Restart, Rebirth, Remembrance

by isumi 'kivic

A hundred years after the chosen children's deaths, an immortal Kouichi began a chase of his past, as he guided the new chosen ones to solve a new problem. The resemblance was uncanny, though. Sequel of Gemini Star01's The Last. Brotherly love Kou1 2.

6. Past and Present

Title: Restart, Rebirth, Remembrance

Author: isumi'kivic'

Characters/Pairings: Kouji + Kouichi brotherly love, slight tiny bits of Takuya/Izumi. Hints of one-sided OC-Kouichi and OC/OC because it's necessary for the plot.

Rating: Gen, I swear I'm keeping it gen. –forces down the KouKou fangirl inside-

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and I don't own The Last, either. I'm just writing a fic out of another brilliant fic. This fic is a continuation of The Last by Gemini Star01, which means that you're required to read it before delving into this fic. It's an awesomely sad one-shot that you could find in her author page. And while you're at it, read her other amazing works, too.

Warnings: Possible OOC-ness, grammar errors, and for this chapter: flashbacks ahoy!

A/N: Late again, ugh. Sorry, I'm trying my best. Not going to make up excuses, but if you wanna know, my home internet died, which means I can only use it in campus. Had to wait until Monday to post this. That, and my year is planning this huge Sociology Urban Art Festival, in the midst of massive research, and guess what? I'm the event-planning division's coordinator. So yeah, updates would probably take a bit longer, but it shouldn't take more than two weeks top, promise.

Random thought: So I named my OCs similar to Takuya and the others to make it easier for people to remember, right? The other day I just thought: Tomoya is a good name, easier to remember than Tokiya, and it sounds closer to Tomoki, too. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT. :| I feel so much regret, I dunno.

Also, each chapter seems to get more and more insanely longer. ;A; I have no idea how that happened, sorry this is so long, guys. I swear I didn't mean to. Anyway, I'd be glad to know people are still reading, so please leave a review or two to tell me what you think.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Restart, Rebirth, Remembrance

A Digimon Frontier Fanfiction

Chapter Five: Past and Present

What Kouichi didn't understand was why their group dynamic seemed to grow even worse after the supposedly team-bonding trip to Odaiba Sea Amusement Park.

Kabuterimon was, naturally, a very dangerous enemy. Even more so when Lowemon noticed the almost impossible speed the Digimon used to fly around them, dodging their attacks and causing more damages to their surroundings. It was taking too long, Lowemon mused as he jumped out of Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker, taking time to analyze the sheer raw power behind the attack that seemed too powerful for a Kabuterimon. They were in a dense residential area, and the police would get here soon, and their presence would only make things more difficult.

"Everyone!" he shouted out, halting the other kids' movements as they turned their attention towards him. "Try steering him away from the houses and apartments, but be careful! We need to move before the police come!"

Wolfmon grunted his confirmation, and charged with his Licht Sieger to engage Kabuterimon in close-combat. He pressed, slashing through Kabuterimon's lightning attacks and pushing down onto the digimon's horn, trying to steer him away from the residential area. One particular powerful clash of his light sword with Kabuterimon's electric-charged horn pushed him back, making him stagger, just as a blur of red shot off past him.

"Salamander Break!"

A fire tornado visibly formed as Agunimon spun himself, attacking Kabuterimon with spinning kicks. Kabuterimon roared before speeding back, away from Agunimon, and charged his Electric Storm. Agunimon halted, gritting his teeth and swallowing back curses, then lunged again for another attack, this time Burning Salamander, just as Kabuterion released his Electro Shocker.

The two attacks clashed and exploded in the air.

"That idiot!" Wolfmon growled, and the corner of his eyes caught Lowemon and Fairymon leaping up towards the explosion, obviously intending to help the Warrior of Flame. Below, Chakkmon swiftly moved to put off the remnants of fire, keeping the battle area from damaging the residential area further. Way up there, Blitzmon had pushed Agunimon out of the explosion's blast, and was shouting at the Warrior of Flame about how careless he was.

Kabuterimon emerged from the smoke, blasting off electricity, and they all had to leap out of the way. Agunimon tried retaliating with Fire Darts, nearly hitting both Chakkmon and Lowemon in the chaos; and Wolfmon was quite fed up with it. He was about to charge towards his friend and give him a good punch, but Lowemon was already there, backing off Agunimon with the back of his staff. The sight sent a chill down Wolfmon's spine—he had never seen the usually gentle Warrior of Darkness looked so angry.

"What are you trying to do, Agunimon? Kill yourself and us all?"

Agunimon impatiently swatted the staff away. "Shut up, Lowemon, I know what I'm doing!"

And he did just that, blasting off another Burning Salamander towards Kabuterimon, who was engaged in a close-combat with Blitzmon. Fairymon swooped down just in time to push Blitzmon out of the way, and Agunimon's attack hit the enemy head on. It roared painfully, the data shimmering around its body, and Agunimon sent a smirk towards Lowemon before leaping off and scanned the data.

The battle ended with Chakkmon's soft mutter, "Just now... that could have hit Blitzmon… right?"

-o0o-

"Honestly, Taku," Kazuma frowned, obviously not liking the bruises his brother was sporting when he came home with Kouichi in tow. "Can you really fight? I'm sure you didn't have that much bruises the first time you fought a Digimon."

Takuma grinned. "It's a proof of a Hero, Kazu-nii."

Kazuma sighed, absently taking out the first aid kit. His eyes glided towards Kouichi, who seemed too silent since he stepped into the house—now that he thought about it, he didn't think he'd seen him talking to Takuma since both of them were home. Regardless, he set down the kit next to his brother and yanked Takuma's arm, ignoring the younger boy's yelp of pain.

