sorry for the sudden flood of updates, but i switched to a laptop and while i was trying to get my internet connection, i got a lot of writing done.

anyway... yes, this is incest, as defined by "somebody kissing their brother".

uh... it will all be made clear(er). later.

also, yes, everybody is happy that syrus will live. maybe somebody else could go on with this story without him, but i just don't have the heart to kill him off. and leave jaden all alone. and drive zane to kill himself because it's his fault syrus died. and...

anyway, on with the story, i say! (and so does justice, so we'd better get on with it...)

"So what do you want to do?"

Syrus stared at him sadly. "I don't know, Jay. I should probably try to talk to him again, but... well..."

Jaden sighed heavily. "But he might do something worse to you next time."

The bluenette nodded. "Yeah, but I have to do something. I'm sick of him. I mean, he's my brother," he added hastily, "and I love him and everything--"

"Why?" Jaden snapped. "He practically dis-owns you, then when you try to talk to him, he... he--"

"Yeah, I know," Syrus interrupted. He leaned against Jaden and looked up at him. "But he's still my brother. That's what he said."

Jaden gritted his teeth.

"Does he think you don't know that or something?" he growled. "That isn't even helping his case. I mean, he is your brother. That just makes what he did worse."

Syrus frowned. He was still his brother, and he still loved him, as a brother. But Zane had been so certain that Jaden would leave him behind. And Jaden was so certain that Zane was a horrible person. Was he going to have to choose between his own brother and his best friend, or whatever Jaden was to him now? He felt like he was being torn in two.

"I know. But Jaden, he must have had a reason..."

"Why are you defending him, Sy? After everything he's done to you, after he told you that you were worthless, and that you didn't even deserve to be his brother? After he turned his back on you?"

Syrus hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Jaden, even if he doesn't love me back, I still love him." He paused. "As a brother, I mean. And he might not like me very much, but he still had a reason. He wouldn't do this just to torture me."

"Then what about ignoring you all this time? Acting as if the two of you weren't even related? Why did he do that, then? Are you saying that that didn't torture you?

"It hurt you a lot. I know it was torture on you. And not three hours ago, you tried to kill yourself, and it was because of him. He keeps hurting you, and you still love him." Jaden's expression softened a little, but his voice was still charged with the same fury, on a deeper scale. "He doesn't deserve a brother like you."

Syrus stared up at him, wide-eyed. This was the same person that only half an hour ago had been holding him so protectively, being so loving and kind to him. And now he was so enraged that he could hardly speak. And the one making him so angry was Zane.

The two people he loved the most... and they couldn't stand each other.

Zane was resentful and distrustful of Jaden. Absolutely no doubt in his mind that Jaden was going to break his brother's heart. And Jaden... so furious at nearly losing him, and he blamed Zane.

"Jaden..." Syrus said softly, hoping that, in his mood, his friend wouldn't lash out at him before he could think about it. He knew Jaden would never snap at him on purpose, but when he felt like this, and wasn't thinking clearly, who knew?

"Yeah?" He was almost surprised at how calm Jaden sounded. As if the sound of his voice had broken whatever hold Jaden's anger had had on him. As if he'd just snapped out of it, and he was the same person he'd been before he'd started ranting about Zane.

"I have to talk to him." Syrus sat up, but Jaden grabbed him by the sleeve of his blazer and puled him back until his shoulder-blades hit the edge of the bed frame.

"Remember what happened last time you tried that?" he replied. "If you think I'm letting you go back there by yourself, you're crazy."

"So I can't go?"

Jaden's expression was still serious, but Syrus could see that he kept the smirk off his face with some effort.

"I said you couldn't go back by yourself," he corrected. "That's why I'm going with you."

"Jaden, wait..." Syrus paused. How could be put this? Zane told me that I had to stop relying on you. If you go with me, he'll lose whatever respect for me he has left, if he hasn't already.

"Yeah, Syrus?"

The smaller boy sighed deeply.

"Nothing," he replied without conviction. "Let's go."