping for breath as though I'd been held underwater!" Takuya yelled angrily. Kouji stopped.

"I didn't.." Kouji didn't know what to say. Takuya was dreaming his memories? Takuya took off back up the beach, away from Kouji.

"Goodbye, Kouji!" he yelled as Kouji tried to catch him. Kouichi appeared around a corner as Takuya ran toward him. Kouji ran too, but he was hardly 10 feet from the water when he lost air and fell to the dirt.

"Ta..kuya.." he gasped. He was suddenly soaking wet even though the ground around him was dry. He was in pain. His heart felt like it was going to explode if he didn't get more air into his lungs. He couldn't breathe. All he could think about was Takuya's goodbye and his retreating back.

"Taku..."he collapsed fully into the sand. 'I can't.. Breathe.. It's like... I'm dying.. All over again..' he knew why.. He was too far from the water.. He was going to die because of water all over again. Even so, instead of going back towards the water, he tried crawling up where Takuya had gone.

Something told him Takuya wasn't going to come back to the ocean to see him, so he'd go to Takuya.. And if he died afterward, for good.. He didn't care.. He gasped for air, trying to clear his blurry vision.

Kouichi, who had caught Takuya's wrist to ask what was going on, noticed Kouji on the ground. His hand was grabbing for sand, as though trying to hold onto something, and his body seemed to be trying to get up and failing.

"Kouji!" he gasped, letting Takuya go and hurrying down to Kouji. Takuya stopped too and looked back.

"Kouji.." he breathed. The boy seemed to be in so much pain.. He felt he should be near him.. Run to him and find out what was wrong, but his feet moved so slowly.. His brain said he wouldn't make it.

"Kouji, what's wrong?" Kouichi asked, kneeling beside his brother. Kouji heard his brother next to him, calling his name.. But he only had eyes for the brunette standing so far away from him.

"T...ah!" he gasped once again for air that wasn't coming.

Takuya, standing and watching in fear, saw Kouji's eyes close in pain.

'I.. I don't wanna die...' Kouji's child voice and the voice Takuya knew so well blended. 'I don't wanna die!' The child's voice vanished. 'Takuya!'Kouji cried out in his mind. Takuya felt energy in his body and finally made the dash to Kouji's side.

"Kouji! What's wrong!" Kouji's body began to flitter between looking solid and see through. "Kouichi. What should we do? Your dad couldn't have had time to try yet.. We gotta do something.. What do we do? What do we do?" Takuya was panicking.

Kouichi thought quickly through his panic and picked Kouji up. He began to take him back to the water. "He must be suffering since he got too far away from where he died." he said when Takuya tried to stop him.

But even when Kouichi laid Kouji in the very shallows of the water, where it would hit him every few waves, Kouji couldn't breathe. Takuya held his hand, not even caring that he could suddenly touch the boy.

'Takuya?' Kouji asked, not opening his eyes.

"I'm here Kouji.. It'll be alright.. It'll.. It'll be alright.." he said, trying to convince himself as well.

— – – –

Kousei placed the stone in his son's hands. "Kouji. I'm so sorry.." he said. He didn't know how to work the stone. And for the first time since his son died, he really cried.

The stone sat as bright as ever in Kouji's dead hands, being covered in tears.

– – – – – –

Kouji felt his body pulsate as though his heart had truly burst and he cried out, tears falling from his eyes. Takuya leaned Kouji up against him and embraced him.

"It's alright, Kouji. It'll be over soon." he cooed. Calming Kouji down. Kouichi watched as his brother stopped shaking so much.

"I...don't wanna..." Kouji didn't have to finish.

"I know. I know.." he said, stroking Kouji's cheek as a single tear fell onto it.

Kouji's body began to disappear but Takuya just held his hand tighter. "Goodbye, Kouji." he whispered to him as Kouji's body disappeared altogether.

– – — –

Kousei sank into the chair by Kouji's bed, wiping his eyes. If he looked up he would have seen the tear stained stone glowing through Kouji's fingers. It would have been unbearably bright. But when he looked up, the light was leaving the stone.

"No, no, no." he chanted it like a mantra as though it would bring back the light that once shown in the small stone. "Kouji. You can't do this to me.. Come on Kouji. Don't." He said, not sure what he was trying to say.

– – – – – – – – –

'Later, Kouji!'

'I gotta go... You wanna come?'

'Want some lunch?'

'M-My name is Takuya Kanbara. What's yours?'

'Good bye, Kouji.'

'It's so bright.. I remember this.'

He was underwater. Next to him was the glowing green stone. No. It was in his hand. This was how he died. The stone was so warn in his cold hands. The hand holding the stone was grabbed. He saw the green light dim out as he felt himself pulled to the surface. He was staring at his fathers face. He seemed so relieved.

'Kouji!' he said, embracing him. His mom stood next to their father, crying in joy. Kouichi was looking past everyone.. And in his eyes Kouji saw it. Truth. This wasn't real. Kouji Minamoto died that day.

His father put him down and held his hand, leading him back to the house and leaving Kouichi standing on the dock.

'You know it's not right.' his brother's older voice echoed as though it were water. The world went black, lights shining over Kouji and his brother. He turned to look at Kouichi.

He heard something like water dripping.

'Kouji..' Kouichi smiled slightly and the sound of water dripping got faster, like more than one drop fell at a time.

'Kouji!'

'I'll never forget, Kouji.'

'Kouji. I'm so sorry.'

'It's alright, Kouji. It'll be over soon.'

Kouichi stood calmly as the lights dimmed.

'Do you know how it feels to drown?' he had an image of Kouichi looking up from the hospital bed and looking at him.

'I feel he's here.. I feel him.. Here.' Takuya held his hands to his chest, smiling serenely.

Kouji blinked, clearing the images and looking around. He now stood, 16, in the darkness. Kouichi was no where to be seen. But he didn't panic like he normally would have. He sighed and relaxed, smiling.

When you die with everything you wanted.. Is that when you feel whole? Or was that when you had the chance to get everything you wanted? Kouji laughed once.

"I don't wanna die. Nah." he said defiantly to the darkness. Something caught his eye and he looked down at his hand. The one Takuya held so tightly. He was holding that stupid green stone.

'I don't need some stupid stone..' he spat bitterly in his head, tossing the stone away. The stone hit the floor and burst, a bright light emitting from it. Kouji blocked his eyes from the light as he was overcome by the white light.

The dripping water was back, but it was falling on his forehead. Accompanied by sorrow filled sobs...


Onee-chan: and thus. Kouji has died again. My sister loves this story. And I have to ask if anyone's cried so far in this story.. My goal is to one day write a story so sad.. You'll run out of tears.. -evil laughter-