"Do you need help?" Kouichi asked quietly from across the living room, looking a bit hesitant. Kazuma waved the offer away, but gestured Kouichi to sit down on the couch closer to them. Eyeing the younger boy he'd come to see as family member—he had difficulties looking at Kouichi as someone younger than him, though, perhaps because the boy was far mature than kids his age should be—he inquired back. "Were you hurt at all, Kouichi?"

The boy hesitated a little, then shook his head. "No, nothing serious. I've taken care of them." He moved, sitting down on the couch Kazuma gestured. Takuma made a noise at the back of his throat, and Kazuma was rather surprised when he realized it was meant for Kouichi.

"Kouichi wasn't at the front line, of course he won't be hurt that bad."

Kazuma raised an eyebrow, suspicion slowly rising. Were they fighting? He carefully applied some cream on Takuma's bruise, opting not to say anything. But it was Kouichi who narrowed his eyes and said with a clipped tone, "You were being very reckless, Takuma-kun."

Takuma shrugged. "So? We won."

"You could have hurt everyone, and yourself."

"Yeah well, at least I was doing something instead of just telling everyone what to do!" Takuma retorted, obviously not pleased with the chiding tone Kouichi used on him. "We got rid of that Kabuterimon in the end anyway, nothing turned out wrong didn't it?"

Kazuma paused, looking even more confused when he caught Kouichi's eyes turned cold, the corners of his lips curved downwards showing his displeasure at Takuma's attitude. "You're lucky Kouji hadn't had the time to punch the hell out of you. Did you even think what would happen if your attack had hit Kanpei instead?"

"It wouldn't! I didn't aimlessly throw attacks!"

"It could have, Takuma-kun! If Suzumi-san hadn't—"

"That's enough!" Kazuma closed the first aid kit with a loud clack, startling the arguing teens. He gave the two of them a stern look, before standing to put away the first aid kit. The room was silent the whole time; apparently the two younger teens had opted for an intense glaring match. Kazuma mentally sighed, preparing himself for another argument with his brother. As much as he believed and loved his brother, he also knew Kouichi had a reason for being that angry, and if his brother really was being reckless (and unfortunately he really could see that, proven with the increasing bruises, too), Kazuma needed to put a foot down on the matter to make sure Takuma wasn't putting himself in self-made danger.

"Taku," he began, admittedly a bit annoyed that his brother refused to break his glaring match with Kouichi. "Seriously, I think you shouldn't be so reckless. It's dangerous stuff you're doing, and…"

The younger Kawabara snapped his gaze back to his brother, looking angrier than before. "I was not being reckless! I did what I had to do—Kazu-nii you don't have the right to say anything! You weren't even there!"

Kazuma scowled. "I damn well have a right to say something about this if what Kouichi said was true. You're still a kid, Taku—"

"I'm not, and stop treating me like one!" Takuma rose to his feet, face colored deep red and he looked livid. "You want to stand by Kouichi? Fine, then don't talk to me!"

"Taku!"

Just like that, and the younger Kawabara stormed off the living room. About three seconds later, they heard a door slammed shut. Kouichi sighed audibly, seemingly resigning himself for a night on the couch. Takuma wouldn't bother to open the door even if he knocked. Kazuma's lips twitched in a tight smile, trying to reassure the younger boy.

"It's okay. He'll steam off before dinner and apologize to you later, I'm sure."

Kouichi gave a strained laugh.

His brother was such a kid sometimes, the elder Kawabara thought as he leaned back, frustration etched on his face. After several moments of silence, he glanced at Kouichi. The younger boy didn't seem to want to open a conversation, but there were so many things Kazuma wanted to know. He knew Kouichi would answer truthfully—and Kazuma didn't want to pry about unnecessary things anyway.

"Oi, Kouichi."

"Yes?"

"…." He could physically felt thoughts whirling in his head in vain attempts to be organized. There were many things he wanted to ask—about his brother, about how their group was doing—but in the end what came out of his mouth was a simple question, "Do you have any siblings?"

A long silence followed. Kazuma wondered if he'd just asked something he shouldn't, and was about to open his mouth to tell Kouichi not to think about it, when the answer came.

"I did."

Kazuma paused. He—did? Past tense... Oh shit. "…I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Kouichi shook his head, smiling wistfully. "He—well, it's been a long time ago."

"I see." And because the atmosphere didn't seem to turn bad, Kazuma continued, almost absent-mindedly. "What was he like?"

"Mmm.." Kouichi had drawn his feet up, hugging them close to his chest. "Lots of people said he was a cold jerk. Aloof and mysterious."

"Bet he had lots of girls fawning over him."

Kouichi chuckled. "I suppose. He was actually very sweet, though. He could get a little overbearing and overprotective sometimes, but then again so do I."

Kazuma tilted his head thoughtfully. "Sounds like you had a great relationship with your brother." Sighing again, he leaned back on the couch in a defeated manner. "I'm a bit envious."

Kouichi gave a soft smile. "You have a great relationship with Takuma-kun yourself don't you, Kazuma?"

"He's a total brat, though."

"He idolizes you." Kouichi paused, and chuckled. "You reminded me of my friend and his brother, back then. They fought a lot—he complained all the time and got angry so easily with his younger brother, but ended up protecting him anyway."

"…really." Kazuma couldn't help but laugh along. He swallowed back other curious questions—did you have other friends, why do you talk in past tense about them, how long ago was it exactly when you said back then, why do you act so much mature than other kids, why don't I feel like talking to a kid with you—instead throwing Kouichi a grateful look.

"Thanks, for taking care of Taku. If you need any help—"

Kouichi smiled. "You're one of the people I'd first go to for help, Kazuma."

The elder Kawabara grinned, pleased with the trust Kouichi had placed upon him.

-o0o-

Kouichi was taking a call. From Suzumi. Again.

