《Itch and Pulse》 Itch and Pulse Five minutes. Just five more minutes. Haru listened to the seconds ticking away on his watch, each one amplifying the annoying itch under his skin. Five minutes left until he could leave. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like his job, he did. Bike repair was easy enough. The low stress environment was nice and the manager had always been good to him. But some days¡­ some days were just dull as hell. He¡¯d only gotten two customers to his department and one of them, some dick high schooler with an undercut, had been too loud for his taste. Bitching and moaning about every little thing. Demanding Obnoxious Loud Too LOUD ¡­ He took a deep breath. It was fine. It all be over soon. Just grin and bear it. Five more minutes. Three-hundred more ticks. And it would all be worth it, once he could go home and see his little brother. His sweet, adorable, perfect little Aki. The thought alone of his cute babyface soothed the maddening itch. Imagining walking him home from school, side by side, hand in hand, listening to his soft voice babble on about his day was like imagining heaven. Just like that, three-hundred ticks passed like three. Haru clocked out and ran the five blocks to Aki¡¯s elementary school. He was already in the fifth grade and Haru couldn¡¯t be prouder, as well as grateful that he had gotten a job so close by. Aki stood by the front gate of the school as he did every day, rocking on the heels of his feet. He kept his wide, sad eyes on the ground, only looking up every so often as the other kids passed him by. The boy was so timid and shy, his eyes were almost stuck that way, but the way they lit up when he saw his big brother made Haru¡¯s heart soar! ¡°Haru-nii!¡± Aki cheered and threw himself into his arms. ¡°I missed you!¡± ¡°I missed you too,¡± Haru said, as if they hadn¡¯t parted ways a mere six hours ago. He gave Aki a big squeeze and took his hand. ¡°Ready to go?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Good. The sky was turning an ugly, thick gray as clouds crowded together above them. Haru didn¡¯t have their umbrella so he couldn¡¯t risk Aki getting caught in the rain and catching a cold. Poor thing was so fragile. It was best if they went straight home. ¡°IZUMI!¡± a shrill voice shouted. The boys jumped. Of course it couldn¡¯t be that easy. Not today. The way Aki tensed up didn¡¯t go unnoticed either. There was that itch again. Marching towards them was a frumpy strict looking woman, ignoring the startled looks from the other students and teachers as she stomped up to the brothers. ¡°Izumi, is this your brother?¡± she asked. Obviously, Haru thought, Like Aki would ever hold someone else¡¯s hand. ¡°Haruhiko Izumi, ma¡¯am,¡± he said, bowing his head, earning a sneer from the harpy. ¡°This is my history teacher, Kinugawa-sensei,¡± Aki said, just barely above a whisper as he scuffed his sneakers on the ground. ¡°Speak up, Izumi!¡± Kinugawa snapped. Aki stood up straight and repeated himself, a little louder this time. Haru wanted to strike the old hag on the spot, but with dozens of eyes on them now, he gripped Aki¡¯s hand like an anchor and tried to calm himself down. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± he asked, cutting to the chase. Formalities were troublesome and a waste of time in his opinion. Seniority was a joke, he just didn¡¯t get it. People were people, nothing more. Students, teachers, employers, employees, randos on the street, it didn¡¯t matter. They were all the same in the end. Kinugawa¡¯s scowl deepened at the blatant lack of respect and ordered them to follow her inside. No ¡°please.¡± No ¡°is this a good time?¡± Hell, she didn¡¯t even have the decency to look at them as she said it before storming back inside. As much as Haru wanted to blow the bitch off and take Aki home, he didn¡¯t want to make a scene. He¡¯d had custody of his brother for two years now, but they still did their best to keep their heads down. Aki¡¯s cheeks were dusted bright pink as he felt the eyes of his peers dragging over him, squirming in Haru¡¯s crushing grasp. Reluctantly, they followed Kinugawa back into the school and to Aki¡¯s classroom. Haru hadn¡¯t spent much time in his own school growing up, so he didn¡¯t remember what his old classrooms had looked like. This one was bright and clean, if not a little eerie now that the students had all left. They took a seat across from where Kinugawa stood. Haru held in a snort at her petty display of authority. He figured she must have liked lecturing down at little kids more than up at adults. As if she was trying to make him take her seriously. ¡°Izumi-san, are you aware of how Akihiko is doing in school?¡± she asking, passing Haru a stack of papers. It was unsettling to hear Aki¡¯s full name, but he shook it off and flipped through the papers, a collection of Aki¡¯s school work. Of course he was aware of how he was doing. He knew everything about his little brother. It¡¯s just that Aki¡­ wasn¡¯t the best student. He passed, barely, but he was doing his best! Haru hadn¡¯t been a good student either. He finished middle school and his grades were terrible, so he hadn¡¯t bothered with high school. Honestly, he hadn¡¯t been wild about Aki going to school at all, especially if this was the sort of thing he was dealing with. ¡°He¡¯s passing,¡± Haru said, ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the only one that¡¯s this far behind the rest of his classmates and he can barely keep up! And it¡¯s not just my class, ask any of his teachers.