Chapter 6
Onee: ok. This chp is kinda... Kouichi tries some ideas to get Takuya to remember stuff. When I read it.. I don't think I portrayed it as well as I could have. Sorry.
– –
Kouichi ran outside when he felt the surge of power. Spotting Takuya on the ground, he rushed over.
'The branch was probably what Kouji broke this time.' Kouichi bent down by Takuya.
"Takuya?" he shook the boy slightly.
"Kou?" Takuya's eyes came back into focus. "K-Kouichi?" he stuttered.
"What happened?" the older twin looked at the charred end of the branch. It had snapped as though burnt off.
"Kouji.. He was yelling at me and then.. The tree branch snapped. I don't understand him. He's either ignoring me or biting my head off! I was only trying to help him and he.. He.. Hm.." Takuya paused. "Well, I don't really know what he did.." he shrugged.
Kouichi sighed. He placed a hand on Takuya's shoulder.
"I think you should know something." Kouichi began. Time to tell Takuya what his mother already knew.
"Huh?" Takuya stared blankly at Kouichi.
"Just listen.. And try to remember.." Kouichi picked a comfortable position to sit before he spoke.
– –-
'You and Kouji were friends about 10 years ago. Ah, don't try to interrupt, we have pictures to prove it... You two were inseparable. You knew when the other was lying and you could finish each others sentences.'
'Wow. That's hard to believe.'
'Didn't I tell you not to interrupt?'
'Sorry.'
'Anyway, things were going well for the both of you. Only about a year later Kouji started having some difficulty. His body would fall victim to surges of pain or brief sickness. You see, his magical abilities were evolving and so he was having some trouble keeping control.'
'I knew it!'
'Takuya! Anyway.. He realized what was going on and warned me. If you remember, like your mother does, Kouji started avoiding you.'
"Come on Kouichi! Where's Kouji?" Takuya asked, looking slightly angry.
"I told you, he's sick." Kouichi was sweating because Takuya was trying to make him crack under the pressure.
"That's what you said yesterday!" Takuya whined. "He didn't sound sick over the phone."
The subject dropped for a while when an ice cream truck decided to roll by. They sat on Takuya's front porch, licking away at their ice cream cones while Kouichi stole a glance at Kouji's bedroom window. Kouji watched them with a sort of longing in his eyes.
"Hey Kouichi.." Takuya spoke suddenly, sadly.
"Hm?" Sometimes Kouichi wondered why Takuya only called Kouji 'Kou' and not him.
"Is Kouji mad at me? Did I do something wrong?" he asked as he finished his ice cream. Even if he'd had some left, he wouldn't have had the appetite anymore.
"What? Of course not, why would you think that?" The ice cream slipped from Kouichi's hand and landed with a low splat on the porch steps.
"Well, if he's not sick... why else would he avoid me?. I mean..." tears welled up in Takuya's eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have told him the truth..sniff.. When he called me the other day.." He brought his hands up to wipe the tears away.
Kouichi could only try to comfort him while he cried and Kouji tore himself up, locked away in his bedroom.
'That night, you called Kouji. I heard him from our room when he spoke. He told you to stay away from him for a few days. Tried passing it off as a sickness. He tried to convince you he would be fine... but in the middle of talking, he collapsed to the floor. It didn't take you long to figure out what had happened. You didn't know the details.. Only that Kouji was in trouble..'
"Takuya.. Maybe you shouldn't come see me for a few days...no I'm alright, just a little sick..."
'Kouji, you don't sound sick.. Is this some weird sickness I've never even heard of?'
"Heh.. Maybe."
'You must be sick. You haven't called me 'Takuya' since we first met.'
"Ya. Sorry Taku. Don't worry.. I'll be fine. A little rest and I'll be..."
Kouichi heard the loud crash as his brother fell down, taking the phone stand, and other objects from the table, with him. He rushed into the hallway and too his brother's side.
"Kouji? Kouji are you alright? Kouji?" he rushed his words together but Takuya heard them.
'...Kouji...'
'Taking ideas and acting upon them was always your strong point. I told Kouji he should get a little air the next day and as soon as you saw him step outside, you swarmed us. You kept yelling and wanted to know what was wrong with him. I remember the tears you shed when he turned away from you.'
"Why wont you answer me, Kou! I'm just worried... I don't want you to get hurt..I.. I love you.." His hands were fists and tears stung his eyes. Kouji was being supported by Kouichi as though he couldn't walk.