Takuma scowled, mentally cursing his brother for buying Kouichi a cell phone. Suzumi had taken to call Kouichi more and more often, either to say hello or asking about unimportant things, and he did not like that. It sounded childish, to get angry at his friend because the girl he liked seemed to prefer his friend, but there was nothing he could do about it. If he was irritated, then he was irritated. End of story.

Intentionally stabbing the edge of his study table with a pen, Takuma tried to tune out Kouichi's small voice replying to whatever it was Suzumi was saying on the phone. Kouichi and he were in some kind of a truce after yesterday evening's fight—he hadn't exactly apologized, but he did say that he felt bad and it seemed good enough for Kouichi. It wasn't quite unfair, he knew, to unleash his anger at Kouichi. The guy was only trying to keep the group safe, thus his anger at Takuma's reckless acts, but Takuma didn't really have any other choice. Fighting all out was one of his only few good points; it had to be the only way to make Suzumi notice him.

At least he wasn't boasting about how popular he was at school like Kanpei had been doing lately. Not that he had enough popularity at school to tell tall-tales of, but he could see Kanpei wasn't impressing Suzumi much that way. Suzumi had liked Tokiya's brother, and Tokiya had told him that his brother was a cool person. So all he had to do to get Suzumi's attention is acting cool, right? Being a hero was cool—protecting his friends, albeit by doing slightly more rash actions, that should be fine, too, right? Nothing had gone wrong, and Takuma doubted it'd ever be. When he became Agunimon, the raw power that surged through his being was just that incredible, he felt invincible sometimes.

He had to show Suzumi how much stronger he could be, compared to Kouichi. That way, Suzumi would look at him.

He glanced at Kouichi again from the corner of his eyes—Kouichi was absentmindedly folding a crane while responding to Suzumi; really, it was Suzumi calling him of all people! If he were the one Suzumi called, he would be putting his whole attention to what she was saying, instead of folding some stupid cranes. He sniffed, turning back to his table and started carving random shapes onto the edge of it. This was getting boring, and he was getting more and more irritated. He needed to—oh, that was right.

He did have someone to talk to, albeit that someone being slightly harder to reach. There was no harm, though—he'd done this once before, in mere curiosity, and it had left him breathless and exhausted he's gone to sleep for nearly ten hours, but tomorrow was Sunday anyway. Kazuma always let him sleep past midday on Sunday.

So he concentrated, muting out Kouichi's gentle drone on the phone, closed his eyes and reached deep into himself.

There was Agunimon, as always, his presence warm though radiating off amusement and sympathy when Takuma passed him by. It wasn't Agunimon he wanted to reach though, so he probed deeper, trying to pinpoint the familiar spark of soul that surged out to guide him when he evolved. Takuya's soul was always bright and warm, reminding Takuma of sitting right next to the fireplace on snowy nights, and his presence literally exuded confidence and optimism. He wasn't hard to find.

'Really, you're going to be so exhausted, Takuma-kun!'

"Yeah, well. You said it yourself I could visit you anytime I want." His smile grew at the figure slowly materializing in the back of his eyelids. He could see Takuya now; not perfectly, still a bit hazy, because he hadn't yet mastered how to control the full power of the Digivice—how to utilize the access to the power of the two souls inside it, as Takuya once put it. The previous wielder of Spirit of Flame was grinning at him.

'True, true. We both need to figure out together how best to communicate without draining you.' There was amusement dancing on Takuya's eyes, and he put a hand behind his nape casually, obviously feigning innocence. 'So what's up?'

Takuma sniffed. "Yeah, act like you have no idea what's happening, Takuya-kun. I bet you had a good laugh all the while I was trying to tune Kouichi out—hey!" He burst out indignantly at Takuya's good-natured laugh, flustered. "You may have a good laugh, but don't laugh about that in front of me, geez!"

'Eeeh?' Takuya looked up, still laughing. 'But it's cute, you know. I like seeing people get jealous irrationally.'

"Shut up." Takuma resorted to sulking, and Takuya's soul practically glowed with mirth.

'Aaaww, Takuma-kun, it's not that bad. It's not like Kouichi really likes Suzumi, right?' the boy shifted to sit down crosslegged. 'Besides, you're doing it wrong. You're not gonna get anything out of acting reckless—well, not anything other than more bruises.'

Takuma groaned. "Ugh, don't you start, too." He paused, and looked at Takuya curiously. "What about you? How did you fight, when you wield the spirit of Flame?"

'Me?' Damn, now the other boy sounded smug. 'I was the leader, you know. Somehow.'

"Reeeally…"

The disbelief in his voice must have shown clearly, because Takuya straightened up to look at him square in the eyes, all seriousness and firm. 'Really. I didn't become a leader straight away; it took a lot of things to happen before I could really do what a leader was supposed to do. It wasn't about being the strongest in the team; it's about doing what's right for everyone.'

Takuma's lips thinned. "Are you saying that I'm can't be their leader?"

'The Spirit of Flame wouldn't have chosen you if you lack the ability to be a leader.' Takuya grinned. 'I think Kouichi knows that, and that's why he's giving you room to try things out in battles. But you're still learning—everyone's still learning. That's why you do those reckless things. You'll get the hang of it eventually, though. This is a necessary stage, I think.'

"…so you're not going to stop me from doing reckless things yourself? Even if you could literally take over my body and do it your way?"

'I don't really like dominating what originally isn't mine. It's your body. Besides, I've told you before, I'm just a remnant of Takuya's soul. I'm Takuya, but I'm not whole. I don't know about you, but I think it isn't really safe for a body to function without the whole soul—that's probably why you get so tired whenever I come out.' He paused, thoughtfully. 'Unless you're about to kill yourself or someone else, I'd rather not take over.'

"I know my limit. Kouichi's just freaking out over nothing. He frets all the time, you know."