¡± Aki kept his head down, ashamed as his shortcomings were thrown out in front of them and fearful of how Haru would react. ¡°Would you recommend a tutor?¡± Haru asked. He couldn¡¯t tell where she was going with this, but he¡¯d play along for now. Teachers were easy to placate with empty promises. Smile and nod enough and they¡¯d drop it eventually. Kinugawa shook her head, her ramble was far from over. ¡°Akihiko is also very withdrawn from his classmates. I know he¡¯s shy, a lot of kids his age are, but he won¡¯t talk unless spoken to and he outright refuses to play with anyone. It¡¯s like he¡¯s afraid of them. He¡¯s not functioning on the same level as his peers, he¡¯s falling behind academically and socially.¡± Haru sighed. She was right. Aki was quiet and kept to himself, which didn¡¯t make it easy for him to make friends. Adults saw this as a problem for some reason. They didn¡¯t need friends to be happy, they had each other for that. ¡°He hasn¡¯t mentioned any problems to me. Is there an issue with the other kids? Are they bullying him?¡± God help them if they were. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°No! Nothing like that,¡± Kinugawa quickly backtracked, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about Aki¡¯s wellbeing and I¡¯m concerned that you might be enabling this childish behavior.¡± ¡°He¡¯s ten! He is a child!¡± Haru snapped. Aki flinched at the sudden harshness of his tone, knowing that nothing good ever followed it. Haru was too caught up in his own frustration to notice, but Kinugawa had. ¡°I understand that you two are living on your own since your parents passed away, yes? Haru¡¯s face darkened as Aki¡¯s paled, blood freezing solid in his veins as he tried to make himself invisible. ¡°We don¡¯t like to talk about it,¡± Haru said through clenched teeth. They hadn¡¯t uttered a single word about it since that day. It still upset Aki to think about and that made Haru¡¯s itch even worse, going from a scratchy bug bite to maggots trying to dig their way out of his pores. ¡°It must be a challenge, raising your kid brother by yourself. How old are you again? Seventeen?¡± ¡°Eighteen and we get by.¡± ¡°All the same, I¡¯m concerned that Akihiko may not be getting the help and attention he needs at home.¡± She looked over to the boy in question. Small, thin body, bruises and scrapes on his arms and legs, overlapping the old healed marks, going up to his neck and even onto his face. Faint ghosts from a past that was best forgotten, but still more than enough cause for suspicion. An inferno exploded under Haru¡¯s skin, he wanted to peel it away and tear it all out from his flesh! How dare she?! How dare she speak to him this way?! Like he wasn¡¯t a good guardian! Like he wasn¡¯t a good brother! How dare she look at Aki like that?! How dare she upset him?! HOW DARE SHE?! Haru shot up out of his chair, ready to lunge at the bitch, but a trembling hand caught the sleeve of his coat. Aki looked up at his, tears swimming in his big black eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like to go home now please,¡± he said shakily. The itch clawed Haru¡¯s flesh raw, but he couldn¡¯t say no. Not to a request like that. He took Aki¡¯s hand and went to the door. ¡°Sorry for taking up your time, I¡¯ll look into getting him a tutor,¡± he grumbled. Kinugawa, not realizing the danger she had been in, was aghast at being dismissed in such a way. She tried to head them off, but recoiled when she saw Haru¡¯s icy, dead-eyed glare. Aki held on tightly to him and shot Kinugawa a pleading look. A warning. ¡°I- I expect to see improvement,¡± she stammered. ¡°Soon.¡± The boys said nothing, only bowed their heads and took their leave. Haru made the trip home at a punishing speed that Aki had to run to keep up with, tripping over himself as he was dragged along. Thunder boomed overhead and by the time they finally made it home, they were both soaked. They lived in a small one room apartment in an older building of a quiet suburb. Haru made sure to find a place close to work and school so they¡¯d never have to stray too far away from home. He undid the three heavy locks on the door and shoved Aki inside, forcing him to stumble to his knees. The boy quickly slipped his shoes off and scurried onto the tatami padded floor, giving Haru a wide berth to pace. ¡°That bitch! That meddlesome, horrid bitch!¡± he snarled under his breath. She was trouble. She wasn¡¯t safe. He couldn¡¯t let her be around Aki every day. He should have kept Aki home, he didn¡¯t need school, but Aki had begged him to let him go. If he pulled him out now, people would start asking questions. How many people had seen her talking to them? Had she spoken to the other teachers about this? Was she going to? She was going to ruin everything! No. He could fix this. He had to fix this. ¡°Haru-nii¡­¡± Haru whipped around to see Aki on his knees, shivering in his wet clothes, rubbing away an onslaught of tears with his tiny fists. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry, please don¡¯t be mad. I promise, I¡¯m doing my best. I didn¡¯t mean to cause trouble, I swear!¡± Haru gasped and knelt down, pulling Aki into a hug. ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay,¡± he shushed, rubbing circles in his back, ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you. It¡¯s all gonna be ok. Haru-nii¡¯s going to take care of everything.