Author Note

Nothing much actually except I wanted to direct your attention to the fact that most of the story's chapters are from Kouji's perspective so it would be hard to see the full image. Humans tend to be biased after all. It is pretty useful to see things from his P.O.V as he doesn't really know the whole truth.

Enjoy and please tell me what you think. No puppy eyes this time XD. Just kidding ^.^"

Disclaimer: The same as chapter one hehe.

Trust Me

Chapter Two

Waiting For Nothing...

Time flies on the wings of a butterfly or…a dragon. It doesn't really matter. It passes quickly without giving people a break to figure out what is going on around them. For him, time was cruel enough to leave him empty. A month had already passed since Kouichi's decision to "grow up" and to make his decisions even if the whole world stands in his way.

He didn't know since when he was staring at the plain ceiling unblinkingly. He couldn't believe that he simply agreed to let him go. Not really that simply as that fight was something he took a while to forgive himself about. The sound of the door's opening didn't make him turn to look at the new comer. Instead, he kept staring as if it was the only thing he wanted to do.

'Sitting in the darkness? It has been a while since you did this.'

The voice of his father was friendly enough to start a heart to heart talk between a father and a son but he didn't feel like starting any chat.

Kousei sighed at his son's fluctuating mood. 'How is your brother?'

The shortest way to start a topic is to be direct and the easier way to get out of it is to answer shortly.

'Fine.'

His father moved silently and sat on the edge of his bed, not bothering to switch on the lights. Kousei frowned before calmly pointing out, suppressing the powerlessness feeling inside him. 'I am asking about your brother who is my son too.'

'And I told you he is fine. Busy.'

A raised eyebrow answered the bitter tone of his son, 'Is he that busy to drop visiting us from his schedule? I know that school's work must be too much for him but it had been always like this. What had changed?'

'Nothing.'

'Kouji.'

'I said nothing, Otou-san,' answered Kouji coldly. The teen couldn't help but feel ashamed. He had been lying to his father who has every right to know what was happening to Kouichi. Both of his parents have to know…have to stop him…to save him. But what could they do in their blessed ignorance? Maybe if he didn't know what was going on, he would feel free from the guilt of not being able to stop his twin or at least to make sure he was fine. But Kouichi had asked for his trust and he promised to grant that to him.

His father didn't press much on the issue despite being aware of the strange atmosphere around his younger son whenever his brother is mentioned besides it had been a while since he heard them talking on the phone. Something must have gone wrong yet a part of him felt frustrated due to not being able to be a father to the son he left years ago. It seemed that his appearance in Kouichi's life was a side effect of the twins' meeting. Kouichi would come to his house to see his brother not to see him even if both sons' refused to put it that way as it means Kouji's visits to their mother house was for his twin not for her. Maybe that was their way in punishing them for separating them. Even if it was an unintentional or unconscious punishment, it was severely painful.

Back in his mind, he wondered if it was wise to distance himself from his elder's son life even after the reunion. He had tried to re-build what was broken between them but he neither has the chance nor the courage. Whenever Kouichi was sleeping over, he stayed with his brother or their friends. He had to wonder if he ever had the chance to talk to him alone.He would just leave it to his sons, praying that their close relationship was strong enough to stand in front of whatever problem they face.

With exasperated sigh, Kousei left the room silently, leaving his son to stare again at the nothingness.

The dead, cold dial-tone tore his heart and played roughly with his patience. Throwing his cell phone to fall on the bed was the direct reaction of his irritation after calling his brother's house for the fifth time and yet receiving no one on the other line. His mother must be in work yet shouldn't Kouichi be home by now? It had passed 11:00 p.m. He ran his fingers in his hair in frustration before letting a long-suppressed sigh.

It hadn't been the first time.

He and Kouichi barely talked few times since the last time Kouichi was sleeping over. He promised to visit him and their mother but the feeling that he would go there and find neither of them was enough to stop him from fulfilling his promise besides Kouichi didn't sound that interested in the visit. It might as well affect his new job.

He picked the mobile again and called the too familiar number to him in a hopeless attitude so he was about to jump in surprise when someone picked the phone.

'Moshi Moshi. Kimura Re-'

'Nii-san!'

'Kouji?'he seemed a tad surprised but there was no need for the question. Who on earth would call him nii-san other that Kouji? Kouji wondered.

'Are you okay?'Kouji couldn't drop the worry of his voice and instead of blaming him for not answering the phone he pressed on, 'Did you just come home?'

'I am fine and no I was sleeping. Didn't hear the phone's ring.'

'I see.'

What else could he say? Maybe that was why they barely talked lately. There had been lots of things to talk about yet there had been nothing. When Kouji dreamed of a warm talk between them, he imagined talking about school, daily incidents, and their friends whom Kouichi didn't talk to for a whole month and had been hardly getting the news about them from Kouji. There hadn't been any so it didn't matter.

'Kouji. Is something wrong?'

'No. Why would be anything be wrong?'Kouji snapped, not feeling the boiling tone of his.

'You tell me. I mean waking me up after such a long day for nothing.' Kouichi yawned at that point, 'Gomen. It had been a long day.'

'Fine I will call you later then.'

''Kaa-san wants to see you. She misses you.'

Kouji closed his eyes bitterly and replied calmly, 'Sure, Nii-san I will try to come soon. When will she and…you be free?'

The sourness of his own heart made Kouji wish to hang up. It looked like making an appointment in a worker's schedule. How could things turn this way? Being so far away and formal from each other. Twins. Weren't they supposed to be as close as they had always been? Feeling each other's pain and joy. Heck, he couldn't even tell if Kouichi is really fine or lying to him.

Kouichi didn't response immediately. He whispered softly after few tense moments. 'Don't think too much about me. Come and see our mother instead. You don't have to come for me.'