'Hahaha. He's a natural mother hen, Takuma-kun. He can't help it.' The corners of Takuya's eyes were crinkling, and Takuma noted the touch of nostalgia in his voice. When the previous wielder's eyes opened, fiery brown eyes meeting Takuma's again, the gaze they held was that of a fondness. 'Kouichi is sometimes just too gentle for his own good.'

The current Spirit wielder couldn't hold back the curiosity sneaking into his next statement. "You sound like you've known him all your life."

This time, it was amusement shining in Takuya's eyes. 'Well, maybe I have?'

"Whatever, you guys are so weird." Takuma inwardly rolled his eyes. A comfortable silence fell upon them, and distinctly, the younger Kawabara could feel Agunimon's gentle presence watching over them; his flame an easy companionship, a promise of power to protect. For once, after what seemed like a very long time, Takuma felt content. Enough to finally raise a question he'd been hesitant to speak up: "Have you ever liked someone, Takuya-kun?"

Takuya's eyes positively danced. 'Sure I have. She dated someone else for months until I grew enough guts to ask her out.'

"That's lame." But Takuma's voice held an admiring tone.

'Well, you know. It's much like siblings relationship—love, that is. Trial and error.'[1] The previous spirit wielder halted so suddenly on his words as his face contorted into a frown. Takuma could see worry and fear etched faintly on his physiognomy, and the silence stretched on for moments, before Takuma felt the push.

"Wha—"

'You're seriously exhausting yourself. If you stay longer, you'll sleep like the dead for two days straight. Go back, Takuma-kun.'

"Eeeh? But I'm okay, here!" The push was growing stronger—Takuya was definitely trying to kick him out. Unfortunately, he was feeling stubborn today, so Takuma mentally willed himself to stay. It worked, at first, until he felt another force joining with Takuya's, trying to push him out.

Agunimon. Takuma groaned, feeling somewhat betrayed that the Spirit of Fire decided to aid Takuya, when it was him who currently wield the spirit.

"Fine, fine, I'll go." He resigned sulkily. Slowly, he fumbled to detach himself from their link, feeling himself slipping away and reaching back to the surface of his consciousness. Before he left completely, leaving the warmth that was Agunimon and the fiery determination that was Takuya, he paused, giving them a small smile.

"It's actually very nice to have someone to talk to this way. It's convenient."

He could see Takuya brightened. 'I won't be here forever, so don't get too used to it.'

And then Takuya's face blurred back into darkness, just as sheer exhaustion seeped his whole strength out of his body. Slumping forward onto the table, breath coming in short, soft pants, Takuma closed his eyes, focusing to even the rhythm of his breath. He could already hear Kouichi striding closer towards him—could actually feel the other boy emitting an atmosphere of worry, and for a second he felt a little bit guilty.

Kouichi was just worried, after all.

So yeah, a little bit guilty. Just a little bit. Because the fact that Suzumi paid so much attention to the dark-haired boy still pissed him off.

"Takuma-kun?"

"M'fine."

Kouichi was hesitating, Takuma could feel it.

"If you say so."

Takuma groaned, half in annoyance and half in fond exasperation.

-o0o-

Of all places, Kouichi didn't think he would spot Kouji at the temple ground he usually passed on his way home from the shopping district or the supermarket.

Kazuma had finally relented and let Kouichi took over the responsibility of grocery shopping by himself. Takuma had long ceased his habit to accompany the Spirit of Darkness' wielder everywhere just to make sure he wouldn't get lost and that he would know what to do with the advanced technology Kouichi seemed to always fumble with. It had been around three weeks since Kouichi started going back and forth to the shopping district by himself, and he was actually quite proud to be able to adapt fairly quickly with practically everything. The transportation system that had confused him at first such as the sky monorails and airbuses already felt like second nature now, and he'd been picking up more and more English faster than he'd ever been. It was kind of hard not to be when everyone around him often used English in every day conversations, much unlike his days more than a hundred years ago.

The downside of everything was, he was starting to miss the world that he knew. The world of a hundred years ago. He supposed it was why he kept stopping by the little shrines and temple grounds, because those buildings seemed ageless. Sure, there were still touches of new, advanced technologies even in the corners of shrines and temples, but they were noticeably way fewer than anywhere else. He especially liked temple grounds—most temples had shrunk now due to lack of space, but some temple grounds had remained, complete with the huge, old cherry blossom trees and vast graveyard (that seemed to be rapidly filled up as years gone by anyway, Kouichi had noted when he absently stared at the different dates and years etched on the stones and woods). He liked being there, wasting time watching the old, seemingly ageless buildings still standing strong. It reminded him of a lot of things back in his own time, soothing the sense of homesickness a little.

The jinja[2] he'd often stop by on his way home from the shopping district was fairly deserted; it was a corner of the city that was almost forgotten, standing strong amongst the tall apartment buildings surrounding it. Located on a hill with old, chipped stairs, it hadn't attracted many visitors, but Kouichi had met several people when he was there, all looking for some kind of reverie from the hectic and rushed urban life. He'd met the priest there once—an old, gentle-looking but actually rather stubborn man—who told him that the jinja would actually be full of people at times like Hatsumode, hanami, or obon[3] and summer festivals. He'd spend some time there, thinking or reminiscing, or simply reaching deep into himself to feel the warmth and comfort of Lowemon. Once or twice, he'd even go and write his wishes on the ema[4], and get his fortune by looking at omikuji[5]. It wasn't that he was a religious person—he hadn't ever been—but the ritual oddly comforted him. It was something he knew since a long time ago; something he'd once done with his Kouji, something his mother had once taught him when he was little, something Takuya and the others used to be excited about.

Meeting Minashiro Kouji there was a surprise. Not only because he knew Kouji lived rather far from the jinja, but also because the boy was sprawled under a tree, a cat in his hold as a little girl who looked like she was about to cry stood close, fretting. Kouji's face was tight, as though he was fighting off a grimace that was threatening to break his composure.