¡± He felt Aki shudder in his embrace, reminding him of their damp clothes, now soaking the floor. This would be his best chance. There was still time and his itch was still white hot. ¡°Go dry off and get changed. I¡¯ll make us something warm to drink.¡± Relieved, Aki went to do as he was told, while Haru set about making their drinks. Coffee for himself and hot milk for Aki. As the milk boiled, he pulled two mugs from the cabinet and a small bottle from the top shelf, where Aki couldn¡¯t reach by himself. Sleeping pills were harmless in small doses. Haru liked to slip him one or two at bedtime when he wanted to make sure Aki would sleep through the night and not be woken up so easily. Half a pill would be enough for a nap. Crushing it into a fine powder, he mixed it into the thick, creamy milk and added a few generous spoonfuls of honey to cover the chalky bitterness. When Aki came back, now in clean sweats, he smiled widely and handed him his mug. ¡°Careful, it¡¯s still hot,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks!¡± Aki¡¯s sweet smile warmed Haru¡¯s heart better than any cup of coffee could, but it wasn¡¯t enough to soothe the itch this time. Even as he watched Aki blow on his milk and take long, careful sips, the burning radiated from the base of his neck, down to his hands and feet. The pain was unbearable, but he wouldn¡¯t have to wait much longer. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to change?¡± Aki asked. ¡°You¡¯ll... you¡¯ll ca...¡± Aki¡¯s eyes were drooping heavily, his hands started to shake and he felt dizzy. He set his mug down and tried to stand, but his legs were too tired to hold his weight. Luckily, his brother was there, waiting to catch him when he fell. Out like a light. There wasn¡¯t time to set up the futon, but Haru made quick work of tucking Aki in, nestled up with his blanket by the heater. He knew Aki didn¡¯t like sleeping alone, much less waking up alone, so he hoped this wouldn¡¯t take too long. He grabbed his keys, phone, and a small kitchen knife that wouldn¡¯t look totally obvious in his coat pocket, then slipped quietly back outside. Sprinting back towards the school, Haru didn¡¯t bother with an umbrella. He wouldn¡¯t be able to hide well with one, so he chose to keep his coat hood up instead. Luck was on his side as he caught Kinugawa leaving and heading toward the train station. Perfect. The road there had a thick line of trees that ran along the river and no one in their right mind would be out there in this weather. Haru kept his distance at first as he stalked behind her, timing his footsteps to match hers so the splashing puddles wouldn¡¯t give him away. Halfway to the station, where the trees were the thickest, Haru picked up speed until he was right on top of her. She didn¡¯t even have a chance to scream before he clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her into the trees towards the river. Haru wasn¡¯t the biggest, but he was stronger than he looked. With little effort, he dragged her to the edge of the water as she kicked and twisted in his hold. He took his hand from her mouth, but before she could cry for help, he wrapped his arm around her throat, crushing her windpipe as he constricted like a snake. He could feel her pulse against his forearm. His never sped up like that, even in moments like this, though it did feel much more intense than normal. The longer he held on, the more it slowed as the life was choked out of her, and he couldn¡¯t have that. It would be too merciful. He wanted her to feel this. He wanted her to feel the same pain she¡¯d made them feel with her little threats. Make her cry like she made Aki cry. He pulled the knife from his pocket, reached around and plunged ruthlessly into Kinugawa¡¯s chest, twisting it as it cut deep into her heart. Her struggles came to an abrupt halt as she coughed and convulsed. Slowly, Haru lowered her to the ground before pulling his knife out, letting her blood drain onto the grass. He needed to minimize any splatter, the last thing he wanted was to scare Aki if he came home bloody. Kinugawa was still now, barely hanging on as her body turned cold. Haru hovered over her, but it was so dark, he wasn¡¯t sure if she recognized him through the rain and tears. As he saw the light dimming in her eyes, he reached down and pressed his fingers against her pulse once more. The pauses between beats grew longer and weaker until it faded away completely. Just like the others, her face had the same hallow look of fear mixed with pain. They were all the same, it didn¡¯t matter who they were. In the end, they all bleed red. The cleanup was usually his favorite part. It so cathartic, and the closure of seeing something all the way through was comforting, but he didn¡¯t have the time to dismember remains today. He still had to get home and get Aki dinner. So he settled for taking her jewelry and wallet, then rolling her body into the river, letting the current whisk her away to wherever it was it took a corpse. Just in case, he tossed the knife in after her. He wished he could have done more. The rain would wash away the blood and things would carry on like normal. Once he was sure he was clear of any splatter, he got back onto the sidewalk and began to jog home. At least that cow was good for something, he thought as he went through her wallet. He could splurge on dinner now. By the time he made it home, Haru had only been gone for two hours. The itch had mercifully died with Kinugawa and the sweet relief felt like he was flying. Aki was just waking up as he walked in, still groggy from the pills and had his thumb firmly planted in his mouth. Haru couldn¡¯t help but take picture with his phone, it would make the perfect lock screen. ¡°Hey sleepyhead,¡± he cooed, ¡°You were napping pretty hard. Feel better?