Chapter 8

For all of you who are wondering who Knight is.. you'll never guess it. Give up now. and You'll find out in the last two chapters. Which are the endings.. the Alternate one first and then the original ending. The Alternate one explains more so I'm posting it first. You're all going to bug out, scream Bloody Murder, and then yell at me for who it is. -smile-enjoy.

-- --

Takuya and the others were heading home the next day. Kouichi briefly explained what happened to his parents but the Kanbara's couldn't even get Takuya to speak.

"Takuya?" Mrs. Kanbara came into the room. Her son was sitting by the window watching rain.

"Takuya you can't stay like this forever." she sighed.

"Kouji did." The brunette protested.

"What?"

"Kouichi told me. You knew the whole time but never told me. I keep telling myself that if I had gotten there sooner, I could have saved him.. But I didn't know. And now he's gone.." he sounded so lifeless right now.

"Takuya, I.." she paused. "If I had told you, would you have believed me? I set up this vacation because I knew Kouji remembered and I hoped that by spending time together, you might remember and stop being so angry."

"But it doesn't matter anymore. I remembered and then Kouji went away." he lowered his gaze from the window. His mother put her arms around him.

"I'm sorry Takuya." Takuya turned and buried his face into his mother's shoulder. Even when you get older, your parents are still there to comfort you.

– – – – – –

Knight was sitting on a ridge just above Heimwood. He snickered as he looked at his hands.

"I can feel all his power flowing through me already!" he took a deep breath. What was one life to those people? They didn't understand.He laid down on the grass.

"Boy I'm bushed. I'll wreak havoc later." and, like magic, he instantly fell asleep.

– – – – – –

'Wow it's bright in here.'

Huh? Who was that?

'Sure is strange not being able to go anywhere or do anything.'

Was that Kouji?

'I wonder what Kou's doing.. Or Takuya..'

What were these random floating thoughts?

'I wonder how long it'll be before I'm completely absorbed..'

'Being like this sure makes you wonder a lot.' Kouji scoffed.

Kouji!

It echoed in the darkness of his mind.

– – – –

"Kouji!" Kouichi sprung up from his sleep. He was in Kouji's bed. So that was a dream?

"Kouichi?" Takuya rolled over, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Sorry Takuya...did I wake you up?"

"Nah. What were you dreaming?"

"Nothing."

"Liar. You screamed Kouji's name!" Kouichi sighed.

"I didn't dream anything.. It was more.. I was hearing. Kouji was thinking and I was just.. Hearing... hearing..?" Kouichi tilted his head toward the window for a second. Did he hear something now?

Muffled words that seemed to be so far away. They stopped momentarily and then he heard the soft mutters again. They didn't last long though.

"Did you hear that?" he asked as he strained to pick up those faint whispers again.

"Hm? Hear what?" Takuya strained his ears too but he didn't hear anything.

"Ah. Never mind. Must have been my imagination." Kouichi shook his head and laid down. "Go back to bed Takuya." Takuya pouted but complied.

Kouichi looked out the window and thought about the voice. Soft and so far away. It didn't sound like the person had been shouting so how had he heard it?

'You wonder... so much...'

Broken pieces of thought. Was he only catching pieces.. Or was the speaker actually breaking it apart?

'So hard.. So hard to imagine.. Those days.'

Kouichi strained his ears but heard nothing. He sighed and lay down. Things were so.. Different without Kouji. He closed his eyes to hide his tears.

'Kouji.. We're all here.. Waiting... come back.'

– – – – –

Takuya entered his house. It'd been so long since he'd last been in here. It seemed so empty right now.

"Takuya?" his father asked, walking in and seeing his son just standing before the stairs.

What was the point of denying it? With all these memories or without them... it didn't change anything. The more he tried to forget, the more he remembered of their childhood. The more he tried to block it all out.. The more it became apparent that..

Hidden below all that trash had been a little boy trying to speak. Those deep eyes that called out and pulled you in, they were pleading. He'd tried to block it all out and got lost in himself. He'd lived with this pain for 10 years...

'I don't want this pain..' Takuya cried, rushing up the stairs and digging through his stuff.

Even if he didn't remember it.. Even if he'd stopped seeing Kouji.. He must've gotten something from him.