"Gomen ne, Oniichan…"[6] the girl was positively sobbing, droplets of clear crystals running down the curve of her chubby cheeks as she babbled out apologies. "It's my fault, and oh, Shirotan was being bad and that's my fault, too… waaaah!"

It was rather funny, to watch Kouji's face torn between pain and awkwardness of not knowing what to do. Obviously he had no experience in handling a crying little girl. Kouichi, on the other hand, had more than enough experience being Uncle Kou (and really, the girl kind of reminded him of Aki) and dealing with little kids. So he calmly went towards them, putting a hand on the little girl's shoulder gently as he asked, "What's happening?"

Both Kouji and the little girl looked up, but Kouji was the one who seemed obviously surprised. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Kouichi shrugged, raising up the hand holding the grocery bag. "I stopped by here whenever I can. That should be my question."

The girl's eyes flitted from Kouichi to Kouji, for a moment looking awestruck. Large burgundy eyes examined Kouichi's form from head to toe, then fell back to Kouji before the owner's expression changed into one of an astonishment; a shade of enthusiastic red spreading on her cheeks as her eyes widened, tears forgotten for a moment.

"You're twins!" she exclaimed, awed. "This is my first time seeing twins other than in TV!"

Kouichi visibly flinched, but he caught Kouji's shift nonetheless. It was the usual movement of crossing his arms, creating a barrier between himself and the world. Ignoring the sudden burst of pain welling in his chest, Kouichi forced a smile, and lowered himself to his knees to look at the girl straight in the eyes.

"We're not twins. He's a friend of mine, we just happened to look alike." His smile turned somewhat sad at the disappointed face the girl made. If his Kouji had been there, this girl would surely grin in excitement at seeing twins for the first time in her young life. But Minashiro Kouji wasn't his Kouji, and he can never replace his brother even if Minashiro Kouji was practically an exact copy of his Kouji. Swallowing the sudden tightness in his throat, he tried glancing at Kouji to see how he would react, but Kouji was staring at the ground, oddly looking thoughtful.

Back to the problem at hand, then. "So what happened? Why did you cry?"

"Oh!" The girl, reminded of her problem before her previous excitement, once again made an expression that was dangerously close to sobbing. "I—my cat was up there on the tree, and Oniichan here was helping me, but then Oniichan fell down and I think he's hurt. Please, please help this Oniichan, please? I'll help, too, I'll call my mom, I promise! I'll be good!"

Oh. That explained the tight face Kouji was making—he was probably fighting off pain. Concerned, Kouichi turned towards the long-haired boy, noticing how one of his hands had wandered down to clutch on one ankle while the other was still holding the cat. He deftly plucked the cat from Kouji's hold, giving it back to the little girl, and gently patted her head along doing so. "It's alright; I'll take care of this Oniichan now, okay? You can go home, so you won't make your mom worried."

"But—" the little girl hesitated, and Kouichi couldn't help but laugh. It was nice to see a girl at such young age feeling a sense of responsibility and concern over someone who was injured. He let his fingers fussed over the crooked little bow adorning her head, nodding reassuringly.

"It'll be fine. I'll meet you here tomorrow and I'll let you know how this Oniichan is doing, okay?"

Just like that, and she brightened. "Okay!" Facing Kouji, she bowed low, expression so grateful like Kouji had just saved a million lives. "Oniichan, thank you for saving Shirotan! I promise I'll take care of her real careful this time!"

And then she was gone, ushered by Kouichi's reassuring smile and Kouji's absent wave.

They were alone, just the two of them, again. The tension that Kouichi had grown familiar with whenever he was alone with Kouji hung between them, thick and uncut. He could feel Kouji's eyes intent on his figure, as if trying to unravel something secretly etched inside Kouichi. Purposefully averting his eyes and focusing at the sight of the now swelling ankle, Kouichi tentatively poked the injury. He was instantly rewarded with a sharp hiss.

"We're going to need some ice," Kouichi said, nodding to himself while still averting Kouji's gaze. "Where do you live, Kouji?"

"My grandma's house is close from here. I was visiting—my Mother's there too."

"Right." Kouichi shoved the grocery bag he held into Kouji's arms, turning around to offer his back. "Come on, I'll take you home."

The glare Kouji gave him was a mix of uncertainty, embarrassment and indignity—it was something Kouichi hadn't seen for so long, something he'd missed seeing in his brother's face so badly that he couldn't help but laugh, albeit a little bitterly.

-o0o-

Kouichi's back was, unexpectedly, strong. And warm. Okay, maybe Kouji was just getting too comfortable, but to be honest he hadn't expected Kouichi to be able to give him a piggyback ride, all the way to his grandmother's house. The boy was built too lean, his body was slender like a girl's, with limbs that looked rather fragile compared to Kouji's muscled ones (thanks to all the trainings he had to keep up with in taking kendo, of course). If it were Kouichi who had long hair, Kouji was sure he would often be mistaken as a girl.

But now the Spirit of Darkness' wielder was carrying Kouji on his back, his shoes making a staccato rhythm steadily as they hit the pavements. He stopped once in a while to balance Kouji on his back, then continue as if Kouji hadn't weighed a pound. The long-haired boy kept his silence except to give directions, but to be honest, he really was getting a bit too comfortable. Kouichi's back was warm, and his hands supporting Kouji's legs felt reassuring—almost like a promise that he wouldn't let Kouji fall.

It felt—oddly safe.

-o0o-

"I'm fine, Kouji, it's nothing." Again, a pair of stubborn eyes the same exact color as his looking up, determined to refuse his help. "I can walk."