¡± Aki nodded, yawning then blushing when he realized he had been sucking his thumb. Haru didn¡¯t have the heart to tease him this time. After the day he¡¯d had, he figured Aki needed the comfort. ¡°Did you forget your umbrella?¡± he asked. ¡°You need to remember or you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± His concern made Haru want to cry. ¡°Haha, yeah. There was a break in the storm and I thought I could make it back before it started up again. On the bright side, I got curry!¡± Aki giggled and shivered. His head felt fuzzy and he wanted to curl back up under his blanket now that Haru was back. Even in his sleep, it was lonely without his brother there. ¡°How about we take a bath before dinner,¡± Haru said, ¡°that should warm us up.¡± Aki nodded and ran to start the tub on wobbly legs. As soon as Haru heard the water start, he set the food aside and snuck over to the storage closet with Kinugawa¡¯s wallet. From the very back, he pulled out an old cigarette carton from underneath a loose floor panel. Inside was a small, but growing, pile of driver¡¯s licenses and ID cards that Haru had been steadily collecting for two years now. At the bottom were his parents¡¯ and at the top he placed Kinugawa¡¯s teachers ID. Each one was a pleasant little reminder of what a good brother he was. How often he¡¯d protected Aki. Kept him safe and taken care of. How there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he wouldn¡¯t do for him. In the bath, Haru washed Aki¡¯s back and rested his hand above his heart. A calm, steady beat inside of a clean, warm body. Haru held him close to his chest and savored the gentle thumps as their hearts beat perfectly in sync with one another. What If Haru hated this. He loathed this. There had been a problem with the schedule at work and his shift wouldn¡¯t end in time for him to walk Aki home from school. They spent all of their time together, but their walks home were special. Even though they were outside, surrounded by others, it was like nothing else existed outside of their little bubble. It was a type of satisfying bliss that Haru couldn¡¯t get anywhere else. He left his brain on autopilot for the remainder of his shift, ignoring the strange looks from his coworkers. His pout was more like a glare and, even though it wasn¡¯t aimed at anything in particular, it was still terrifying. No one dared to approach him and he appreciated their distance. Haru hadn¡¯t cared for interacting with others ever since he was little. It was a waste of time and very rarely did he ever get anything useful out of it. Numbing himself to the world around him was the only way he kept sane. Once he was free, Haru bolted out of the store and didn¡¯t stop running until he reached his front door. He hoped Aki hadn¡¯t been too lonely without him. There wasn¡¯t any noise coming from inside, so he expected to find Aki napping, but when he opened the door, the place was empty. No shoes by the door, no coat hung up, no backpack tossed aside, and, most importantly, no Aki. No Aki¡­ That couldn¡¯t be right. Aki should have been home at least forty minutes ago. School wasn¡¯t that far away. ¡°Aki?¡± he called. ¡°Aki, where are you?¡± Haru rushed in and searched their tiny home top to bottom. Not in the bathroom, not in the closet, not out on the balcony. He even searched the cabinets! Where was he?! Did he get lost on the way home? He shouldn¡¯t have. They had made that walk hundreds of times. Then again, Aki had become more and more scatterbrained lately. Haru hadn¡¯t thought about the long term consequences of using sleeping pills when he started giving them to his little brother, but it was too late to take it back now. What if someone snatched him off of the street? Aki didn¡¯t have a cellphone yet, he wouldn¡¯t be able to call for help! Bile crept into Haru¡¯s throat at the mere thought of someone touching his little Aki. Putting their sleazy hands on him. Cold¡­ clammy¡­ smothering- NO No. Never again. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Haru had to get moving. He couldn¡¯t just stand there, Aki needed him. His mind cycled through every worst case scenario. He could be hurt and scared. He could¡­ Haru¡¯s heart shattered into a million pieces as he thought of the absolute worst possibility. What if this was on purpose? What if Aki didn¡¯t come back, because he didn¡¯t want to? Did he run away? No! Of course not! Why would Aki run away? Haru provided well enough for them. He kept Aki safe and loved. Fed him, clothed him, even killed for him. Aki loved him too, didn¡¯t he? Had he done something wrong? Aki was so sensitive, maybe he hurt his feeling somehow. He hoped he hadn¡¯t scared him, there would be no coming back from that. His brain was on fire. It felt like it was going to explode. The air was being squeezed from his lungs by a cold vice of a dread. How could Aki do this to him? The boy was afraid of his own shadow for crying out loud! Where