Hey, Brother

A/N: Made a couple of fucky-wuckys. Changed one word said by Yuri and changed Sawyer's brother's rank to Lieutenant Junior Grade (cuz apparently there's no such thing as a Lieutenant 1st Class in the Navy).

The next day

Well, today's the day I go back home. Today's the day that I had dreaded.

My flight was later today. It's an overnight flight flying over the Pacific. I had today to spend here for the most part. I was gonna leave at around 10:00 at night.

I woke up and drew in a shaky breath as I stared at the bare ceiling. I stayed in my bed for a couple of minutes, just staring up at the ceiling as if I was gazing upon the eyes of God. I thought about what I was going to do at home. I didn't want to stay at home for the most part. I'll be out of the house, maybe just doing some random things in downtown Honolulu, looking at the ships in the nearby harbor. And maybe visit my brother.

I got up, rubbing my eyes, pressing hard enough to see fireworks going off. My feet hit the ground as I walked barefooted to the window. I drew the blinds, the sunlight peeking through the gaps of the white plastic blinds.

Looking out, I saw Ono-chan's house. Her parents were out again as always. Maybe I can spend my day with her before I head to the airport. We can go to the park or the city. Maybe we could go to the movies or something.

I turned around and opened the wooden door leading to the hallway. I padded downstairs barefooted and saw a note on the counter. I walked to the kitchen counter and picked up the yellow sticky note which read "We had to go to a meeting. We might not be home in time to bring you to the airport, so we might miss you. Sorry that we couldn't make you breakfast. There's leftovers in the fridge if you want. -The Kobayashis."

Looks like I'll be on my own today, I thought to myself, What should I do today?

Maybe I can just screw around today. It's a free day. I didn't have anything planned for today. Maybe I can just do something with the club. Or just be alone with my thoughts. No, maybe I'll just go with the former.

I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt, then stepped outside.

The warm breeze blew through the houses, making the leaves rustle. The sun warmed the black asphalt, making the road hot enough to cook an egg. The heat from the sun touched my arms, making my skin feel hot and sweaty.

I still didn't know what to do. Go for a run? Go to the park? The library? The mall? I was feeling bored out of my mind.

Putting my hands in my pocket, I paced around the street a few times. I put my earbuds in my ears, just listening to some beach pop music while quietly humming and mouthing the lyrics. I swayed my head from side to side to the beat, imagining myself lounging under the palm trees at the beach on a sunny afternoon.

Speaking of the beach, we got back from Shimoda yesterday. The gang felt tired from our little vacation. Ono-chan had fallen asleep in the car on our way back, her head drooping down onto my shoulder. It would've been nice at that time, but she kind of ruined the mood as she drooled and snored. The rest of them just rode in silence, either reading or on their phones. I had to carry Ono-chan to bed, with her parents helping with her bag. They left later that night as I was dozing off into a mini coma.

As I passed Ono-chan's house, I noticed the familiar red bow on the hair of a familiar face, her eyes blue like the summer sky. Ono-chan was looking out at the window. Our eyes met as I passed the house and I waved. She waved back. I approached her front door and knocked. A minute later, she answered.

She was wearing her jammies, the buttons on her shirt incorrectly buttoned as if she didn't give a damn. She had donned a big grin, one big enough to encompass a whole ocean. "Morning, Lee-san!" she exclaimed in excitement as always.

"Mornin'," I replied, "You doin' okay today?"

"Yeah!" she said. "I'm just feeling a little hungry." She put her hands on her belly, rubbing it as if she could eliminate the hunger pang like that. As she did that, I heard my own stomach growl, threatening to eat itself.

"Yeah, me too," I said, "I haven't had breakfast."

"What a coincidence!" said Ono-chan, "I got some ingredients in the fridge. You wanna make something? I really love your cooking."

"Yeah, sure," I said, "I'll make a healthy breakfast. I need to lose a little weight myself."

I stepped into her house. The walls were decorated with pictures of Ono-chan and her family, framed in blue and red wooden frames. There was one with Ono-chan and her parents at the red and black torii gates that led to some Shinto shrine. That picture had Ono-chan, who was a child at the time, standing in between her parents, smiling gleefully at the camera.