"You twisted your ankle." He watched his brother's attempt to stand up, only for it to result in his brother's face turning into a grimace and his leg gave way for his bum to hit the ground. Exasperated, he groaned, turning around to offer his back. "Come on, Niisan, don't be so stubborn. Here, climb on."

Eyes obscured by dark fringe—his brother's hair was getting longer, Kouji should convince him to cut it soon—the older twin mumbled, "Why am I always the one troubling you?"

He paused, throwing an incredulous look. "Since when are you troubling me?"

They exchanged smiles, and his brother relented, climbing on his back. Like his brother hadn't weighed a pound, Kouji carried him home.

-o0o-

"Hey—" he spoke up even before he realized it; probably because his mind was reeling. It always did whenever those flashbacks assaulted him. He didn't even know what they were; premonitions? Memories? Of what? And who? "—shouldn't I be the one carrying you on my back?"

He could feel Kouichi stiffen. "Wh—what?" They'd halted; and Kouji noticed that his grandmother's house was just on the next corner. Silence reigned again, for several seconds, and Kouichi muttered then, "You're the one injured."

"… yeah I am." Closing his eyes, Kouji tried to stop what felt like whirlwind in his head. "The house just around the corner—with the black gate."

"That's your grandma's?"

"Yeah."

His stepmother almost freaked out when she saw them; understandably, because Kouji was hurt, but Kouji knew there was another reason his stepmother had frozen still for a minute right just as Kouichi showed up on their doorstep—something that had to do with how much alike Kouichi and Kouji was. Kouichi kept carrying him until they reached the bathroom, where his grandmother kept the first aid kit, and gave Kouji an uncertain smile before Kouji closed the bathroom door before him.

The pristine white floor under his feet felt indescribably cold.

Limping towards the bathroom cabinet, Kouji pulled out the first aid kit, trying to find the cream his mother used whenever any of the family members sprained an ankle. He sighed, sparing a glance to his surrounding—the small bathtub, the shower, the mirror. His hair was almost undone; the hair tie hanging threateningly from the edge of his ponytail. Irritated, he yanked it loose, letting his hair down for a moment before swiftly tying them again, tightly. Catching his reflection on the mirror, he paused.

Midnight-colored eyes, with the same dark shade of hair. Even their faces looked the same.

He hadn't really noticed how much alike he and Kouichi was until he really looked at his reflection in the mirror just now. Limping towards the mirror, he studied his figure closer—their built weren't that much different, Kouichi was perhaps a bit more slender, but that was because Kouji had kendo and built more muscles. Their eyes and hair were exactly the same color, and if Kouji were to cut his hair exactly the same style and length as Kouichi, no one could probably tell who was who.

Like twins, his mind prompted; a flash of the little girl's words and excitement blinked before his eyes.

Like twins. But he hadn't had one. He should have had one, or so his father had repeatedly told him (blaming him, he was sure), but that was a story he hated the most, a story that hurt his stepmother a thousand times too many, a story he wished he would never hear again in his life.

But Kouichi was just a random person coming out of nowhere, asking him to fight and tying him to the fate of the Digital World. Kouji made an irritated sound—since when did Kouichi start to appear in his flashbacks? He'd had them for years, long before the whole Digital World ordeal started, but they had never been near as vivid as they were now. He'd taken to think of them as figments of his imaginations, of how would his life be if he hadn't been born alone, or perhaps a punishment because he stayed alive while…

No. He didn't want to think about that. Being alive wasn't a sin, wasn't that his stepmother said a long time ago?

His fist clenched, questions whirling in his mind, an unseen storm that made him unreasonably bothered. When he got bothered, he got mad. Annoyed. He never liked any kind of turbulence in his life, and definitely didn't like the way Kouichi kept turning up in his mind thanks to those goddamned flashbacks. It wasn't like he hated the boy—no, he was actually more annoyed because he got confused with everything that had been happening to him. Only to him, he knew, because he'd asked Takuma and the others casually about flashbacks and none of them seemed to ever experience it. And God helped him, he had absolutely zero idea how to deal with this.

It wasn't like he could ask Kouichi about it. What would he say; oi, Kouichi, I've been having some kind of flashbacks for years, but lately it got vivid and you were always in them, turning up as my twin brother, so why don't you explain to me what this is all about or I'm seriously going insane?

He couldn't help it, feeling the tell-tale of anger and annoyance whenever he saw Kouichi. There was just—something not quite right at the way Kouichi act. Sometimes Kouji would have no problem at all about him, when the short-haired boy was laughing along with the others and seemed to be happy. But often times, when Kouichi wore that look—the one that seemed to speak a million stories about pain and loneliness and bitterness—or when the corners of his mouth twitched into a little smile Kouji couldn't bear to watch because it looked so sad, or when he started to make gestures that distanced himself from practically the whole world; Kouji would find himself unreasonably worried. Because it was unreasonable, it made him confused. And when he was confused, he tended to get angry more easily.

Kouichi was probably too used to see him getting angry by now.

-o0o-

"Seriously, Kouji," his brother scolded gently, eyebrows furrowed both in concern and in exasperation. "You didn't have to yell at her. She was just five."

His glare, previously directed at the now sobbing five-year-old girl they were babysitting for the afternoon, softened when he turned to his brother, but his voice still held the irritated tone, "Doesn't anyone in her family tell her that it's dangerous to climb trees that tall? She could have broken some bones if she'd fallen from up there!"

"She's just curious. There are older boys around here who like to climb this tree, and she must have seen them a lot of times," his brother scooped the crying girl into his arms, petting her head like she was some kind of precious living doll in an attempt to calm her down. He sent Kouji an amused look. "I know you're worried about her, but don't yell. She doesn't understand yet."

"I—" he averted his brother's eyes, fighting the heat rushing to his face. His brother could always read him like an open book. "I wasn't worried. I was—I don't ever babysit, you know, I have no idea what to do if she'd fallen!"

