And so I decided to write this again, mainly because I'm losing the plot already. Anyway, this will end in about two or three chapters, then I'll move on to my other stories. Forgive me if there're wrong spellings and such in this chapter; it took me five hours from ten in the evening until three in the morning just to cram everything I have in mind to finish this. And, I tried my best~ :3 Yeah, this is fairly short.

Disclaimers: I do not own anything.

Warning: I don't know? But as a whole, it's 18+ or what? I don't know. Just read if you approve of psychotic tendencies, yaoi (malexmale), het, self-mutilation, suicide, blah blah. Everything that makes a dark fiction.

Crumbling Hopes

Koizumi Itsuki was found a week after the weird Valentines celebration, where Nagato-san had 'supposedly' given me a huge and heart-shaped giri (obligatory) chocolate. It was after few months (or to be exact, seven months, two weeks, and three days) that we found him, all because Nagato-san finally told us that she had located him; she had, a fewer months prior in fact. Haruhi was actually angry after hearing that she kept this 'important discovery' from us. Nagato-san had apologized for this, and explained that it was Koizumi's wish to have this be kept from us. Of course we fully understand why Koizumi had done all the avoiding and eventually, cutting all ties with us, but what we can't understand or even empathize with is why he would go as far as to kill himself. That in itself is a stupid act; Haruhi was not the least bit happy that Koizumi had gone so far as to attempt to kill his self rather than talk it out with us. No one in the Brigade is actually happy at this turn of events. As far as we (that is I, Nagato-san and Asahina-san only) know, Koizumi had already ceased to be an able-ESPer after we broke up. It was only Mori-san and Arakawa-san who would tell us anything regarding the Closed Spaces that are appearing every day, since we found Koizumi, in an increasing rate. The reason probably was Haruhi seeing Koizumi in such a state, and she was angry, frustrated and guilty all at the same time. Koizumi was not in a good state to begin with. He was on coma, with multiple lacerations on his left wrist, head abrasions, and an overdose of multiple sleeping pills, above everything else. I had also not mentioned the obvious sunken cheeks and thinner arms due to lack of food intake, the dark circles under the eyes, and the sudden ageing of his handsome, young face.

To put it in a simpler way, he was in shambles.

We have talked to his landlord about what really happened. And of course, the landlord was fairly shocked knowing that Koizumi is only a senior high student, saying Izumi-kun (as Koizumi introduced himself to him and his neighbours) had made them believe that he was already in his third year in college. They did not dare ask any more about him, seeing his pain show on his face whenever they brought the subject up. And the appearance of Nagato-san posing as Koizumi's younger sister only made them believe in that story more.

The landlord literally slapped his forehead at Nagato-san's confession, saying he knew all along that there was no way Nagato-san and Koizumi are siblings. But before the landlord can ever tell us about what happened, a family of three appeared, with a young boy on the verge of tears carrying a crudely-stitched teddy bear.

That boy was Satou Itsuki-chan. He, as everyone present told us, was Koizumi's friend at his stay at the complex. It seems that Satou-chan goes to Koizumi's room sometimes to play, where Koizumi tells him stories about a fictional world named 'World of Dreams'. Haruhi, the ever-privy woman turned to the young boy to ask everything that Koizumi had ever told him.

"Onii-chan is kind, gentle, and rarely smiles. He was always alone in his empty room, eating nothing but sweets and cup noodles. At first I thought that he's scary at first, but I talked to him once and got along with him. He will play with me when Mommy and Daddy are busy, even if he looks tired and sleepy. And he gives me a lot of treats, so it was really fun."

Haruhi had now assumed a physical education sitting position, hugging her legs towards her while Satou-chan sat on the plastic hospital chair. The landlord and Satou-chan's parents are huddled together with us, listening intently to a story about the Koizumi we didn't know for the past seven months.

"Onii-chan had lots and lots of stories! One is about the pretty time traveller A-hina-san who came to this time to correct the time anomaly in this present time. Then there was this story about N-gato-san the bookish alien, who, for the sake of her kin's evolution, descended from the galaxies to gather information on us humans. There were also the adventures of S-zumiya-san the all-powerful but unaware god, who, knowing nothing about her ultra-powerful powers, created a brigade in search of entities that she, unintentionally, already have! I really liked the last story though, which is about a certain Kyobaka-kun who, even as a normal human, controls the world through the god itself…"

Wait, wait, WAIT; am I merely hearing things or are the stories referring to us? And, Kyobaka-kun? Is that supposed to be me! (Explanation: Kyon-kun + baka or stupid= Kyobaka-kun) I won't accept this!

