There were very few people that Haru liked in the world besides Aki, though no one could ever come close to that level. One of those people was their landlady, Kuroda. She was a kind hearted old woman who had always been good to the brothers, like the grandmother they never had. Because of this, the boys were always ready to lend a hand where they could.


    They had come to live in the apartment shortly after their parents died. There was no life insurance and the money they got from selling the house went to paying off any debts their father left behind. The story of their parents “murder-suicide” spread through the town like a virus and they quickly became outcasts by their neighbors. Kuroda was the only one who showed them any compassion and gave them a chance.


    Which is how Haru found himself on his back fixing a leaky pipe under the old woman’s sink. The building was so old and even though the rent was cheap, it required a lot of upkeep. That was the little system they had. Haru and Aki would help with repairs and chores and in return Kuroda would cook for them. Win-win.


    The sink was easy enough to fix, but they would need to order a new part, a simple patch would hold it up until then. He’d have to check their own sink later and he hoped this wouldn’t be a building wide problem, but he was sharply yanked away from his mental checklist when the heavy wrench slipped and landed on his face. Yelping, he slid out from under the sink and swore rapidly under his breath.


    “Are you ok?” Aki asked, cringing at the angry red blooming across his brother’s cheek. He’d come down with him to help hold the flashlight while he worked.


    “Gonna have a hell of a shiner later, but I’ll live,” Haru groaned, but upon seeing the boy worry, he tried to play it off. “Think it’ll make me look tough? Maybe I’ll tell people I got it in a fight.”


    It wouldn’t be the first time he improvised an explanation for an injury. He discovered early on that if he told a crazy story and played it off like a joke, people would laugh with him and leave it alone. The older he got, the crazier the stories were.


    Aki didn’t laugh, he was worried! He knelt down and pressed a light kiss on where he got hit.


    “There, all better!” he cheered.


    Haru’s heart was going to explode at how cute and gentle his little brother was. Aki was so sweet it was going to give him cavities.


    Sadly, their sweet moment was interrupted by the loud bang of the front door being thrown open and shoes being roughly kicked off.


    “Ma? You here?” an obnoxiously loud voice boomed. “You shouldn’t leave the door unlocked.”


    Haru sighed, exasperated. He knew that voice.


    Sure enough, a middle aged man, graying faster and faster every time Haru had the misfortune of seeing him, barged into the kitchen.


    Kuroda’s son, Takuma. Everything about the man pissed Haru off to no end, but for Kuroda’s sake, he restrained himself. Takuma caught sight of him and scowled. He didn’t particularly care for the boys either, more specifically Haru, but at least they were all on the same page.


    “What the hell are you two doing here? Where’s my mother?” he asked, squinting down at Haru.


    “Always a pleasure to see you too, Takuma-san,” Haru said, monotone and unflinching as Aki clung to him, shivering.


    “Cheeky brat. Where is she?”


    “She’s out back watering her plants. She asked me to fix the sink. I guess you were too busy to lend a hand, as usual.”


    Takuma growled and looked two seconds away from charging him.


    “Well, if you’re finished, get out!” he shouted.


    Aki, who was already on the verge of tears, startled and was out the door like a bat out of hell. Vivid fantasies of bashing the pig’s face in with the wrench flashed through Haru’s mind. Choking the bastard until he felt the life drain out of him.


    He scared Aki.


    Made him cry.


    Too many thoughts were racing in his brain, he had to get out of there before he lost control. Calmly, he stood up and dusted himself off, not breaking eye contact with Takuma.


    “Tell Kuroda it should hold up until the new part gets here,” he said and walked out, bumping shoulders with the big oaf as he did.


    He already knew where Aki was. Where he always was when he got scared. Ignoring Takuma’s enraged ranting about his “blatant disrespect”, Haru went upstairs to their unit and saw Aki’s shoes abandoned at the door. He stacked them neatly by his own and walked slowly to the storage closet, listening for any sounds of crying or harsh breathing but it was completely quiet. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought this time.


