"Yo! Mattie, didn't see you there, where were you?" "Uh...oh...I just went shopping..." Matthew spoke quietly. That was obviously not true, he had been lecturing Feliciano on how to be a proper ghost. That boy seriously needed to practice more on his skills. Although, on the way back, he did remember his house was out of eggs. Alfred groaned and looked away from the TV. "Did you get any ice-cream? Today sucked and I need some sugar to keep me alive" He asked bitterly. Matthew looked over to his brother, he was decked in sweatpants and a vest, his outfit for lazy days. "No I didn't because ice-cream is unhealthy and you know it. I'm guessing you're staying home tomorrow? When you wear those sweatpants it normally means you aren't going to change out of them for a while" Matthew sighed, setting aside the shopping onto the counter. Alfred cursed under his breath, pulled himself up and dragged his feet to the door. "Don't tell me you're going out just to get ice-cream?" he quietly asked in disbelief. Alfred clicked his tongue and slammed the door shut without even saying goodbye. Alfred had forgotten him yet again.
"I cannot understand that young man's attitude. He is certainly...problematic at times..." a soothing voice spoke from the kitchen. Matthew spun around to see none other than Kiku Honda, his eyes as cold and expressionless as a cold fish. "Oh wow Kiku, you came here real quick!" Matthew squeaked, "Gee, I didn't even get time to make the pancakes..." "That is quite alright. I do not wish to burden you in anyway" Kiku replied with a small bow, "I'm sure you are aware as to why I'm here". Ah yes, Kiku Honda, he was a special case.
It was a few years back when it happened. A school boy was drowned in a river after being kidnapped. They found his body. Alive. The boy washed up in an entirely new town after the stream pulled him down. When the boy was interrogated, he had no reconciliation as what happened to his past, all he had said was: "Im Yong Soo" And it continued for a whole week. The trauma had gripped his heart so bad, to every question the police and therapists asked, his answer still remained "Im Yong Soo". Until they realized what it had meant. When they found Im Yong Soo, he was just as surprised to see the police in the light of day as Kiku was. He was briefly put in jail for attempted murder. Kiku Honda was then taken in by Wang Yao, as Kiku felt the most comfortable with him. Matthew never realized it when it first happened to him, until Kiku came and told him himself. "You...You came back...I thought it was only me..." "Yo, Kiku what're you talking about, bro?" Kiku flinched as Alfred's hand landed hard against his shoulder. He gave a final, sharp look in Matthews eyes. "I will tell you everything you need to know. I will see you another time, Matthew-san" he said calmly. Then he left.
Matthew didn't know what to think when Kiku invited him to his house to discuss his predicament. They spent the hour exchanging each others stories over some hot herbal tea. "So I need to get the person who killed me exposed..." "That is correct" "But...I don't know who did it!" "You will soon enough. You must find the said person and make sure he receives the correct punishment for his crime" "But...sorry...but...Kiku how did you know I was a ghost?" "Because your transparent and only I had noticed" Matthew panicked and dashed to the bathroom mirror in Kiku's house. He was right! How did nobody notice him?! "Matthew-san! Come quickly, there's something you should see on the television!" Kiku yelled from the living room. Matthew sprinted and looked at the screen, a man holding part of his flannel shirt he wore on that day, the report rambling on about how effective a dog's nose is...a clip of a man in handcuffs being shoved into a police car...It was Andersen from his high school. "...you did it. He has been exposed" Kiku spoke quietly, his herbal tea swirling in his cup as the TV channel changed to an advert. "But...I didn't do anything..." Matthew spoke weakly, "I should have exposed him myself...it doesn't count..." Kiku smiled from his cup with a glint in his eye. "But you did expose him. While you weren't present for the exposing, you did your job in the unconscious. You purposely left part of your shirt for the police to track who killed you. You are safe now"
"So...Feliciano Vargas has been chosen to reclaim the life he lost? Does he know what he's doing?" Kiku asked politely, shaking Matthew from his wandering thoughts. "Ah oh, yeah, you knew Feliciano for a while right? Maybe you'll be better at talking to him. He's revealed himself to Ludwig, maybe you should do the same" Matthew spoke, his eyes glinting. Kiku gave a small smile and looked down to floor. "You have a point...perhaps it would be a good idea to approach him on this issue...but how would I do it..." Kiku mumbled, deep in thought, "Maybe I will see him tonight". Matthew smiled a little and looked towards the clock. "It will be a while until Alfred gets back. You should probably leave now while you have the chance. Thankfully he didn't see you walk through the wall. Please, use the door next time" "I will. Sayonara Matthew-san" Kiku said, turning and walking through the door. Quite literally, through the door. Matthew only wished if Feliciano regained his life he wouldn't use his newly gained ghostly powers for stupid jokes like Kiku sometimes did. Other days he wished he had done more in the regaining of his life, so he could be a fully fledged human with the ghost powers he inherited from his time being in death limbo like Kiku.
The path was cold and twisting and yet it was only the evening. Kiku's shoes coldly echoed across the empty street. What could he possibly say to Ludwig? How could he look him in the eyes and freely say he was happy that Feliciano was alive again. Oh...now he remembered, he needed to look surprised that Feliciano was back. He also had to pretend that he had no knowledge on the dead coming back like this. Ludwig...what could he say to him? Ludwig...Kiku stopped and clutching his chest. The feelings were unrequited by far. They all went to high school, became close friends then separated once again. The whole time, he'd always try to get his attention somehow. Maybe it was those muscles, or his strong cheekbones, maybe it was his smile. Kiku always found himself wanting. But Feliciano.
Feliciano. He was always brighter than him. Always better at the arts and being an ace in history class. Feliciano had a smile that could brighten a room and his laugh made everyone feel a little happier just by hearing it. Kiku was quiet, expressionless most the time. How could he compete with that? It was so obvious Ludwig loved him. The day Ludwig confessed he was going to ask Feliciano out in their last year of school, Kiku could remember the pain. It was a different kind of pain from the usual heartbreak. He was happy for them, they were his friends, why wouldn't he be happy for them? If only it wasn't with each other. Kiku really did find it difficult to stand in the same room with both of them. But he couldn't bring himself to hate Feliciano. When Feliciano died, it came to him as a huge shock. How could it be his close friend had died so soon? How did Ludwig feel? Kiku thought it would be wise not to bombard Ludwig with sappy sympathies and love confessions just yet.
Kiku kept walking down the street, pausing in front of Ludwig's house. With a pounding chest, and a shaky exhale, he walked up the steps and knocked on the door.