Kouji didn't know how to respond. He didn't want Takuya to worry and yet he was. He didn't tell him the truth because he had hoped to avoid something like this. He was ashamed of being unable to control his own power and even more so in front of Takuya. His head turned away, not wanting to see the tears in his eyes.
"Kou.." he started. Kouichi nodded and they turned to go back inside. Takuya took a deep breath.
"KOUJI! IF THIS IS HOW MUCH I MEAN TO YOU, THEN I WISH I'D NEVER MET YOU!"
Kouji spun around, eyes wide. What? He stood frozen as time seemed to slow down. A light pole nearby snapped and fell over. It crashed between the two boys and glass filled the air that separated them. Takuya's eyes were wide in shock and his legs failed him. He fell to the grass and sat there.
"I.. I..." Kouji finally found his voice. That pole almost hit Takuya... and it was all his fault. If he'd just stayed away.. Stayed inside.. He wouldn't have gotten mixed up in this.. "I'm.."
The Kanbara's and Minamoto's both rushed out. All the neighbors and their kids paused to see. A child's scream and a light post all in 5 minutes. Miss Kanbara watched her husband lift Takuya away from the twins. Both looked horrified.
Tears were welling up in Kouji's eyes as he watched the light fizzle in the lamp. For some reason, she held no fear.. Nor anger.. Nothing against him for what he might have done to her son. The looked of pure fear and regret in his eyes had a hold of her.
Murmurs flew along the street and the Minamoto's tried leading their children away and inside. Kouji wrenched free and Kouichi still held his hand.
'If he'd just never met me.. He wouldn't have been hurt.. He'd never have.. Taken the risks..' Kouji sank to the ground and Kouichi sank with him. As the grass got closer a bright light encompassed the area.
The next morning, a moving van was in the front yard of the Minamoto's house. The Kanbara's watched as their things were loaded up and driven away. The family walked to the car and Takuya gasped at the two boys his age.
"Mommy, I didn't know they had kids." he said, tugging on his mother's skirt.
"Me either. And we were such good friends, too." she too was watching the children. One seemed so sad.
"I wonder if we'd have been good friends.." Takuya mused aloud as the family drove away.
"Hm.." was Mrs. Kanbara's only reply.
'So Kouji blamed himself for putting you in danger. After it all happened, only me and Kouji remembered anything. The lamp post was fixed as though it had never fallen and no one was any wiser.'
– – – – (This story is a little more complicated than Kouichi understands. heh heh.)
"So that's supposed to explain why I don't remember any of this?" Takuya asked. He did have slight recollections of these things.
"Ya.. Why?" Kouichi asked.
"Because your brother and me have nothing in common. There's no way we could be friends! Beside he said he hates me! Just before he ran off!" Takuya pouted and pointed in the direction Kouji went.
"But he doesn't hate you! He loves you!" Kouichi quickly covered his mouth. He'd forgotten to mention that Kouji and him had loved each other. Takuya seemed shocked... maybe this was a good time to fill in a blank. "That's why he's always so distant from everyone. He doesn't want it to happen again."
"He's been blaming himself his whole life and he's never, ever, stopped thinking about you. He'll randomly take out scrapbooks of us when we were young and remember games we used to play. I know for a fact that he doesn't actually remember anything from most of the books he reads because he's never actually reading them!" Kouichi had to knock some sense into Takuya.
If he could remember then maybe Kouji wouldn't have to be alone forever. Takuya could tell him he didn't blame him and he could finally stop blaming himself. His brother deserved that at least.
Something must have gotten through. Takuya suddenly seemed shocked and gasped. He held his forehead as though checking his own temperature. When he lowered his hand and made eye contact with Kouichi he seemed different.
"Takuya?" Kouichi asked. Takuya just nodded to himself.
"Kouji's in trouble.." he muttered but Kouichi heard him.
"Right. So I take it you remember everything?"
"Ya.. I guess so.." Takuya frowned at the ground.
"Then let's go." Kouichi smiled, pleased with his work.
– – – – – – – – – – –
Onee-chan: No. Takuya is not magic and suddenly knows Kouji's in trouble.. he's relating what just happened to 10 years ago.
Hope you like the ever evolving and confusing storyline.. maybe after it's over I'll take people questions and write a whole chp to answer them.. and then another chapter to write what happened in the past out so people get it.. maybe..
