Disclaimer – the usual drill, I do not own DGM nor any of the characters

Chapter Nine – Keep Walking

Mana was more than a little surprised by just how accepting Neah had been of the news that their father was dead. Not that he had expected the younger boy to mourn the passing of the man that had made his life a living hell, it was more that he had expected more of a reaction to the fact that he was the one that had put an end to the man.

Because that was just not the way that he usually was.

He had always been gentle with Neah and he had always been soft spoken with their father so the fact that he had resorted to violence in that situation was something he was expecting his brother to be shocked by. So the fact that Neah seemed so okay with his sudden shift to violence was certainly something that left him confused.

And yet grateful at the same time.

The question of what they were going to do from this point on was harder for him to answer for the simple fact that he really had no idea. Mana knew, even if he didn't want to think about the fact right now, that they weren't going to be able to stay in the house that they had always resided and which Mana himself had called home for the first six years of his life. It would be too risky to remain when people were bound to notice their father's disappearance and start asking questions.

Questions that Mana wasn't going to be able to answer.

The prospect of leaving, and moreso of being on their own, was one that was scary for Mana but he was still determined that he was going to make this work and above all else he was going to protect Neah. The fact that he'd done nothing to save his brother from the torture that their father had inflicted was something that was going to haunt the older boy for the rest of his life, he knew that, and he was determined to make amends to Neah for all of the things that he had allowed to happen.

Looking the other way had seemed like the best option at the time, because their father turned more violent toward his youngest son whenever his eldest interfered, but in hindsight Mana realized that he should have stepped in. Should have protected Neah. Hindsight as they say is 20/20 however and it was too late now for him to do anything about the situation.

All that was left now was to keep moving forward.

The past was gone and there was no way to change it, regardless of how much he wanted to, so that only left the future to focus on. A future that Mana was determined to make good for Neah in order to make up for everything that had happened to him in the past.

It was the least that he could do.

All of these things were going through the teen's mind as he sat on the edge of his brother's bed, watching Neah as he slept. Mana himself hadn't been sleeping all that well but he was learning to cope with the sleep deprivation and he wanted to make sure that he was there when his brother awoke, not wanting Neah to wake up scared again.

"Mana…you okay?" a soft voice spoke up, jarring Mana from his thoughts. Blinking a few times he looked down at his brother and noticed that not only was Neah awake but that the younger boy was staring up at him with a look of concern in his eyes.

Despite everything that had happened Neah was actually worried about him.

Him.

Mana found it hard to believe that his brother was even capable of that feeling but he didn't speak that thought out loud and instead just offered his little brother a reassuring smile as he nodded his head. "I'm fine Neah boy," he said in what was meant to be a reassuring voice. "How are you feeling?" Yes it was a tactic to change the subject away from himself but at the same time it was still a legitimate question that he wanted an answer to.

Because he was worried about his little brother as well.

"I'm okay," Neah said, the boy pushing himself up from his prone position with his one good arm. The boy winced slightly as he shifted his injured arm but he was getting better at hiding just how much it hurt at this point. Granted he had a lot of experience acting as though nothing was wrong even when he was in pain so it wasn't as hard as it may have otherwise been.

Mana gave his brother a scrutinizing look when Neah said that he was okay, not really believing his brother but deciding in the end that he wasn't going to make a fuss about it. "That's good, I'm glad to hear it," Mana said, offering his brother a smile while at the same time reaching a hand out to tousle his brother's hair affectionately.

"Mana have you figured out what we're gonna do yet?" Neah questioned as he turned his gray eyes toward his brother, seeking an answer to a question that he had already asked to his brother once. "We can't stay here…people are gonna start to wonder what's going on if they only ever see us and never see…him."

Neah had started to say that they would question it if they never saw their father but then he changed his mind and just said him. Because he had decided that the man was not worthy of that title and never had been.

"I'm still working on that," Mana admitted when Neah again asked him what they were going to do now that they were on their own. He did of course realize that his little brother had a valid point when he said that people were going to start to ask unwanted questions. Even though he was a drunk now their father did still venture outside, it wasn't as though he had been a recluse who never set foot out of his house. That would have made things easier for the boys but unfortunately Fate seemed to have it in for them for some unfathomable reason. "I'm going to come up with an answer so don't fret about it so much Neah boy," Mana said after a few minutes of silence had lapsed between them. "You need to focus on getting your strength back, that's the most important thing right now."

It was pretty clear by the look that appeared on Neah's face that the younger boy didn't really agree with the words that his brother had spoken to him.

Neah was skeptical of that being the most important thing right now.