At the sight of his brother dissolving into uncontrollable chuckles, Kouji's could feel his own frown deepening. He had been rather scared to see that little girl up on such a high tree, and really, he hadn't known what to do except to climb after the girl and snatched her, all the while yelling at the stupidity until he set her back on the ground. He was about to yell some more when the girl started crying—why the hell did she start crying anyway?—when his brother came up and scolded him. What was so funny about it?

"Really," a hand came up to ruffle his hair affectionately, messing up his bandanna in the process, and Kouji's frown slipped. He couldn't ever stay mad at his brother, could he? "You get angry so easily whenever you're confused. Temper, Otouto-kun, temper."

He chose not to retort on that, but instead let his brother mussed up his hair some more, watching the little girl's sobs gradually subsided. Then his brother looked at him in the eyes, and simply grinned happily.

It was blinding.

"Let's go get some ice cream, Kouji."

-o0o-

"Thank you for bringing him home," a mug of hot cocoa was placed before him, and Kouichi smiled politely before curling his fingers around the mug, feeling the warmth seeping into his almost frozen fingers. It had started snowing outside, though according to the weather forecast he'd caught this morning, it wouldn't grow into a storm.

Kouji's mother was rather young—younger than Kouichi remembered Satome-san was back when his Kouji first asked him to meet his stepmother. She had tender dark eyes the color of onyx stones, a kind, patient smile that reminded Kouichi of gentle nurses in the hospital, a slightly crooked nose that somewhat accentuated her sharp, high cheekbones; all framed by long, straight, silky curtains of dark brown hair. She was pretty—the way young mothers were pretty, Kouichi mused—but he could already see tired lines adorning the corners of her eyes and her forehead.

"It's no trouble. We're friends after all." Kouichi sipped the hot cocoa after Kouji's mother gestured for him to drink up. He should be going soon, Kazuma was expecting the groceries, but he didn't want to go home without knowing if Kouji would be okay. If he wasn't okay, then the next time a Digimon attacked, Kouichi wouldn't want to send him into battle.

Kouji's mother smiled. "I'm glad. That boy… is rather closed off. I'm afraid he doesn't make a lot of friends." Shaking her head, she chuckled. "He's never brought any of his friends home before."

"He's a good kid," Kouji's grandmother piped up from her place on the couch in front of the TV. "He's just naturally awkward. Doesn't know much about people and how to interact with them, see."

"I noticed," there, Kouichi had to force a smile. Odd, it felt like he was discussing his Kouji, not Minashiro Kouji. Why did the two of them have to be so disturbingly similar anyway?

"You're a good kid, too, Kimura-kun," Kouji's mother said, dark eyes imploring with unrestrained happiness. "I might not be his birth mother, but I've taken care of him since he was this little—" she gestured to her waist, indicating Kouji's height when he was little. "—and I love him like he was my own kid. I worry so much about him."

Kouichi paused in sipping his hot cocoa, rather surprised. Minashiro-san wasn't Kouji's birth mother. He shifted, awkwardly—another odd similarity between his Kouji and Minashiro Kouji. Was fate playing with him? Unsure how to respond to Kouji's mother's previous statement, Kouichi simply nodded. Minashiro-san seemed to assume that he and Kouji were the best of friends, and think Kouichi knew about her not being Kouji's real mother, anyway, so there was nothing he could do about it.

But the young mother seemed to take his nod as a cue to speak more. "And he's never been close with his father, either. Now don't get me wrong, dear, but his father is a good man. Responsible, really. He's just—a little bit unstable, sometimes."

"Unstable?" Kouichi's eyebrows rose. It was a word he never liked—a word that always made him picture something on an edge, wobbling dangerously as it tried to balance itself.

Minashiro-san nodded, sipping her own hot cocoa. "When he's stressed out, he goes out to drink a lot. Kouji hates it when his father gets home drunk—I can't say that his father treats him right when he's drunk—"

Kouichi started. "Wait—he doesn't… beat him, does he? Or you, Minashiro-san?"

The smile directed at him told him he was being silly, but it couldn't hide the wistful expression Minashiro-san was making, either. "Of course not. No, his father would never raise a hand towards us. He's a good person, Kimura-kun, don't misunderstand." She paused, and when she continued, his voice took on a rueful note. "It's just—whenever he gets drunk, he would tell Kouji over and over about how his real mother died giving birth to him." She sighed sadly. "And then he would tell Kouji about his twin."

Kouichi's entire being froze.

"…twin…?" he echoed, almost dazed.

"Ah, Kouji hasn't told you yet? Well, it's a rather sensitive issue to him, so I can understand."

"I thought.." his voice grew smaller, and his hands were shaking. Lady Fate really was playing with him, wasn't she? "I thought he's an only child…"

Minashiro-san smiled again, this time with a touch of bitterness. "He is. His twin was never born. You see, Kouji's mother was very frail. Her pregnancy was never smooth—one of the fetuses died before the pregnancy entered the fourth month, and she died giving birth to Kouji."

"A good man," Kouji's grandmother sniffed from her seat, but Kouichi could barely comprehend her over the whirlwind in his mind. "That son of mine is stuck in the past; marrying Mia-chan just so Kouji could have a mother. At this rate, he's going to destroy his own life."

"Don't say that, Mother," Minashiro-san murmured, and Kouichi could have sworn he saw her eyes turned misty. "I'm glad he married me, I'm glad to take care of Kouji. I just—hope he doesn't keep telling us stories of his late wife and unborn son. I think Kouji blames himself for being the only one alive." She turned to Kouichi, then, and Kouichi had to force his mind to still—don't think about it, don't think about anything yet, just be quiet, don't think don't think don't think—and she smiled, looking so grateful Kouichi felt a little guilty.

"That's why I'm really glad you've become his friend, Kimura-kun."