At that moment, Kouji was about to scream in the phone. His brother didn't want him to think about him.

He heaved a sigh. Life had changed as it became easier to be less worried. He would have panicked if he heard that his brother was having a long, exhausting day but now he would simply ignore it? Could a month of this rift destroy their newly-formed relation. Two years of trying to be as good as he can to suit his brother's nice and quite personality seem to mean nothing now.

"Just forget about me. Come and see her." Those words kept ringing in his ears for the next three minutes as the stillness of the atmosphere raised the volume of that internal echo.

It took him a little longer than expected to respond to his brother's tired question if he was okay. He bit his lip and answered flatly, 'I am fine. Anyway, I will call later. Go to sleep. You must be tired.'

The quick acceptance of the topic's drop tortured him, forcing him to assume that Kouichi was too tired to talk to him. His elder twin hanged up, leaving him looking at the cell phone with the annoying voice of dial tone. He breathed heavily, gritting his teeth and clenching the cell phone angrily in his fist.

This time, the cell phone wasn't lucky enough to be thrown on the bed as the cold wall turned it into several pieces seconds later.

'Why didn't you answer your cell phone?'

'Broke it.'

'Nani? Why the heck did you break your phone?'

'It doesn't matter. Why did you call? Isn't it enough to see you every day at school, Takuya?'

Such rhetorical question had been easily ignored from Takuya in the past but this time he pressed it on, 'What is wrong with you, Kouji? I mean what the hell happened to you? You have been sent into detention three times this week and now broke your cell phone.'

'Leave me alone, Takuya.' Kouji sighed and lent against the wall, pressing the phone to his ear.

'Iie. Can't drop it when you are simply drowning. Get a hold of yourself, buddy. This is not you.'

'What the heck do you know about me? You know nothing. No-one knows anything and I don't care. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore!'Kouji snapped sourly, receiving a sigh from Takuya and a sympathized reply that pushed Kouji even further.

'Oh really? You know very well that we are here for you even if you wanted to give up on us.' There was a pause before Takuya heaved a long sigh,' Besides, You promised to give him a chance then do that. You knew you would pay the price when you agreed. Besides he is not the only one who knows you, Kouji.'

The quick shift in the stream of their conversation alarmed Kouji suddenly. He refused to talk to anyone about Kouichi's new job but Takuya being Takuya kept nagging till he told him.

'I wonder if he really knows me.' Kouji said tiredly, 'he is killing himself, Takuya and I am not allowed to do anything because I should trust him. He is either asleep or out whenever I call.'

He was exaggerating, he knew that. Working in a bookshop doesn't sound too tiring but what could he think about if Kouichi seemed tired whenever he hada chance to talk to him? For him, what Kouichi was doing causing their bond to shatter slowly. The idea of asking Kouji to stay out of his decision and just to let him do what he wants to was enough to lead Kouji to wonder if his brother was sick of his over-worrying about him.

'When you call? Why didn't you go and check on him yourself? Come on, it has been always your job to make sure he is fine.'

'But.'

'Oh don't act like an idiot. Isn't one enough? Go and see him and your mother. You have been a real coward to avoid that,you know. The bandana-boy I know wouldn't let anything stand in his way to make sure that those he cares about are fine, ne?' It was easy for Kouji to feel the wide grin on Takuya's lips in his attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

Kouji didn't dare to go and visit his mother since then and even after his brief talk with Kouichi on the phone two days ago. He didn't made up his mind and it made him terribly uncomfortable. Refusing to visit his own mother just because his twin might not be there made him sick but he was used to go to see Kouichi and their mother. He sighed internally before an idea hammered up its way to his mind. It surprised him how he didn't think about such a simply and reasonably effective plan. His eyes lit at the feeling of the idea's success. He would go and see their mother then sleep over. Even if Kouichi was late, he would wait for him till he comes. Maybe what he needs was someone to remind him of how coward and unfair he was by not visiting or trying further. Trusting his twin's decision was one thing but not meeting him for the same decision wasn't accepted.

'Hey! Did you sleep or something?'

He couldn't help but answering with a smirk, 'Say that again goggle-head and you will lose your head so no one could call you goggle-head again.'

Takuya thought few precious moments about Kouji's threat before it reached his mind. He barked a laugh nervously at the image of his body without a head, preferring to change the whole topic,' Anyway, I called you because of the project. You know the English project. We should choose a certain age and apply its features on a literary work. Any ideas? Thanks God Izumi is in our group otherwise we would be lost.'

'I guess. Don't have any ideas, though. I will think about something easy and quick. We should hand the research paper, depending on the project next week. Good thing, the presentation will fall randomly on any group. We don't have to prepare much for it.'

Takuya was about to hit his head with the wall, 'Man, I completely forgot about the presentation. What should we do if we had been chosen? Izumi would kill us if we left all the work on her.'There was a pause which Kouji mentally described as the "goggle- head's scratching his head to fish for ideas" then,'Hey, Kouichi can help us with finding the right literary work to discuss. I mean he is working in a bookshop.'

'Yeah I guess. I will ask him about that.'

'Okay. Just stay cool and make sure you don't break any more phones. When will you get a new one anyway?'

'Not before my birthday.' He answered indifferently before his eyes widened at the thought. His birthday…his and Kouichi's birthday will be about few weeks from now. Few cold drops of sweet covered his forehead after he hanged up with Takuya.

Their birthday. Was it going to be as cold as the changeable relation between them now o a blissful, special event as it was supposed to be?

Part of him was too afraid to wait for an answer or to expect one…

To Be Continued

Iie:No

Otou-san:Father

'Kaa-san:mother

Gomen:sorry

Arigato:Thanks

Nani?:What?