'God Kouji. Don't say you erased everything.' Takuya took a deep breath to steady himself and began to look again. He didn't hear the footsteps walking up to his door and didn't notice his mother standing there.

"Takuya." her voice broke his silence. He spun around, heart pounding wildly. She smiled sweetly at him and held out a small box she'd hid behind her back. "This was all that was left after it happened." she explained.

Takuya took a deep breath and held it as he gentlytook it from his mothers hands. He muttered a soft thank you and she watched him as he sat down on the ground. He handled the box as though it were glass and lowered his head slightly as he calmed his beating heart.

The tape holding the box closed was pulled of in one fluid motion and soft hands opened the top.

'Come on, Taky. We'll put it all in here so it wont get lost!'

Takuya sighed and pulled out objects. Kouji's first present for Takuya, apairing of goggles. Takuya held it in his hands. Kouji insisted on putting it in this box so he'd never loose it. Kouji had explained that they'd keep the box forever and if they ever needed it or missed each other, they could look in this box.

The next thing in the box was a journal that Takuya didn't remember. He flipped quickly through it. Entries written in Kouji's handwriting ran through it's pages. Takuya stopped on the last page.

'A man named Knight tried to hurt him.. Because of me, Taky almost got hurt. He was bleeding and it's all my fault.

I fixed it all. No one will remember. The sleep overs, the games, the fun, the friends, me and Taky. It's all over. Gone. It's better this way. Now he's safe.'

Takuya looked up from the book. So Knight. The guy from the forest.. Takuya hadn't paid him much mind, but he knew the guy was there. That had to be Knight. Kouji erased his memories to save him?

Kouichi hadn't said anything about it. Of course, Kouji probably knew things even Kouichi didn't know. And Takuya remembered that day... when had he been bleeding?

That could only mean Kouji had seen something they hadn't. It might have even been an illusion.. Wait! That was it!

"Thanks mom!" Takuya slid into the hallway and hit the opposing wall. Without missing a beat, he ran to the phone and dialed.

"Hello, Minamoto residence." a voice replied.

"It's Takuya. Can I speak with Kouichi?"

"Of course." Mrs. Minamoto handed over the phone. On their visit to the mountains, only Takuya and his mother regained their memories. Takuya doubted the others would ever get their memory back, but it didn't matter. The Minamoto's knew Kouji to have run away. At least, that's what Kouichi had told them.

"Hey Takuya. You're speaking again?"

"No time for jokes, Kouichi. I think I figured something out."

– – – – (prepare to be confused as I switch scenes.)

Kouji hit the ground and groaned. That hurt. He pushed himself up and shook his head to clear it. He didn't remember falling at all. A scream echoed and he looked up.

Takuya was staring at him, horror in his eyes, that cut on his cheek. He rapidly grew into the Takuya Kouji knew today.

"Takuya?" he gasped. Takuya smiled and held out his hand. Kouji looked around himself. He wasn't inside Knight? Wasn't he absorbed? Now he was on the cliff overlooking the city in front of the forest.

"Come on, Kouji. It's all over." Takuya laughed at his clueless look. Kouji reached up and their fingers touched.

Kouji was blown backwards and hit a tree behind him. His eyes widened and he looked for Takuya.

Said boy was being held by Knight. Knight had him in a lock. His right arm went around Takuya's neck, the other held one of Takuya's hands behind his back.

"Takuya!" Kouji jumped up.

"Stay down, Kouji." Knight ordered and Kouji stopped, falling back to his knees.

"Kouji! What are you doing? Help me!" Takuya yelled. Kouji could only watch in horror.

"Kouji. You will be a part of me wether you like it or not.. And if this boy is standing in the way.."

"Don't hurt him!" Kouji tried growling it out. It came out as more of a whine.

"Watch and see how helpless you are." Knight smiled. "I always win." he muttered before a crack flooded Kouji's senses.

Takuya's eyes were wide and he fell to the ground, arms limp at his side. Kouji felt tears pouring down his cheeks. Takuya!

Kouji couldn't even speak. Takuya lay on the ground, head to the side, wide, fear filled eyes just staring at him. Death clouded his once lively eyes.

"Now Kouji.. It is time.. You've hurt enough people." Knight's voice was calm, almost comforting. Kouji nodded numbly and everything went white.

– –