Kouichi swallowed, opening his mouth to say something—anything—but found words escaping him. That was exactly when another voice joined from the hallway, this time with a touch of anger, almost growling, "He's not a friend."

Both Kouichi and Minashiro-san startled, turning to see Kouji leaning on the door to the kitchen. Kouichi shivered—Kouji looked positively livid, and his words just now had hurt more than he expected. The other boy was glaring daggers as he limped a little towards them. Minashiro-san seemed confused.

"You're telling him unnecessary things, Mom." He didn't take his eyes off Kouichi even as he said that, eyes narrowing threateningly. Kouichi refused to blink, either, but his mind had turned into chaos and he couldn't understand what was going on, and couldn't make sense of what he was thinking either. He opened his mouth, finding nothing coming out, and closed them again. His head was reeling, and the only thing he could comprehend was Kouji's glare.

"Go home." Those two words sent chills through Kouichi's very being.

"Kouji!" Minashiro-san protested, obviously not pleased that her son was being impolite. But Kouji didn't budge, instead intensifying his glare until Kouichi moved—almost like a doll—and rose to his feet. Minashiro-san scrambled to her feet, too, panicking. "Ah, Kimura-kun, please. It's okay, you don't have to leave."

"No, he's going to leave. " Kouji really growled this time. Dazed, Kouichi didn't move for a moment, just staying still to look into Kouji's eyes, recognizing something underneath the fury. Confusion, he realized, feeling something clicked into place in his mind. Confused. Minashiro Kouji was confused, and that was why he burst out in anger. But why? And why did it come so easy, to read Kouji like that?

This wasn't his Kouji. His Kouji was long gone.

The question left his mouth before he could even think about it. "Why are you so angry?"

"Because it's none of your damn business!"

"Kouji!" that was his grandmother, and her stern tone snapped Kouichi out of his daze. He straightened, and before Kouji's grandmother could continue to scold him, he grabbed his groceries and bowed at Minashiro-san, politely.

"Thank you for the drinks. I—I'll be on my way." His voice shook, and he hated it. His hands were shaking, too, so he clenched them, willing the storm in his head to just stop—just stop, for a moment, at least until he could get out of here, away from someone who looked exactly like his long gone twin brother, who acted exactly like him, who also had a twin but died before birth. He tried keeping his steps steady, smiling reassuringly at Kouji's family that it was really fine, that he needed to be on his way anyway—Kazuma needed the groceries—but he knew he was walking faster than his usual speed, as if he was trying to run, to escape, to—

Kouji's eyes hadn't left him until the door closed behind him.

Kouichi laughed, as his feet started running in abandon, feeling something bubbling up his chest. He didn't know what to make of it—it felt like his mind was going to explode from overload of information and emotions. The winter wind was freezing, and the snow kept falling lightly to the ground, covering everything in white, and it was cold, unbearably so, but Kouichi thought most of the cold came from the core of his being.

That night, he took out his late mother's pillow out of his backpack, took Kouji's bandanna off his arm, and clutched the two items to sleep. They still smelt a little of smoke—Kouichi wondered if the smell would ever be gone—and he quietly cried when he realized he couldn't smell his mother and Kouji's scent anymore.

He didn't dream of Kouji or his mother or Takuya and the others that night. Instead it was Lowemon, giving him a sad smile, and no matter how Kouichi stretched out his hand, he couldn't ever reach the Warrior of Darkness.

He woke up with tears streaming down his cheeks, feeling unbearably lonely.

-o0oendofchapterfiveo0o-

A/N: Dammit I love Kazuma so much. ;A; I'm sorry for his unexpected domination of scene, guys, I didn't even realize it, but I enjoy writing him so much. I like his interactions with Kouichi, so… yeah, not an excuse, I know. Sorry. And the Takuya-Takuma interaction was so not supposed to come up, but it came up anyway and it got so long. Sorry.

Um, right. Glossary?

[1] This line is actually some kind of reverse of Takuya's line, directly from… episode 33? I think. In a scene where Kouji was confused of how to deal with a twin that suddenly came out of the blue, Takuya and the others came in and reassurance. Takuya then said that siblings relationship is a little like love; in which Junpei added "Trial and error, right?" and Takuya went "Yeah, yeah, trial and error!". Something like that. It's a line I've been so amused of for so long. xD

[2] Jinja is shrines/temples of Shinto religion. From what I learned in class, Japan's religion system is rather unique—most of them combine Shinto and Buddhism together; so there are two kinds of temples: jinja is Shinto temples, and tera is Buddhist temples.

[3] Hatsumode: A ritual where Japanese go to the temple in New Year's Eve, usually midnight, to celebrate New Year and pray for good luck next year. Hanami: a tradition of watching sakura blossoms. Obon: A huge festival to respect the dead.

[4] Ema: a block of wood for people to write their wishes on, and then hangs on the provided place.

[5] Omikuji: A long strip of paper containing someone's fortune you can take in temples.

[6] "Gomen ne, Oniichan…" : "I'm sorry, Big Brother."

Also, most of you probably already knows but just in case: Oniichan, Oniisama, Niichan, Niisan, "insertnamehere"-nii—all of those are variations on calling someone 'big brother'. Replace those 'nii' part with 'nee', and you'll get 'big sister'. There are several more but I won't be using those, I think (Aniki, Aniue, Anego, Aneue—those are rather formal and distant :|). Otouto is little brother. :'D

Lastly, writing Kouji's POV is fun, but I don't think I have a good grasp on his character so forgive me if he seems OOC. Or any other characters in that regards. ;A; Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll stay for the next chapter. Reviews and constructive criticisms are much loved, flames will be ignored.

Thank you again!

P.S: Those of you who haven't, go watch Kimi to Boku. Seriously, most adorable high school students ever. –fawns over the twins-