"And of course let us not forget the World of Dreams! Onii-chan had told me only a few stories about them; that it was a world where everything you want will appear. Onii-chan had only talked about it on January, after he was discharged from the hospital after the accident on Christmas Day. Nii-chan told me that he was going to that place sooner, and that he was trying really, really hard to get there. I can still remember that to get there, you must make sure that you make everyone around you happy because, if you don't, you'll fall instead. So he gave me this letter and this blue card a week before Valentines, as an early Valentines gift for me. Actually, this bear right here is my Valentines present for him. I made this in class!"

He fished out from his jacket pocket a letter and a credit card, which obviously belongs to Koizumi, before he showed Haruhi the teddy bear he said he made.

The letter was read first by Haruhi before she shoved it to my hands and excused herself, dragging Asahina-san away in the process. Our heads turned to the retreating forms of the two before actually reading the letter that was forced to me. As soon as my eyes fell on the first sentence, I was shocked.

"Give the rectangular card to your parents, they know what to do with it? And afterwards, burn the whole building down? What's this! This is obviously a-"

But I remembered that there was a kid hearing everything I'm saying, so I suppressed the last words in my throat, and simply gripped the paper in my hands.

There's no mistaking it, this is a suicide note.

Shit.

"Can I go visit Nii-chan now? I'm just giving this bear to him, I promise!"

I never replied back; instead, Nagato-san opened the door for them. I was kept glued on my spot after reading the letter. And of course Satou-chan never asked for it back, saying that we might need it for his 'Nii-chan's' speedy recovery. Actually, I'm not so sure anymore, not after this confirmation.

Koizumi really had the intention of killing himself.

When Haruhi came back Satou-chan and his parents, together with the landlord, had already gone home. The hospital Koizumi is admitted in allowed the four of us to stay at his room to watch over him, since no relatives of his came for a visit. And it was not like we knew who his parents were. And not even I, his former boyfriend, had any idea about his family's whereabouts.

The teddy bear that Satou-chan made for Koizumi was now sitting at the bedside table, as if acting as Koizumi's watchdog/bear. Meanwhile, it was my turn to keep watch at night, that if ever Koizumi wakes up, we can immediately alert the nurses in the nurses' station. Haruhi and the rest of the girls are huddled together in the futon that the landlord nicely lent us; and I, as the watchman of Koizumi for the night, is at the chair by his bed, looking at his face illuminated by the moonlight. His skin, due to the dark contrast of the stark black background and the pale illumination of the waning moon, was paler than usual; the shadows on his face growing deeper, as if it was already etched there like a non-erasable tattoo. Seeing him like this, with his pitiful appearance, made my heart cringe and I felt guilty once more.

My hands unconsciously went to his own, which the nearest was the left, where a bandage was hiding the scars and scabs he accumulated from his suicide attempt. A part of his skin and muscle had been sliced too, according to what the doctor and the landlord had said. It seems that in his frustration, and fazed self from all the pills he took, he sliced from the carpal to the cubital area, which eventually ended up having a part of his skin to peel off. My hand gripped Koizumi's slightly tighter from the thought.

…It was only after then that I noticed that his fingers were moving.

To Be Continued

A/N: Okay, cliffie! Yeah I'm so bad, ending it right here when it's already nearing its climax. I hope the lengthy descriptions did not bore you; I'm trying to sound explanative in here by giving emphasis on the narrator's (which for now was Kyon) thoughts, and dialogues from only two characters. Was it good? About the story's progress though, right now I still don't know if this will have a happy or tragic end (but it's going to the tragic end, right?). Yes, 'happy' is a broad idea; I used it because I don't know what type of happiness this should end with. I don't know with tragic; of course I'm comfortable with it already, but Koizumi had already been under tremendous sadness in this story. So, I don't know? Maybe don't expect anything? My writing's becoming much lighter these days; maybe it is this unknown feeling? Ah no, it's not as crappy as love; I'm actually depressed a whole lot on the start of the semester. Or, maybe a combination of both? I'm having unrequited love once again while being continuously dumped since the person I like as of now is of the same sex and is a friend.

Ok~ay, it turned awkward. Anyway, the usual review and read and review!