There was another one right next to that picture. There was Ono-chan sitting next to a boy with dark brown hair and light brown eyes on a park bench. They had one arm on each other's shoulders. In the background, there were trees standing tall, the afternoon sun filtering through their leaves.

I pointed at the boy. "Who's that?" I asked, "I've never seen him around."

"Oh," said Ono-chan in a quiet voice, "That's MC. We took that picture a couple of years back. My parents knew his family well."

Oh, so that's what he looks like. You know, I've never really noticed these pictures. I just never paid attention to them, despite their blue and red frames standing out of the white walls. I noted that there were pictures hanging, but I didn't take a good look.

"I guess I still miss him," said Ono-chan, the mood turning somber quickly, "He left all of the sudden."

Looks like she's still affected to this MC's apparently sudden departure. But damn, I didn't want to feel any more sad than how I feel right now.

"What do you want for breakfast?" I asked, trying to change the subject quickly, "Pancakes? Sausages? Yogurt? Omelets?"

Ono-chan, who noticed that I was trying to distract her from the picture of MC, diverted her gaze from his eyes and into mine. I could feel the melancholy behind her blue eyes, her feelings blue as if in a depression. But as soon as she met my eyes, the color seemed to return back into hers.

"Omelets, please!" she said, smiling. Good job Sawyer! I complemented myself, You cheered her up quickly!

"Two omelets, coming right up!" I exclaimed as I approached the kitchen. Ono-chan came over and opened the fridge. I spied some eggs and cheese. I picked them out and put them on the counter.

I also picked out some bacon, spinach, and cherry tomatoes that I found near the back of the fridge. I put all of the ingredients next to the eggs and closed the fridge. I grabbed a pan out of the cupboard and placed it on the stove. I put some oil on the pan and heated the stove. Ono-chan, meanwhile, was just watching some childish anime on TV. I think it was Pokemon or something. I didn't really pay attention.

As I made omelets, Ono-chan just did random stuff in the living room while watching TV. She tossed a red stress ball up and down one minute, then tossed a plushie pig up and down for the next minute, then tossed a TV remote up and down for the next. Actually, on second thought, she's not doing random stuff, she's just throwing things up and down every minute.

"Alright," I said as I finished up the omelets and placed them on plates using a spatula, "Breakfast is ready."

My hands held the plates with the omelets. There was a dollop of sour cream on each omelet, which had the tomatoes, spinach, and other healthy "heart foods". I opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of Kool-Aid pouches.

We ate our hearty and healthy breakfast quickly, enjoying each other's company, before I stepped out to pack my bag.

Takeuchi-san came around a little later in the day and picked us up in her personal car, a white Subaru Outback. She said that she wanted to do something with the entire club one last time before school starts.

As the car rolled up, Ono-chan and I were waiting by the curb. Ono-chan was dressed in a pair of jeans and a burgundy hoodie. I was just wearing a pair of black jeans, a grey shirt, and an unbuttoned flannel shirt over that grey shirt.

"Hey guys!" said Takeuchi-san as she stepped out of her car. Her chauffeur was sitting in the driver's seat, patiently waiting for us.

"Yo," I simply said as I waved. She approached us. Takeuchi-san wore a light green T-shirt with polka dots and a pair of ripped jeans. She had that white bow in her hair, keeping her ponytail in place.

"Hey, Monika!" exclaimed Ono-chan.

"You guys ready to go?" she asked. We said yes.

I spent the entire day with Takeuchi-san and Ono-chan. Nakano-san and Saito-san met up with us after and we hung out at the shopping district. Afterwards, they went home with me and we just talked outside with them. At one point, I excused myself and quickly packed a duffel bag. After that, Takeuchi-san's chauffeur rolled up with a van this time and we hopped in, on our way to the airport.

I stepped out of the van as I shouldered my duffel full of clothes. I was only going to leave for three days anyways, so I packed light. Ono-chan, Nakano-san, Saito-san, and Takeuchi-san stepped out of the car as well. Takeuchi-san waved to her chauffeur, who then proceeded to drive the van to a parking space to wait for the girls.

I went over to print out my ticket, passport in hand, while the girls waited on a nearby bench. Takeuchi-san, on the other hand, followed me to help me out at the clerk.

"You know, I have plenty of experience with flying on a plane," said Takeuchi-san, who walked next to me, one hand in the pocket of her skinny jeans and the other swaying by her side.