    He slid the door open just enough to see Aki’s hunched over form, hidden away in the corner with his knees hugged to his chest. Haru wished Aki had a better way to cope when he was upset, god knows he tried, but he was secretly a little happy that Aki always returned home for comfort. Their little bubble was the safest place in the world, that’s what he’d taught his little brother since day one. However, he was concerned with how close Aki’s personal bubble was to his cigarette box. It was hidden under one of the panels, but it was still too close for his liking.


    “Hey kiddo, you wanna come out?” he asked.


    Aki shook his head.


    “Gonna hang out in there?”


    Aki nodded.


    “Okay.”


    It was better to let Aki take his time instead of just pulling him out. All that would do is scare him more (something Haru learned the hard way) so he had to sit back and wait it out. By now they had a routine to it.


    Haru kept the door cracked to let some air in, then moved to their kitchen. He brought a plate of rice crackers and a cup of juice, setting them in front of the closet with Aki’s favorite toy, his Ultra Cyborg Ranger Cerulean action figure, and turned on the tv. In a few minutes it was all whisked away into the closet. The apartment was quiet for a long while until Aki finally came out and sat himself in Haru’s lap. His face was red and puffy from crying, but he was much calmer now and in record time to boot.


    “Better?” Haru asked.


    Aki shrugged, holding his toy close as he picked at a lose string on Haru’s shirt. He was afraid of older men, they scared him and reminded him and Haru of bad times. Both had a general distrust of them and Takuma’s aggressive attitude certainly didn’t help and it blew Haru’s mind that someone like him was Kuroda’s son.


    “You know I’m here for you right? I’m never gonna let anyone hurt you.”


    Aki nodded and snuggled in closer.


    “Yeah, I know. Thanks nii-chan.”


    It was only mid afternoon, Haru was still on edge and didn’t feel like hanging around with Takuma there.


    “Let’s get out of here for a little while,” he said. “Where do you want to go? We can go anywhere you like.”


    “Hmm…” Aki hummed as he thought. “Can we got to the park?”


    “The park it is.”


    As they walked out they could hear Kuroda and Takuma argue, and whatever it was about, Kuroda wasn’t having it.


    Good, Haru thought as Aki clung to his side until they could no longer hear the man’s voice. Hopefully he’ll piss off before we get back.


    Disdain boiled in his gut. That man’s mere existence was tainting their own living space and working up both boys’ nerves. Steadying himself, he took a few deep breaths and held Aki’s hand a little tighter, his little brother kept him grounded like an anchor.


    It’s not… that big a deal. We could use the fresh air. He’ll be gone soon.


    But it was never that easy for them.


    After a couple hours at the park and picking up groceries on the way home, Haru was loathed to find that not only was Takuma still there, but a new, equally loud and somehow more shrill voice was present as well. A woman’s voice that he didn’t recognize. He still couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying with both of them yelling over each other, but the disturbing level of anger emanating from their landlady’s apartment told him enough.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He huffed, hoping Kuroda was ok, and went for the stairs, but Aki didn’t follow. The boy stood frozen at the properties entrance, shaking even worse than before as he stared somewhere far away. Haru knew what it was, he saw it too. Fighting, shouting, things breaking. Echoes of the past that had slithered their way back up from where they had once been stomped down and buried. And while Haru could beat those echoes back into the dirt and kick their teeth in, Aki couldn’t even raise a hand against them. Not yet. Haru would have to do that for him.


    Setting the groceries aside, he scooped Aki up and tossed him up in the air twice. Normally, Aki hated being so short, but it did have it’s advantages. His surprised squeals turned into laughter as he was carried inside. Haru quickly turned on the television and upped the volume enough to cover up the fighting from downstairs, but with quiet hours approaching he couldn’t have it up too high. In vain he hope that Takuma and his guest would at least have the decency to keep it down at night, or for Kuroda to throw them out, but time proved that they would all be in for a long night.


    From sunset to sunrise the fighting continued, sometimes loud, sometimes very loud. Neither Haru or Aki had gotten any sleep. Just as things would calm down and they’d begin to drift off, the yelling would pick back up full force and startle them out of it. Aki had been on the verge of tears the entire time and Haru wasn’t doing much better. Staying to comfort his little brother was the only thing keeping him from going down there to silence it all permanently. Thankfully, it was the start of the winter break, so Aki could catch up on sleep during the day.


