O.C. #2 : No no Jake. We like you. Out was just upset that no one else reviewed.
Chapter 7
Recap : Tommy reminisced, Kouji and Takuya spoke before starting to walk, and Kouichi revealed the kinda secret kinda not-happening relationship between Takuya and Kouji.
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Takuya and Kouji had been walking for a few hours now. It must've been at least 3 o'clock by now. Kouji had gone off into 'brood and muse land!'
'My fever seems to have gone down. So it can't be that I'm hallucinating or something. I'm sure Takuya keeps limping. We keep stopping every 30 minutes to an hour. I know it's good for me, but Takuya always seems out of breath.'
Takuya stumbled and leaned heavily on his walking stick.
'What's with the walking stick? He leans on it a lot. I know he's hurt but...exactly how hurt is he? I'm worried. He's being too quiet...Too serious...Something's wrong.'
"Ta-" he paused as Takuya tripped slightly and his right leg hit a tree on the side of the road.
"Ah!" the brunette screamed and fell to the ground, Kouji's eyes widened.
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"Guys...did you hear that?" Tommy asked, stopping in his walk.
Zoe, J.P., and Kouichi had stopped too and were looking around.
"Yea..." Zoe breathed out, as if afraid to make noise. The scream was still echoing around them.
"But where'd it come from?" J.P. asked, taking a step to one side and listening carefully.
Kouichi's stare was an intense one. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"This way." he turned and began walking off the side of the somewhat-trail they'd made.
"Kouichi!" the others began to follow him, out of concern and the need of a leader.
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Kouji kneeled down next to his...what was Takuya to him? He shook his head.
"Takuya?" he asked softly, receiving no answer except Takuya's pained breaths.
His dark blue eyes traveled along Takuya's body until he reached the right leg. Takuya's hands were holding it gently yet painfully. He carefully laid his hand on the lower leg, near the foot. Takuya hissed in pain and he retracted his hand.
"Takuya...I'm sorry." he apologized in advanced before prying the boy's hands from the leg and pulling up the pant leg.
Not allowed to hold his leg, Takuya latched on to Kouji's left shoulder. Kouji's eyes were shaking in what appeared to be fear of some sort as he saw the makeshift splint and bandaging on the entire lower leg, all the way up to the knee.
"Takuya..." a sudden force came over the younger twin as he began to rip Takuya's shirt off.
He saw that most of Takuya's body was bandaged, either with band-aids or gauze. Takuya was in even more pain from being so roughly handled, and was shaking now. Kouji traced his fingers over the bandages lightly, trying not to hurt the other boy further.
"Takuya...Why..." he whispered, tears springing to his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were so hurt?" he asked.
Takuya gave a weak smile, and it seemed he could barely hear what Kouji had said. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head. Then he fell back and landed on the earth beneath him.
"Takuya?" Kouji lifted Takuya's head a bit. "Takuya!" he could barely see through the tears.
He carefully put his right arm under Takuya's knees and his left arm under Takuya's neck, lifting him up. His crying was making his headache worse, but being sick wasn't as bad as being so injured it hurt to walk. Slowly, Kouji began to trek down the overgrown path, hopefully towards help.
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Kouichi paused.
"They were here." he motioned to the bandages on the ground.
"Takuya!" Zoe gasped. "I was right, he is hurt! See J.P.?" she turned to the older boy with fearful eyes. "It was him that yelled." she felt like she would cry.
"Don't worry Zoe. We'll find them." J.P. patted her softly on the back and hugged her. "Come on, let's keep going."
They kept walking and walking, faster and faster until it was almost a run. In this way, it didn't take them long to find Takuya's broken walking stick and the shirt Kouji had left behind.
"This is one of Kouji's shirts." Kouichi mused aloud, picking it up. "They may be close, come on...keep going!"
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"Takuya..." Kouji breathed out heavily. "My head hurts Takuya...really bad..."
Takuya remained motionless in his arms. Kouji smiled sadly at him.
"I suppose now isn't a good time..." he stumbled slightly in a pot-hole but kept walking. "To say...I love you...huh?" he felt the need to gasp for breath by this point, his headache he was sure had become the fever he'd had yesterday.
He stopped walking under the shade of a large tree. The blue haired teen laid against the harsh trunk and took a deep breath.
"If I keep walking...I think I'd drop you..." he whispered with a slight laugh. "I can't...go any farther..."
"Kouji!"
The voice sounded so far away...
"Kouji! Takuya!"
Kouji looked at the boy in his arms, who was still out. His head swivelled to the right, back the way they'd come. Blurry figures...So blurry...
'Guys?' he wondered vaguely, his head swimming. 'Takuya...It's ok now...They've found us...'
Kouichi skidded to a stop and fell to his knees next to his younger sibling.
"Kouji!" he called loudly.
Kouji was staring in his direction, eyes so cloudy they were white instead of blue. Kouichi placed a hand on his right shoulder and shook, but there was no response.
"Guys look...Takuya-" Zoe stopped herself.
"Oh man Taky...You did a number on yourself in that river..." J.P. muttered softly, looking sadly at the bandaging all over Takuya's upper body.
Tommy sat next to Takuya and began to cry. He was 9 years old once more. His temporary brother was hurt and he couldn't do anything about it. Zoe patted him on the back.
"Come on guys. For once, I'll act the oldest as I am, and say...We have to get them some help." J.P. took Takuya from Kouji's arms.
They were surprised when the unresponsive boy suddenly lashed out at them, trying to take Takuya back. When the attempt failed, Kouji fell back against the tree, eyes closed and breathing ragged.
Kouichi tapped his brother's shoulder before deeming his safe. He picked his brother up and carried him on his back. Kouji was unusually light, kinda like Tommy...
Wow, kinda short.