"Lemme guess," I said, "It's because your parents' work?"

"Yep!" she said, "I went with them to London, Berlin, Hong Kong." No need to rub it in. I've only been out of state once, and it is here.

"Though," she continued, "I didn't do anything when I went abroad. My parents' busy schedule didn't let me explore on my own."

We got in line. A lot of people, both Japanese and foreigners, some wore business suits while others wore Hawaiian shirts. Some were going off to vacation, while others were headed back to their homes. I was part of the latter.

"Ouch," I said.

"Yeah, it kinda sucks to be rich," said Takeuchi-san.

"Things are rough all over," I said, quoting The Outsiders. Everyone's got their own battles. Takeuchi-san has the burden of being rich. Ono-chan's thing with MC. Saito-san's quietness. Nakano-san's… whatever she has. And mine.

I got my ticket. I didn't need to check in my bag because my bag was just a carry-on, so I walked with the girls by my side, my bag shouldered. There was an area where there were restaurants and shops just before the security checkpoint. There were windows that showed the outside world, the sun hovering over the mountains in the distance. Jet planes sat docked at their terminals, either refueling or loading passengers. There was one plane taking off from the runway.

Takeuchi-san and Ono-chan went off to take a look for sweets at the convenience store nearby. I went to the Starbucks that was there to get some coffee, Saito-san and Nakano-san with me.

"You know, Lee-san, I have never stepped foot into an airport before," said Saito-san as we waited in line, "This is all new to me."

"Same here," said Nakano-san. Both of them looked around, unfamiliar in the world of travel. "The only time I have been out of the city was actually when we went to Shimoda."

"Seriously?" I asked, "You haven't gotten out of the city? After all of these years?"

Nakano-san shook her head. "My dad is always working. Same with my mom. We don't have enough to go on vacation." She turned her head away and spoke in a quieter voice. "...It's not like they'll have fun anyways."

"What about you?" I asked Saito-san. "Have you been out of the city?"

"W-well yes I have, actually," said Saito-san, "Other than being to Shimoda, I have gone to Sapporo during the winter one time."

"Isn't Sapporo north of here?" I asked.

"Yes!" said Saito-san, "The soft white snow coming down on a purple haze of a sky mesmerized me as the Christmas lights lit up the city. I just hope to see it again soon." As she said that, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, as if reliving that fantasy that she was talking about. As for I, well, I've never seen snow. It never snows down in Hawaii. Speaking of which, I should get some winter gear before December rolls around.

The intercom rang out and a female voice brought me back to reality. "American Airlines Flight 1770 to Honolulu, Hawaii is now boarding early. We recommend that those on this flight start boarding the plane now. The plane will take off as scheduled."

That was my flight. It was supposed to leave in an hour. If they're boarding now, they might leave earlier than they said. Keyword: might.

Takeuchi-san and Ono-chan walked over, bags of candies in their hands. I addressed the four girls standing in front of me. "Looks like that's me. I should go board now."

I stepped out of the line. We walked over to where the metal detectors stood. I really didn't want to board the plane, but I do. Those metal detectors felt like I was standing at the gates of Hell. As if there was something bad behind them. I turned around.

"We'll miss you," said Ono-chan, "Who's gonna make me breakfast?". She smiled sheepishly, as if she was hiding something. Takeuchi-san smirked. Saito-san and Nakano-san also smiled, as if they were already missing me.

"Or read books with?" added Saito-san.

"Or manga!" added Nakano-san.

I looked at Takeuchi-san, who still had a sly smirk. "Who am I gonna tease while you're gone?"

"Guys relax," I said, putting my hands up in surrender, "It's only three days. I'll call you guys!"

I turned back around and walked through the security checkpoint. I had to take off my shoes and belt and placed them in a bin. I put my bag in the bin as well. A conveyor belt carried my stuff through a machine while I walked through the metal detectors. The alarm went off, which made me confused for a second.

A guard took me aside and made me turn around. I faced the girls once more. This time, the blush of embarrassment came over me. I smiled as the guard went over my crotch area and a sound came on, signifying that I had some sort of metal there. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, which I forgot was there. Ono-chan and Nakano-san bursted out in laughter as Saito-san and Takeuchi-san smiled silently. I put the phone in the bin and went through the metal detector again. This time, it did not go off.