    The morning after their sleepless night Kuroda paid them a visit. When Haru opened the door for her she was waiting with a plate of cookies and an apology.


    “I’m sorry about last night boys,” she said as Haru let him in, gasping when she saw the bruise on his cheek. “Oh my goodness, Takuma didn’t do that, did he?”


    “No it’s from the sink,” he said. “Are you alright?” Last night couldn’t have been easy on her either.


    “Don’t worry about me, dear. Takuma talks a lot, but he’s harmless. He and his wife, Shizuka, are in the middle of getting a divorce and I’m afraid things are getting a little messy.”


    A drastic understatement, but Haru wasn’t in the mood to call it out.


    Aki was dozing at the table, but smiled when Kuroda sat down with her snacks.


    “Good morning, ma’am,” he yawned.


    “Good morning, honey. How’re you feeling?”


    Aki shrugged. He didn’t want to lie about how tired he was, but he didn’t want her to feel bad either.


    “So, how long do you think Takuma will be here?” Haru asked. He was exhausted and he didn’t want to dance around the issue.


    “Well, he’s been having some money trouble,” Kuroda sighed. “He lost his job and…” another sigh, “he wants me to sell the building to pay for his divorce.”


    Both boys tensed, fearful of losing another home. It was hell trying to find a place the first time, the only reason they weren’t homeless what out of the kindness of the old woman’s heart. What would they do without her?


    “Don’t worry!” Kuroda backtracked. “I own this place, it’s not going anywhere. Takuma is on his own this time. He made his bed and now he can lay in it. Don’t let him try to scare you off either, I told him to stay away from the tenants.”


    Aki seemed to relax, but Haru still wasn’t convinced.


    “I assume that was his wife last night? Can’t imagine that was pleasant to sit through.”


    Kuroda pursed her lips, a sour look on her face made it easy to assume she didn’t care for her daughter-in-law.


    “Unfortunately. She knew he would come here and followed him to confront him about the money. Apparently she’s asking for a large settlement since she found out that none of the family properties were in his name. Everything he had dried up when he was fired and she won’t budge for negotiation.”


    Gee, I wonder why it didn’t work out, Haru thought, sarcastically.


    Kuroda apologized again and left to have the same talk with the rest of the neighbors. It was a wonder the whole street didn’t call to complain. Haru had been to exhausted to realize that Kuroda hadn’t answered his question about how long Takuma would be there.


    Two more nights came and went the same way, a cacophony of unintelligible screaming and Kuroda arriving the next day with a tray of snacks to apologize for her son as he slept it off. Things were escalating quickly and it had become a living hell for the Izumi brothers. Haru had to double down on the sleeping pills just to help Aki make it through the night, while Haru sat up wide awake and furious.


    He’d tried everything to go to sleep. Plugged his ears, turned on the busted heater and the tv to drown out one noise with the other, hell, he’d even popped a few pills himself, but nothing worked to calm him down once that painfully familiar itch crawled under his skin. Miwa had somehow gotten ahold of his cell number and had been pestering them to have a “slumber party”, and after all of this Haru was seriously considering it. The only mercy was that it was quiet during the day, so he didn’t need to worry about Aki getting upset while he was at work.


    On the third night, Haru was coming back from working the closing shift at the shop and ran into Takuma, having a smoke by the front gate. He bit his cheek, wanting to avoid a confrontation that he was far to tired to deal with, but it seemed Takuma wouldn’t let him have any peace no matter time of day it was.


    “What’re you doing here?” Takuma asked, slurring his words around his cigarette.


    “I live here, genius,” Haru said, overwhelmed by the smell of beer wafting off of the older man.


    “Smart-ass. Start showing some respect for your elders or I’ll have you out on your ass.”


    “I’d like to see you try.”


    Haru was out of fucks to give and his lack of sleep was wrecking his ability to hold his tongue.


    “Excuse me!” Takuma snapped and jumped out in front of Haru, blocking his path inside.


    “You heard me. This is your mother’s building, I’m not afraid of you.”


    Haru had only ever feared one man and now that man’s picture sat at the bottom of Haru’s trophy box. Now he feared no one, especially not a coward like Takuma.


