(Klein's Point of view)

Klein walked down the empty hallways. It was quiet. He was all alone. Just the way he liked it. He had never been close to anyone, not even his parents, with the exception of Keith, his precious little brother who accepted him no matter what. Or so he thought anyways. Klein had no way of knowing what Keith truly thought of him, and he'd rather keep it that way. Keith acted like the role of a caring little brother, and that was enough to reassure him that his thoughts were genuine, unlike his parents. For as long as he knew, his mother, Junko, would always ignore him, and his father, Darius, would only so him compassion out of pity. To them, Klein was nothing more than a nuisance, and Klein had already accepted that fact. As he walked on, memories began to flow into his mind. Mentally, he looked through them carefully and picked out a memory he knew too well, the day he met his younger brother, Keith.

It was a bright summer day. Sunlight flooded through the living room windows, and Klein was waiting patiently next to the front door, excited to meet his new baby brother. Finally, the door swung open, and Klein's mother walked in with Keith sleeping peacefully in her arms. Klein's eyes lit up at the sight of his new brother, but something amazed him even more. Keith had fox ears and a tail, just like his mother. This was what his mother had always wanted, an offspring that inherited her traits and power. But that didn't mean she loved him any less, right?

Soon, Klein began to notice the changes. Ever since Keith's arrival, Klein's parent had been ignoring him more frequently. His father, who spent almost every minute of the day with him, progressively began to shift all his loving attention over to his brother, and his mother, who hardly had the time for him before, now would hardly ever look at him. Klein was alone. Klein tried to push the memory away, but somehow he couldn't find the strength to ignore it anymore. The image of his parents' back turned towards him kept surfacing back in his mind. Every moment he was alone, every moment he tried to get his parents' attention, it all hit him. And finally, he remembered a terrible, venomous emotion surface, envy. He had be incredibly envious of his brother, for all the love he received, for all the attention he was getting, for his special ears and tail which his mother cherished so much.

And one day, it finally broke Klein. Now, at the age of 4, Klein had had enough of his younger brother's existence. He wanted to special like him too. He wanted to be loved, to be treasured by his parents. But in order for that to happen, Keith had to disappear. So, on a cloudy winter day, Klein took Keith out into the nearby forest to play a game, a competition of some sort with the love of their parents' love as the prize. Klein didn't tell Keith this however. He only lead Keith further and further into the dark woods, where he used to play alone while Keith was busy playing with his parents. Klein could stand it no more. When they had reached the very heart of the forest, at a small clearing, Klein stopped and turned to Keith.

"Okay, Keith," he began, "We're going to play a game."

"A game?" Keith chimed in excitedly, "What kind of game?"

"It's a game I made up yesterday," Klein explained, "It's like hide and seek, but at night. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Huh?" Keith yelped, "That doesn't sound fun at all! I'm scared of the dark, Klein!"

"Aw, c'mon, scaredy cat. Don't be a baby," Klein taunted, "I'll tell you what, if you can find me, I'll do one thing you want without question. How about it."

"Um… okay!" Keith finally agreed.

And so, the sun sank over the horizon, and darkness flooded over the forest. It was time, time for Klein to get rid of Keith once and for all. Finally, in the pitch darkness, Klein told Keith to close his eyes and start counting, and the moment Keith began to count, Klein turned towards the direction of his house and began running away as quickly as he could, away from his idiot brother and towards a bright future full of love and attention. Klein knew the forest better than anyone in town, and as for Keith, he had never even stepped past their yard. There was no way Keith could find his way home. After all, he had always had someone to hold his hand, someone to guide him, to baby him. Now he was all alone. Just like Klein.

Klein stopped. He was nearly home, but his legs won't move. Standing alone on the street, Klein stood in the light of the street lights as the sky began to cry its bitter tears, tears for the loss of an innocent soul. Klein couldn't take the weight being dropped on him. Home was just a block away, but Klein couldn't move. He had to go back. He had to go back for his stupid brother. He did nothing wrong! I can't do that to him! Not even if I hate him! Thoughts fired rapidly through Klein's mind as tears began to run down his face, mixing with the pouring rain.

Stumbling through the woods, Klein ignored the cuts that were being made on his arms as he shielded himself from the sharp branched at jutted out from the trees. He fell and crashed on the grounds numerous times, bruising and cutting himself on the unforgiving ground, but finally he was back to the forest clearing. And there he was, his little brother sitting on the ground with his face buried in his knees, crying and wailing for his older brother. The sight cracked open Klein's frozen heart. It wasn't his fault. I can't let him be hurt like this. He isn't me. I'm me, and I'm a bad person. Klein quickly made his way over to Keith, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, Keith looked up and his eyes lit up like a thousand stars.

"Big brother!" Keith jumped into Klein's arms and let out let out a heartbreaking wail, "I was so scared, Klein! I thought I wouldn't be able to find you! I thought you left me! But you came back! You came back, and I found you!"

Klein couldn't stop crying. He didn't realized that by leaving Keith to die in the woods, he would've lost the one person who truly loved him.

"Let's go home," Klein said quietly.

The heartwarming moment soon faded as Klein's mind began to drift to the memory of the aftermath. As soon as Keith and Klein stepped into the house, Klein was faced with his mother's deathly glare. Even Keith was trembling, but he didn't go of his brother's hand.

"Klein, do you know how late it is?" his mother asked with venom in her voice, "Where did you take your brother?"

"J-Just out to play. We were at-"

Smack!

Klein stumbled backwards, letting go of Keith's hand, and falling onto the cold hard floor. Before Keith could come over to him, his father scooped him up into his arms and quickly got out of the way. Klein was alone again. He was to face his mother's wrath alone, just as he deserved. His mother summoned a magic circle before her with a hateful glare fixed right on him. Magic, huh? That was the worst punishment his mother could give him. She knew he was weak to magic. She knew it could kill him. She didn't care, and neither did he. Klein didn't care anymore. He just wanted it to be over with. An unloved child did not deserve to live. Klein closed his eyes and awaited his fate. However, his punishment was never received, because when he opened his eyes again he found a little boy standing between him and his mother, shielding him. Keith?

"Keith, what are you doing?" their mother asked, "Go with to daddy."

"N-No!" Keith answered stubbornly.

"Keith!"

"No!"

For the first time in his life, Klein looked up to his brother. Keith had a fire in his eyes. He was determined not to let his brother be hurt anymore. Finally, their mother yielded, dissolving the magic circle and turning away silently. All the while, their father watched passively from the side. And an instant later, the both of them disappeared down the halls towards the bedroom. Keith looked back down at Klein, and helped him up from the floor.

"Does it hurt?" Keith asked as Klein rubbed his left cheek where his mother had slapped him.

"No, I'm okay," Klein replied.

He really wasn't okay. He changed that day. After the incident, Klein realized that his anger wasn't for his brother, but rather his parents, the people who made him and abandoned him. And soon, his little seed of anger grew into hatred, the bitter resentment of a lonely child. Klein couldn't hold it in anymore. And in the empty hallway, Klein stood alone with bitter tears running down his face.