would he even go? Haru never should have left him alone, not even for a minute! Dammit! He was wasting time standing there worrying. He had to go out there and bring Aki back, whether he liked it or not. He pulled his old gym bag from the closet and a roll of duct tape from under the kitchen sink. His eyes passed over the knife rack above the counter and paused. He¡¯d never had to worry about this sort of thing before. Aki had always been perfectly obedient. This was the first time he¡¯d ever rebelled. He never so much as complained before, Haru had no idea what to do. The underutilized voice of reason in his head told him that Aki probably didn¡¯t run away and he should be more focused on finding him before jumping to conclusions, but he still lingered on the terrible what ifs. His worst nightmares come to life. He didn¡¯t want to hurt Aki, he never wanted to hurt his precious little brother, but he couldn¡¯t let him go either. If Aki really did run away¡­ then he¡¯d cross that bridge when he got to it. For now he needed to find him and make sure he was safe. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the front door knob rattle. ¡°Haru-nii? Are you home? Why is the door unlocked?¡± Haru nearly dropped to his knees when he saw Aki walk inside and kick off his shoes, completely unharmed. Not even a hair out of place. He tossed his bag aside and scooped Aki up into his arms, ignoring they boy¡¯s startled protests as he held him close, listening to his heart beat and breathing in his scent. Aki was home. He was home and safe in his arms. ¡°Haru-nii,¡± Aki said, pulling him from his thoughts as he tried to wriggle out of the hug, ¡°you¡¯re squashing me.¡± But Haru didn¡¯t let up. ¡°Where were you?¡± he asked. ¡°I told you to come straight home!¡± ¡°I was, but I forgot my math book at school. I went back to get it and I guess I spaced out a little missed my turn on the way back. I¡¯m sorry for making you worry.¡± Aki¡¯s head was definitely getting scrambled. As terrifying as the last fifteen minutes had been, Haru couldn¡¯t help but find it a little endearing. So naive and dependent, another reason to keep him close. ¡°Next time wait for me to get home and we¡¯ll both go back,¡± he said, as if there would be a next time. ¡°You need to be more careful. It¡¯s getting dark, it¡¯s dangerous to be out wandering alone.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was scary by myself,¡± Aki agreed and wrapped his arms around Haru¡¯s neck. ¡°I don¡¯t like being alone.¡± The two couldn¡¯t be any closer unless they crawled into each other¡¯s skin, but Haru tried to hug him tighter without hurting themselves. Tension began to bleed away from his muscles and mind. Aki was still his. He¡¯d been worried over nothing. He¡¯d almost done something unthinkable for nothing¡­ ¡°Me neither,¡± he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. Haru kept Aki in his arms all night. Even as Aki slept, warm milk still sweet on his lips, he held him close as he played with his soft, dark hair. He had tomorrow off and decided he would keep Aki home from school as well, he wouldn¡¯t wake up in time anyway. Haru needed to be close to him for a little while longer. Just until the menacing what ifs and nauseating trembles in his heart stopped. He also resolved to get Aki his own cellphone. Money was tight, as usual, and he wanted to wait until the boy was thirteen, but the pros outweighed the cons now. Besides, he¡¯d heard great things about those parental tracking apps. With something like that, Aki was never really be alone again. Hooky Today was going to be perfect. Haru had gone out of his way to make sure it would be. The past two weeks had been¡­ rough. He found out they had fallen behind on their utility bills and to make ends meet, he had to start pulling double shifts at work. Two whole weeks of not being able to walk Aki home from school. Two whole weeks of not having time to make him dinner and help him with his homework. Two whole weeks of having to leave his poor, defenseless little brother home alone for hours, unsupervised and unprotected, all by his lonesome. Every day, every hour, they spent apart was eating Haru alive, ripping his flesh to the bone in agonizing pain as he felt Aki drifting further and further away from him. Aki wasn¡¯t doing much better. His time alone had rendered him listless and a nervous wreck. More so than usual. So Haru was going to fix that and make today all about them. He¡¯d gotten the day off from work and called Aki in sick at school. His phone was turned off and the door was locked up tight. Absolutely nothing from the outside could bother them now. Earlier that morning, Haru had snuck out and gotten everything they could possibly need, so they had no reason to even think about leaving the apartment. Just as Haru finished making their breakfast, he heard Aki begin to stir on the futon. Being woken up to the smell of toast and bacon was very pleasant way to start the day. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Good morning, nii-chan,¡± Aki yawned, stretching his little arms before pushing himself to his feet. ¡°Good morning, kiddo,¡± Haru said, smiling at Aki¡¯s wild bedhead. ¡°Can you put the futon away while I finish cooking?