I put on my shoes and belt, grabbed my phone and bag, and put the bin in a pile of bins. I faced the girls once more and gave a playful two-finger salute before pivoting around and walked to the terminal.

I boarded the plane relatively quickly. I got to my seat and put my bag in the baggage compartment overhead. I sat down in my seat, a window seat. Looking out once more to the Japanese landscape, I felt a tear dribble down my cheek. One so small and discreet, no one could possibly notice it.

The plane lurched backwards after a few minutes and taxied to the runway. I could've sworn I saw the girls in the window back where we were earlier, watching me as I took my leave. I pulled down the blinds and sat back.

The jets roared to life as the plane went forward, the bumps in the asphalt easily discernible. The cabin rocked a little as the plane lifted off.

It kind of reminds me of a quote that I saw before. One mile of road will only take you one mile, but one mile of runway will take you anywhere. That's the beauty with these planes. My brother flew jets back on the base at home, but he never left. He wanted to leave, but I ended up holding him back. I ended up keeping him home.

As the plane got up to altitude, the cabin lights dimmed. My ears popped, but I didn't really care. I had my earbuds in my ear and was just listening to piano music. It was around 10 at night, I had to go to sleep. And so I did.

I found myself back in Ono-chan's house. I was standing in front of her bedroom door. I don't know why, but I had the urge to open the door. "Sayori?" I heard myself say, but it didn't feel like I had said it, "Wake up dummy…"

There was no response. I felt myself bringing my hand towards the knob and twisted it. I opened the door ever so softly. "Sayo-"

What I saw after that wasn't a pretty sight. I...I… I saw Ono-chan. But… only her body. Her feet was hovering… a few inches above the floor, swaying back and forth. Her eyes, lifeless. Her hands, bloodied. Her neck, strung up on a rope.

I...I also saw Saito-san. Her hands holding a knife embedded in her abdomen, her body laying against Ono-chan's desk, a slight smile on her face. Her blood… all over the floor, seeping into the carpet like a poison.

Nakano-san stood in between the bodies. Her eyes, blacked out and pixelated, blood streaming out her eye sockets as if she was crying tears of red. Her mouth, shaped in a toothy grin as she did her usual smug smile.

I turned around to see Takeuchi-san in our classroom. It felt empty in the classroom. There were no desks, no seats, except for the one that Takeuchi-san was at. She faced me, her chin resting on her hands. The windows outside showed a void, filled with flames and darkness.

I stared into her emerald eyes. A smug smile on her face. For some reason, despite her looking all cute, I just felt some sort of hatred in my chest, a sort of sense of vengeance in my heart. For some reason, I just felt like I wanted to kill my friend sitting in front of me.

All of the sudden, my vision turned red and yellow, her face seemed cracked, as if she were made of glass and I had thrown a rock at her. Not enough to shatter her, but enough to see the webbing on her now yellow and red face. Her eyes, black and red.

I opened my eyes. The rough shaking of the plane as it touched down jolting my body awake. Jesus Christ, what the fuck was that?

I felt my heart pumping, my lungs struggling to draw in air. Calm down, I told myself, It was just a nightmare. You're fine.

But where the hell did I get that vision? Where have I seen this before? What prompted me to have that dream? These questions swirled around my head as the plane gently docked into the terminal.

The intercom bell dinged. "We have landed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport," said the captain, "The time is 6:02 in the morning. The sun will rise in about an hour. It will be sunny today. Welcome to the United States."

A female speaker came on and said the same thing in Japanese. I merely just stood up and retrieved my bag.

As I stepped off the plane, I realized that I was back home. Back on my turf. I shouldered my bag and went to customs.

Showing the officer my passport, I went through quickly. Because of my citizenship here in the US, I don't have to go through an extensive background check when I arrive. Other people will have to go through security and a lot of stuff, wasting hours on end waiting to get approval. US citizens actually are able to get through customs of any country relatively quickly too. I guess it's a sort of voucher while foreigners will have to wait.

I took out my phone and dialed for my sister's cell. I didn't know if she was waiting for me at the terminal, or if she was busy at home. Hell, at this time, she's probably still asleep.