    “I’d watch my tone if I were you, kid. You may have my mom fooled, but I can see right through you.”


    “Oh, can you? And what do you see?”


    This should be good.


    “Everything. The other tenants talk, you know. About you and your weird little brother. How you come and go at all hours. How you keep the kid locked up inside and neither of you ever talk to anyone. Social workers in and out of the place.”


    Apparently there were more nosy neighbors than Haru thought, he might have to fix that soon. As for the social workers, they’d been by for regular check-ins ever since Haru took custody of Aki when he was sixteen. All Takuma had was gossip.


    “Don’t get on my case jut because your shitty marriage is falling apart. Let’s face it, you weren’t exactly a prize to begin with, so you had to figure it was coming sooner or later.”


    Takuma growled and raised his hand to strike, but Haru caught it mid-swig. He said nothing, only glaring into Takuma’s eyes as he stared him down. He’s not sure what the man saw in him, but the color drained from his face and his arm went slack in Haru’s grip. Seizing his chance to escape in blissful silence, Haru let him go and marched up to his unit.


    “Oh, and Takuma-san,” he called over his shoulder, “let’s keep this between us. You know, man to man.”


    Takuma said nothing, only nodded dumbly as Haru left and slammed his door shut behind him.


    That night finally seemed to be a reprieve for them. They went to bed early and managed to get a couple hours of sleep before shit hit the fan. Shizuka returned and it was worse than ever. The shouting only got louder as the night went on and Haru was at his breaking point. He couldn’t take it anymore, tossing and turning as he began to crumble.


    The yelling.


    The rattling heater.


    The buzzing static of the tv.


    Everything was too loud. Too much. His body was on fire and he was completely powerless, like he was a little kid all over again.


    Mom and Dad were fighting again and if he made too much noise he’d get in trouble. Maybe he could hide outside until it was over...


    Haru shook the horrible memories out of his head and curb stomped them into the dust. He wasn’t little anymore and he’d be damned if he was going to be chased out of his own home. Sitting up, he realized he had a bigger problem as he felt a warm wetness growing beside him.


    Aki had always had a bed wetting problem since he was little (well, littler), it had gotten better since they started living on their own, but every now and then he still had accidents. It was especially more likely on the nights Haru gave him sleeping pills, he wouldn’t be able to wake up if he had to go, which led to many an embarrassing morning. Haru never teased him or made him feel guilty about it, since it most of the time it was his fault anyway. All he could do was clean him up and try to make him feel better.


    “Aki, wake up kiddo,” Haru whispered, gently shaking the boys shoulder. “You had an accident, you need to get up.”


    Aki rolled over and whimpered, still in the throws of a nightmares when Haru roused him from his sleep. It didn’t take long for him to feel what happened. He shot up and tried to stand, but his legs were tangled in the sheets, which only doubled his panic.


    “Whoa, calm down kiddo, it’s ok!”


    Haru held his shoulders to keep him steady until he settled down. His little face was strawberry red and he started to cry again, but Haru just held him closer, rocking side to side. Eventually, Aki’s crying died down into pathetic little sniffles and he was left feeling mortified and exhausted.


    “I’m sorry,” he whimpered, voice hoarse and raspy. “I’m really sorry.”


    “Don’t be sorry. It’s ok, it happens.”


    It didn’t help his embarrassment at all, but it was him enough to get himself cleaned up while Haru set the soiled bedding aside and brought out the spare futon before making a quick cup of warm milk. He barely had enough time to crush the pills into it before Aki sleepily stumbled back in, clean and changed, and put his wet pants with the blankets.


    Haru helped settle him back down and couldn’t help but wonder if Aki knew what he was putting in his drinks, because the second he saw the milk, he took it and gulped it down without pausing for breath. In no time at all he conked out into a restless sleep.


    Haru watched for a bit to make sure he was out and saw that Aki was chewing and sucking his lip in his sleep, he’d make himself bleed if he kept it up. Carefully, Haru was able to nudge Aki’s lip out and, turning his puny hand into a loose fist, he brought it to the boys mouth and slipped his thumb into place until he began to suck on it instead. In no time at all, Aki began to soothe and relax until he finally stilled.