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± It always took a while for Aki to fully wake up, so he hadn¡¯t noticed what time it was yet. He did as he was told like the good boy that he was and got the table out while he was at it. It wasn¡¯t until he was halfway through his toast that Aki had finally caught sight of the digital clock on the DVD player that he realized how late he had slept in, causing his to shoot up and take off stumbling to the bathroom. ¡°School started two hours ago!¡± he shouted. ¡°I¡¯m late!¡± Haru chased after him and scooped him up before he could make it to the door. ¡°Hold your horses, kiddo,¡± he laughed and carried Aki back to the table. ¡°No school today. Just relax.¡± Haru set him down and brought over the sacks of junk food and DVDs he¡¯d gotten earlier. ¡°No school?¡± Aki asked, tilting his head in confusion. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°¡®Cause you¡¯re gonna spend the whole day under the kotatsu with me!¡± Haru held up the a few kaiju movies in one hand and a couple anime in the other. ¡°Just you and me for a movie marathon in our pjs. I rented your favorites.¡± The kaiju movies were for Haru, Godzilla had been his favorite ever since he was little, but the rest were for Aki. They had seen them at least a dozen times, but Haru would still ask questions about the characters or setting so he could listen to Aki¡¯s excited little rambles about it all. Aki¡¯s face beamed as a blinding smile spread across his face. He loved it when Haru did stuff like this! It was way more fun than sitting in class all day and it looked like Haru went all out this time. Candy, chips, jam buns, the works! Normally Haru was picky about his little brother¡¯s diet, but today was all about fun and relaxing. So if that meant popcorn and chocolate for lunch, he was willing to let it slide. Just this once. As Haru cleared breakfast away and brought out the kotatsu, Aki put the first batch of popcorn in the microwave and Haru wasted no time in whipping out his phone to record the boy intently watching the bag inflate. He was already so excited, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited. Several hours later, Haru had Aki snuggled up on his lap under the heated blanket as they started their third movie, chocolate smudges and crumbs littering his little brothers chubby cheeks. Despite being loaded up on sugar, Aki¡¯s eyes were starting to droop. It was so warm and his big brother¡¯s chest was so comfy to lay his head against, he couldn¡¯t help it! Haru saw this, turned the tv down, and began to rock side to side while rubbing Aki¡¯s back. A nap sounded like a great idea. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± he whispered as Aki began to doze. ¡°Close your eyes and rest. I¡¯ll be right here when you wake up.¡± And Then There Were Two Disposing of a dead body was easier than it seemed, or at least it was for Haru. He had to be discreet and time everything just right to ensure he wouldn¡¯t be caught. Keeping his head down was something he was an old pro at, so he liked to think he had a solid handle on things. Whenever he needed to make someone disappear, he took them in neatly wrapped pieces to the river. The water washed away any physical evidence as his problems floated away in the current. After so many times it just became muscle memory. Under the cover of night, Haru was able to drag a duffle bag full of nosy neighbor to a long bridge over the deepest part of the river. It was way past midnight and all was quiet, no one would be out walking around at this hour. One by one, he pulled out bag after bag, grimacing when the coagulating blood seeped out onto his hands, and dropped them into the water. Each splash was deafening in the stillness, so he got it over with fast. Five bags, six splashes. Wait¡­ Six? Another splash rang out from behind him. He whipped around and, on the other side of the bridge, saw a girl tossing in heavy bags of her own. Petite, short hair, and a high school uniform. Definitely not the kind of person Haru expected to see out here. How had he not sensed her coming? He worked too damn hard for someone to get the drop on him like this. No one had ever been able to sneak up on him, not even when he was little. Frantically, he scanned their surroundings, but no one else appeared on his radar. They were, hopefully, alone. Once her last bag hit the water, she turned around, adjusting her blazer, and finally noticed Haru. Both froze like deer in headlights and neither dared to make the first move. No words. No movement. Not even a blink. She didn¡¯t look scared or nervous, like Haru was, if anything she seemed confused. The hood of his sweatshirt was up, but she was close enough to make out his face and the blood on his hands. In any other circumstance, Haru would have killed her already. He¡¯d never had any witnesses before, but he was prepared to deal with it. Well¡­ he thought he was. He didn¡¯t know what exactly had been in those bags, but he had a good guess. There was no telling what this girl was capable of and he couldn¡¯t just charge her blindly, no matter how anxious he was. He had to be smart about this. The girl gave him a quick once over, bowed, and took off running without a second glance.Haru wanted to give chase, everything about this mess was giving him that itch again, but his common sense won out and told him to go home. She ran into the dense neighborhood at the end of the bridge and could be anywhere by now. If he went after her, he could be running into a trap, and even if there wasn¡¯t one, chasing a school girl in the middle of the night would not look good for him. His best course of action was to run home as well. Itch aside, for some reason, he wasn¡¯t as worried as he probably should¡¯ve been. If she turned him in she would be bringing attention onto herself and would have to justify why she was at the bridge as well. Still, they had seen each others faces and that alone was a much bigger concern since it was clear neither of them were afraid to get their hands dirty. Haru didn¡¯t recognize the uniform and he didn¡¯t have the time to go tracking it down. Not to mention he ran the risk of being labeled as a pervert for skulking around high schools and scrutinizing all of the girls. For now, he¡¯d need to watch his back and do his best to ignore the itch. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A few days passed since that night on the bridge and Haru was slowly being consumed by the anxiety. He kept looking over his shoulder whenever he left the apartment and as a result he hadn¡¯t been going outside anymore than he absolutely had to. His uneasiness was contagious, because Aki was steadily becoming more and more skittish when he felt his brothers nervous energy. As per usual, Haru was on his way to pick Aki up from school after work. He expected to find this little brother shyly shuffling off to the side like always, but today he was smiling and laughing. Aki¡¯s sweet little smile filled his heart and breathed new life into him, but his heart screeched to a halt when he saw who he was speaking to. The short haired school girl was standing right in front of him. Talking to him. Making him laugh. Too close. Too close. Too close. Too close. TOO FUCKING CLOSE It took every ounce of will power and restraint Haru had to keep from running up and killing her right then and there. Quickly, he walked up to them and, as calmly as he could, took Aki¡¯s hand. How the hell did she find them?! ¡°Hey kiddo, what¡¯s up?¡± he asked, his tone happy, but rigid. ¡°I¡¯m talking to Miwa-nee-chan,¡± Aki said. ¡°She told me she knows you.¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Haru would need to reeducate Aki on stranger-danger later. His rage was burning twice as hot now that this freak had already earned herself a nickname. His itch was exploding all over his body, it hurt so bad that he thought he might pass out. But he couldn¡¯t be weak. Not here and definitely not in front of Aki. The girl, Miwa, bowed and flashed a radiant smile. She was cute, but Haru saw right through her. He¡¯d lost count of how many times he¡¯d forced that same charming smile himself, he could spot a fake from a mile away. ¡°Yeah, we met the other day on the bridge,¡± she said, her smile not wavering as a cold glint passed through her eyes. ¡°I wanted to treat you to coffee. You¡¯re brother¡¯s welcome to come too.¡± Before Haru could say no, Miwa pulled something out of her blazer pocket, just enough for Haru to see what is was. An exacto knife. ¡°I just want to talk for a bit. It won¡¯t take too long, I promise!¡± She couldn¡¯t be serious. Haru was speechless. Was she really going to try something outside in broad daylight? He¡¯d never encountered this breed of crazy before and he needed to figure out how to keep Aki safe while he took care of this. ¡°Sure,¡± he said, cautiously, ¡°thanks.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aki gasped in excitement. ¡°Cool!¡± Money was tight, so they rarely went out and because of Haru¡¯s ever increasing paranoia, crowds were a problem as well. But his best bet was to play along with whatever Miwa¡¯s plan was until he could make one of his own, lest she cause a scene right in front of the school. He motioned for her to go ahead. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Miwa cheered and slid the cutter back into her pocket as she sauntered ahead. Haru walked with Aki, who wasn¡¯t very fast to begin with, a little ways back to keep a healthy distance from the girl and out of swinging range. She didn¡¯t comment on it, only keeping up polite chatter with Aki that Haru wasn¡¯t really paying attention to. He couldn¡¯t get a clear read on her and it was driving him insane. Her voice and body language were calm, but she kept her hand in her pocket and didn¡¯t try to get closer. How she could be so chipper was a mystery. She was like him. Sure, he put up a front to the rest of the world too, but didn¡¯t everyone? Miwa didn¡¯t just blend in. She put on a show. The way she spoke, the way she carried herself, was all extroverted and confident. If her bag and shoes were anything to go by, she was wealthy too. He vaguely remembered girls like her from his school days, very popular and the kind of person who attracted a lot of attention. Hell, Aki was afraid of everyone and she had gotten him to actually speak to her! Why the hell was a girl like her tossing bags at the bridge? Haru quietly scratched at his fingers as Miwa lead them inside a small cafe and ordered for them. Two ice coffees with biscotti and a soft serve ice cream for Aki. They took a seat in a booth at the back and as far out of sight and earshot as they could manage. It was crowded, which was making Haru sweat; not only from the sheer amount of bodies surrounding him, but because it would make fighting or escaping much harder. Miwa made it clear she wasn¡¯t afraid to start something in public. ¡°You like ice cream Aki?¡± Miwa asked as the boy ate his treat with gusto. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Aki hummed, smiling brightly. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°No need to thank me, Akichi.¡± Haru scowled at how familiar she was being with them, acting like they were already friends or something, and chugged his coffee as fast as he could. The sooner they finished, the better. He paused though, when he saw Aki getting ice cream smeared on his cheek. ¡°Slow down, kiddo, or you¡¯ll give yourself a stomachache,¡± he said, wiping the smear away with his thumb. Aki only nodded and giggled before he dug back in. ¡°Akichi, you¡¯re so cute! You¡¯ll have to let me borrow him sometime, Haru,¡± Miwa said, smirking as she watched Haru shake with rage. His face was so red, she wondered if he¡¯d faint. He was forced to let their benign small talk go on until Aki excused himself to the restroom. Normally, Haru wouldn¡¯t leave him on his own, but he had to take the opportunity to get some answers. ¡°Akichi¡¯s a real sweetie,¡± Miwa said as Haru watched him. He growled and reached out to grab her, but she leaned back, raising her hands in surrender. ¡°Easy there nii-chan, I¡¯m not here to hurt you or your little brother.¡± ¡°Forgive me for not taking your word for it,¡± Haru sneered. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Miwa grinned, kindly this time, and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m Miwa Mitsuboshi. I¡¯m a first year at Higashi Private High School. Aki says you¡¯re Haru-nii?¡± ¡°¡­Haruhiko Izumi.¡± Miwa laughed at his unamused tone and took out her phone from her school bag. ¡°It didn¡¯t take me long to find you. You need to be more aware of your surroundings.¡± She pulled up several photos of the boys walking home together and going into their apartment. Haru was beyond pissed off and his skin crawled as it sank in just how much his privacy had been violated, but he had to admit, he was impressed. She was a better sneak than he was and clearly had much more time on her hands. Her photos paused on a candid shot of Haru giving Aki a hug when he picked him up yesterday. Haru couldn¡¯t hold back a fond smile from spreading across his face. He didn¡¯t have many photos of them together. ¡°Aki is very special to you, isn¡¯t he?¡± Miwa asked, as though it weren¡¯t painfully obvious. ¡°I take it you were on that bridge for him.¡± Haru¡¯s attention snapped back to her and nearly jumped at her for having the audacity to bring something like that up in public, but Miwa wasn¡¯t intimidated. ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s none of my business, I don¡¯t care about your details. I didn¡¯t bring you here to threaten either of you.¡± ¡°Then why?!¡± Haru still wasn¡¯t buying it, though his itch was toning down now that the threat of immediate danger was supposedly fading away. Miwa sighed and pulled another picture up on her screen. ¡°Look, I just wanted to let you know that you don¡¯t have to worry. I get it. I was out there for my special one too.¡± She showed him a selfie taken with a tall girl wearing glasses and the same uniform. ¡°That¡¯s my girlfriend, Junko,¡± she explained. ¡°The trash I was dumping the other night was one of our classmates. That pig stole her PE uniform, how sick is that? Pervy fuck.¡± Malice dripped from her teeth and the sadistic gleam in her eyes told Haru that she got far more out of a kill than his normal level of satisfaction. But, all the same, she was right. She understood. She was like him. The itch didn¡¯t disappear like he hoped it would, but it was little more than a mosquito bite now. Though that was probably because Aki was coming back. ¡°Does she know she¡¯s your girlfriend?¡± Haru asked with a smirk. Miwa rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Just making sure.¡± ¡°What¡¯d I miss?¡± Aki asked, happy to see his brother smiling. ¡°I was asking Haru if I could bring my girlfriend with us next time. She¡¯s at swim practice today, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to meet you both!¡± Miwa said, looking Haru dead in the eye, as if daring him to contradict her. ¡°I¡¯d like that too!¡± The boys didn¡¯t have any friends and, despite his anxiety, Aki was excited at the idea of making new ones. Usually, new people scared him, but if Haru was smiling than it must be ok! Haru, on the other hand, desperately hoped that this wouldn¡¯t become a regular thing. He didn¡¯t like sharing Aki, but he supposed Miwa wasn¡¯t really a threat. She had her own special person to worry about, so he hoped that she had some comprehension of boundaries. Though her display this afternoon did little to reassure him. The time came to finally part ways and Haru was exhausted. Going to work all day was bad enough, all he wanted to do now was go home and have Aki all to himself. He deserved it after all of this. ¡°Thanks for hearing me out,¡± Miwa said and held out her hand, ¡°I hope we can be friends.¡± Begrudgingly, Haru took her hand and gave it a firm shake, only for Miwa to jerk him closer and whisper in his ear. ¡°And I hope we have an understanding. We¡¯ll stay out of each other¡¯s way, right?¡± Her ice cold voice sent a chill down Haru¡¯s spine, but he grinned and nodded all the same. He knew this wouldn¡¯t be the last time their paths crossed, but maybe having someone like her in his corner wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Never That Easy 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.