The drone of the dialing rang in my ears. The trills my phone made had made me think of the low growl of a wolf, the humming of a storm off the coast. After a few trills, my sister's voice rang through the receiver. "Sorry!" she exclaimed, "I can't get to the phone right now. Call me later, 'kay?" Well, she probably slept in. That dumbass.

I stepped outside. There were cabs all along the terminal. The sun was just peaking the horizon, its yellow tendrils shining through the few clouds covering its view. The sky was a purple-orange haze, with a few small clouds looming overhead.

I approached one, its owner leaning against the yellow car, smoking a cig. "Hey," I called out, "You on call?"

"Yeah kid," said the driver, who flicked his cig away and stepped on the burning ember, snuffing out the flame, "Where too?"

"National Memorial Cemetery." I opened the cab door and hopped in, my duffel bag on my lap.

The man stepped into the driver's seat. On the dashboard was one of those solar panel hula dancers that dance when the panel is in sunlight. The black leather seats were ripped in some places, showing that the cab was kind of old. A radio was faintly playing some rock music.

"You sure you don't wanna drop that bag of yours at your place first, kid?" asked the driver.

"Nah," I said, "I gotta do something first."

As I rode in the back of the car, I looked out to the rising sun on the horizon, its orange streaks painting the crimson and violet canvas in the sky. There were palm trees swaying in the Pacific breeze, the deep blue ocean stretching on for seemingly forever. There was a car or two, maybe a trolley, but no one was up this early. The sun, just peeking through the horizon, seemed to hide in the growing clouds in the distance.

The road took me up a mountain. The ridgeline made me look at the still sleeping city below. Somewhere, in one of those houses, my sister was probably doing her thing. Something I have been trying to stop her from doing.

The driver let me off near the entrance of the cemetery. I paid my fee and hopped out with my bag on my shoulder. As I got out, I noticed the American flag waving from a tall white flag pole. There were many white structures throughout the cemetery, including one huge structure that represented each armed forces branch near the center.

I walked through the cemetery, looking around. The gravestones marking the names of the dead, who lay six feet underneath, stood row by row, column by column, as if they were standing at attention. All of the stones were uniform, just a simple smooth slab of limestone marking each grave.

There was a hill in the rear of the cemetery. I approached it. The top of the hill had a hanging tree, one sturdy enough to hold multiple bodies on its branches. Its leaves casting a huge shadow over the hill. Little bits of light filtered through the leaves, but the branches blotted out most of the sun, as if Death himself has come down for me. Next to it was a grave. I approached that one grave and knelt in front of it.

The name was engraved on the gray piece of stone, as well as a cross above the words. Name, rank, birth and death day. All of that information was on the grave. I read the name out loud.

"Wyatt Theodore Lee
LtJG.
US Navy
January 15, 1994
July 20, 2018
Loving son and brother."

That name was familiar. All too familiar. After all, he was my family.

It seems that I haven't been quite frank with you guys. To tell you the truth, I don't have a brother. It's more like, I had a brother. I still miss him, because I know that I will never get him back. I had only one chance to save him, but I didn't take it. And it was all my fault. It is always my fault. It is always my goddamn fucking fault.

I opened my mouth to speak. I choked, my voice not working. A tear slid down my cheek. I looked at the grave, which held the person that I was family with. I couldn't speak, so I placed my hand on top of the stone.

After a second, I got my voice to croak a couple of words. A couple of words that held so much value. Words that could not bring back the person who laid in the coffin underneath me.

"Hey, brother."


Honorifics: (Underlined honorifics are the ones used in current chapter)

-san: Most common, it is an all-purpose suffix that can be used in any situation where politeness is expected. Basically the titles Mr. Ms. etc.

-sama: This suffix is one level higher than "-san" and is used to confer great respect.

-kun: This suffix is commonly used at the end of boys' names to express endearment.

-chan: Feminine version of -kun.

Senpai: Superior/Upperclassmen.

Sensei: Master.


Translation notes:

1. LtJG. (Lieutenant Junior Grade) is a rank in the Navy and the equivalent of a Lieutenant 1st Class in all the other branches.


A/N: Well, would ya look at that? A twist at the end of this chapter. You didn't think this story was just sunshine and happiness, right? IF you did, well, I'm sorry. A story can't be just full of fluff, can it? You'll find out in the next chapter about what I'm talking about. On that note, I'll leave you guys hanging.