It seemed to the child that there were countless things right now that were more important than whether or not his wounds were healing but he didn't voice that opinion to his brother. Mainly because he could tell by the look in Mana's eyes that his brother wasn't going to listen to him even if he did make the point that was currently in his mind.

Mana could tell, just by looking into his little brother's eyes, that Neah didn't believe him when he said that the most important thing was for him to get well soon. He was being serious when he said that however and it wasn't even solely because he was worried about his little brother though that was the main reason behind the words. More than that he knew that they weren't going to be able to make a move until Neah was strong enough.

It was too risky to make a move before they were both ready mentally and physically.

"Try not to worry about it so much Neah," Mana said quietly before he offered his brother a smile and added, "You hungry? We should probably get something to eat."

Neah opened his mouth to tell his brother that he was insane for his random change in topic but before the words actually left his lips his stomach issued a loud growl in protest of the lack of food. That caused the boy to blush slightly before nodding his head in agreement. "Okay…food does sound good right now," he said quietly, still looking embarrassed though why that was the case was anyone's guess.

"Good, c'mon then," Mana said, offering his brother a smile and chuckling at the way that Neah's stomach had decided to answer that question for him. He knew his brother well enough to realize that Neah had been about to protest but he was glad that that outcome had been avoided. Getting to his feet he made his way over to the door, waiting for Neah to join him before continuing on downstairs to the kitchen.

Neah watched his brother get up and after a moment he followed suit, somewhat shaky himself due to still being weak from blood loss. He didn't want to be a burden to Mana however and so he didn't say anything about it and instead just trailed along behind his brother, his injured arm still held cradled against his chest so that he didn't run the risk of bumping it against anything.

Something that he knew would hurt like hell and thusly wanted to avoid.

Smiling when he saw that his brother was following along behind him Mana made his way downstairs to the kitchen, walking slowly so that Neah wouldn't get left behind. Not because he didn't think that his little brother could find his way to the kitchen but because he wanted to be there just in case Neah fell or something. He was still recovering from a serious injury after all and Mana wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure that he was doing okay.

His overprotective brother instincts had now been kicked into overdrive.

The two brothers made it to the kitchen without incident and once they arrived Mana looked over his shoulder at Neah and gestured toward the table. "Have a seat and I'll whip us up something," he said with a smile, going to get an apron just because he knew that Neah thought it was funny when he wore one. There was no real reason for it on this particular day, he wasn't trying to keep his school uniform clean or anything, he just wanted to see if he could get a smile from his brother.

Because Neah still looked so troubled and he didn't like seeing that.

He wanted to see his brother happy now that their father wasn't looming over him and forcing him to cower in the shadows the way that he always had before. This was Neah's time to shine and Mana wanted to make sure that his brother got the chance to do that.

Everything else be damned.

"I knew you just liked wearing that," Neah said quietly as he walked over to the table, having debated offering to help his brother but deciding against that in the end. It wasn't as though he knew how to cook and even if he had possessed that knowledge he knew his brother well enough to know that Mana would have refused the help because of his current condition. So it was easier to just sit down the way that he'd been told, his gray eyes going to his brother as he watched what Mana was doing, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips for the briefest of moments.

"That's right, highlight of my day right here," Mana agreed with a chuckle, tying the apron strings around his waist and then moving to grab some things to cook.

It didn't take long for Mana to prepare their simple meal and once he had the teenager brought two plates over to the table, placing one down in front of Neah and the other in front of his own chair. "There…it isn't fancy but let's hope that it's at least edible," Mana said with a smile, sitting down with his brother and thinking as he did so just how weird this all was.

He had brutally murdered their father mere days ago and yet here the two of them were about to enjoy a meal together.

Mana tried to force his thoughts away from that, shaking his head to rid himself of the mental images that came unbidden into his mind as he again thought about what he had done. There was still no regret on his part, he knew that he'd done what he had to do, but all the same those memories sickened him. The violence that he had displayed in that moment actually scared him even though he tried to rationalize that it was in the heat of the moment and not something he'd wanted to do.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Mana knew the truth.

He had wanted to do it and had probably felt that way for awhile before rage spurred him to act on it.

"It's going to be alright Neah, I promise," Mana said as he gazed at his little brother from across the table, a look of determination in his brown eyes as he spoke. "Things may be rough for awhile but we just have to keep moving forward…just have to keep walking."

Keep walking…

Even as he spoke those words they seemed to reverberate within his mind.

That was all that they could do at this point. There was nothing left for them here in this place so really all that they could do was to keep moving forward. Mana nodded his head, more to affirm his own internal decision than anything else, that now being his focus.

Never stop…keep walking…

A/N: And another chapter and the internal and external struggles continue. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please be kind enough to leave a review on your way out.