    With that problem temporarily solved, Haru had to get down to business with the source. Enough was enough, this was hurting his sleep and health and more importantly, Aki’s. He couldn’t hurt Takuma, but he could make sure his wife wouldn’t be coming over anymore. It would probably save Kuroda a lot of grief too.


    He didn’t bother sneaking around, it wasn’t like any would hear him over the shouting. Kuroda would forget to lock her back door some nights and thankfully, tonight was one of them. He let himself in and saw the tool box still by the sink, he didn’t want to waste time being picky so he grabbed the heavy wrench sitting at the top.


    It was like his head was underwater, he couldn’t hear anything clearly and the world around him blurred at the edges, the familiar trance he put himself in when he needed to fix a problem.


    No one heard him coming, they never did. Kuroda lay asleep in her room, her hearing aids out on the table next to hers, which explained how she had been coping with this. It was for the best, Haru didn’t want to worry about waking her up this way. He didn’t know what he’d do if she caught him like this. She’d be so disappointed in him, the thought alone made him feel ashamed.


    No, focus Haru. Don’t worry about her. Worry about Aki. He’s all by himself up there. What if he wakes up before you get back. He’ll be lonely.


    If his scolding thoughts weren’t enough to get his head back in the game, the crash of a dish smashing against the ground sure did the job, nearly scaring him out of his skin. Back on track, he crept to the kitchen and saw the unhappy couple screaming at each other, the shattered remains of the plate on the ground between them. Shizuka’s back was to him and as much as he wanted to, he still couldn’t lay a finger on Takuma, so he’d have to make it count with her.


    Takuma finally noticed him enter, but before he could redirect this anger to him, Haru reared back and brought the wrench down as hard as he could against the back of Shizuka’s head, spattering blood across his face. One hit was all it took and she was dead before she hit the ground. For good measure and to vent some more of his excess pent up anger, he kicked her in the face with his bare feet, scraping up her face with his toenails.


    Takuma watched in horror as blood pooled out around his ex’s head, though he made no effort to help her or push Haru away.


    “W-w-what did you... how c-could you…,” he stammered.


    “I really don’t need to hear your voice right now,” Haru groaned as he wiped the blood off his face and his finger prints off of the wrench. “Suck it up and be grateful she’s dead.”


    “Y-you killed her!”


    “No shit.”


    “I won’t let you get away with this!” Takuma said, scrambling to take his phone out. “I’m calling the police!”


    Haru snatched the phone from his hands and turned it off.


    “No you’re not. You’re going to clean this up and leave so we can finally get some peace and quiet.”


    “Why should I? You’re a murderer! You’re going to prison, I’ll finally have you and her out of my hair. You just did me a huge favor.”


    “You’re right, I did. And now you owe me. So do as I say before I get really mad and call the police myself.”


    “You-”


    “Yes, me. ‘I heard a fighting coming from my elderly landlady’s apartment, I was worried for her safety and came down to check on her. When I got here I saw her son bludgeon his wife with a wrench.’ Who do you think the police will believe? The quiet neighbor who had nothing to gain by committing such a heinous crime,” besides a good night’s sleep, “or her disgruntled, soon-to-be ex-husband who had everything to lose and a whole neighborhood of witnesses who heard your fights?”


    Takuma grew pale as Haru went on and felt his legs giving out under the implications.


    “Well, who do you think the police will believe?” Haru asked again. “Who do you think your mother will believe? The only reason you’re still standing is because she’s been nice to me and my little brother, but that won’t keep you safe forever. Do we understand each other?”


    Takuma didn’t say a word, only hung his head in defeat, unable to meet Haru’s eyes this time. With a yawn, Haru took his leave, making a quick stop to grab Shizuka’s driver’s license out of her purse.


    Back in the safety of his apartment, he slid Shizuka into his box and rejoined Aki on the futon. Takuma wouldn’t have too much trouble getting rid of the corpse. The linoleum in the kitchen would be clean up easily so Kuroda wouldn’t have to see it. All was quiet, save for Aki’s soft breathing around his thumb, and at long last, sleep came easily.