A/N: Again, please never follow Ikuya's example in this chapter, never go home with random strangers, even if they seem nice but anyway, this story is gonna take an unexpected turn in the next chapter because I decided I wanted to add more angst whilst I was writing this chapter, but don't worry, it will eventually have a happy ending, I'm just not done making little Ikuya suffer yet
It was nearing midnight as Natsuya and his parents continued driving around in an attempt to find Ikuya. They had asked everyone they had seen and had so far come out with nothing but prayers that he's okay.
"We need to find him, and we need to find out what's wrong. This has gone on too long already, I can't even begin to imagine how he's feeling..." Natsuya's mother said quietly, her voice shaking with every word
"Do you think this is my fault..?" Natsuya's voice was weak and rough from crying as he asked this
"Of course not! Why would you even think that?" His father asked, voice full of disbelief
"All of this started after I pushed him away! He won't even look at me, surely it has to be my fault!" Natsuya let his tears fall once more
"Natsuya, I promise this isn't your fault, that might've contributed to it but it's not purely your fault, there's plenty of other things that could be at fault. Besides, we didn't do a very good job at making sure he was alright so it's our fault as well." His mother turned to him, taking his cold hand in her own warm one, gripping it tightly as a form of reassurance
"We're going to find him and we're going to fix this, don't worry." His father's calming voice reassured as the silence returned
The park that Maya and Takashi led him to was quiet, which was not all that surprising considering it must've been nearing midnight however, Ikuya appreciated the quiet and the cool breeze which seemed to blow away all of his anxiety and sadness. He took a deep breath, releasing it after with a long sigh.
"Could you tell us what the argument with your brother was about? Then we can try and help you." Maya's soft voice asked the question Ikuya had been dreading
"I don't even know where to begin in all honesty..." Ikuya's voice was quiet as he spoke, pausing to try and decide how to explain
"Me and my brother were really close when we were younger but when he started high school, he pushed me away to make new friends. I...have always been bad at making friends so I spent most of my time alone and it led to me being unable to cope when there are too many people and now I panic pretty much every day at school. My brother was complaining about our team for the relay on the school's swim team and I kind of lost it and shouted at him for leaving me alone, then I kind of left and didn't tell him and I've ended up here." Ikuya explained, a sad expression painting his face.
"Have you told anyone about this panicking? Like another family member or a friend?" Takashi asked, leading the other two over to a bench to sit down. He gently placed a hand on Ikuya's knee as the boy responded
"No, you're the first people I've told. I don't want to worry people and besides, it's not like they care. I'm fine, I can deal with it on my own."
Takashi and Maya exchanged concerned glances that went unnoticed by Ikuya
"Ikuya, I know it's hard to believe and I know your mind must be telling you the opposite of what I'm about to say but I promise you, people do care, I'm sure your family and friends do care but just aren't good at showing it. Many people aren't good at showing how much they love and appreciate people until they're gone but I promise, they do care. Even your brother. Its understandable that you're hurt by your brother wanting to make new friends but you also need to accept that sometimes it happens, people leave with no explanation and often there's nothing you can do about it but it doesn't mean they don't care about you, sometimes it just means they needed to move on in order to help themselves." Maya finished, her hand stroking gently through Ikuya's hair.
Ikiya nodded gently, staying silent for a moment to let Maya's words sink in.
"I don't want him to be my best friend or anything...I just want him to remember I exist...He only seems to talk to me when he has to or when I've messed something up...I just want to be happy and not worry constantly...is that so much to ask...?" Ikuya's eyes filled with tears again
"Ikuya...I think the only way to fix this is if you talk to him...Come on, you're exhausted, we'll take you to the police station and have them call your parents." Takashi's soothing voice helped to calm the tears that were once again falling down Ikuya's face
"No!... Please, I don't want to go home...You can leave me here, I'll go home later..." Ikuya's eyes were filled with desperation as he glanced between the concerned looks covering both Maya and Takashi's faces
"Ikuya...Okay, you can stay with us for one night and then we are taking you to the police station and are taking you home, you're parents are going to be worried sick..." Takashi offered, moving to stand up, offering a hand for Ikuya to take.
"O...okay...If you're sure it's alright..?" Ikuya asked, taking Takashi's hand uncertainly. Maya gave him a reassuring smile before saying
"We'd much rather you stay with us and be safe than staying out here where anything could happen to you."
The three began to walk, Ikuya keeping his head down as Maya and Takashi occasionally asked him questions or tried to start a conversation. They reached a small block of flats where Maya led the way up to the second floor, taking out a key and unlocking the door, stepping out the way to let Takashi and Ikuya in first.
"Come on, we have a spare room, this way," Takashi explained, leading Ikuya into the room.
"Are you hungry Ikuya?" Maya called from what Ikuya presumed was the kitchen
"..Not really, but thank you for the offer..." Ikuya replied.
"If you change your mind, there's plenty of food in the kitchen, help yourself to whatever." Takashi smiled before continuing "If you need us, we're just in the room across the hall, okay?"
Ikuya nodded in response as Takashi left the room. He sat staring at the wall for a few minutes before deciding to try and get some sleep.
After around 2 hours of driving around, Natsuya's father turned to him and his mother with a sad smile
"I don't think we're going to find him, its best if we all go home." He explained
"No! We have to find him! I have to find him! This is my fault, I need to fix it! Please...I really need to fix it..." Natsuya's voice was desperate
"Natsuya, I'm sorry but we're just going to have to hope and let the police do their thing." His mother said tiredly, her voice rough from crying. Natsuya reluctantly agreed as his father turned the car around, beginning the drive home which held a significantly heavier atmosphere. There was no hope, their only chance of finding him was the police, and Natsuya had never been more terrified and regretful in his life...
Sleep didn't come easily for Ikuya that night. His head was filled with thoughts. Thoughts about his family, his own anxiety, Maya and Takashi's advice and so much more. It was around 3 in the morning that he began realising how worried people might be about him, causing his thoughts to begin spiraling out of control at a rapid pace. It took him another hour to calm himself down in order to make a decision on what to do. He quietly slipped on his shoes and made his way out of the spare room, hunting for a pen and a piece of paper. Once he found some paper and a pen, he began writing as fast as he could, scared of waking up Takashi or Maya
To Takashi and Maya,
Thank you for your help and for letting me stay here, by the time yo read this, I should be back at home, I'm going to walk home. I'm sorry for worrying you and my parents, family and friends but I'm going to try and fix it.
Once again, thank you for everything, your advice really made me think,
Ikuya.
He left the note on the table so that it was clearly visible and headed to the front door, turning the key and slipping out of the door quietly.