Chapter 17: Too Late For Goodbye
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music to listen to while reading, www.listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=luGT3n3xQ8Y
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"no...no...no!" Kukkai yelled in his head as he ran to Kaidou's operation room, he flung around the door and into the room, where the only sound in the room was the sound of the flat line on the heart monitor.
"No...Kaidou" Kukkai whispered as he slowly walked to his eldest brother lying on the hospital bed, Kukkai's head went low and he leaned over the bed.
"Can't we fight and mess around one more time?" He said, trying to be strong, "Is goodbye that impossible!? Is he not able to live!? Why does this have to happen!?" Kukkai yelled, he had snapped. Shuusui put his hand on his little brothers shoulder,
"Kukkai-" he began to say. Kukkai knocked Shuusui's hand off of his shoulder,
"WHY!? Why do things have to be this way!? Why is living until you are satisfied not possible!? WHY MUST PEOPLE DIE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY DON'T DESERVE TO!?!?" He shouted at the top of his lungs and then ran out of the hospital room, he began to run down the hallway and out of the hospital. As he ran he could hear is mother calling out his name, but Kukkai kept going.
Kukkai flashed back to a time when he was little and was in the backyard playing soccer with Kaidou.
"I'll let you win this time, Kukkai but when you get older don't expect me to hold back" Kaidou said.
Kukkai nodded "of course! I'll be the best, Kaidou-san. One day I'll beat you! I'll show you brother, I'll be the best soccer player!" he yelled in excitement. Kaidou put his hand on his little brothers head,
"You have a lot of work to do then, but I don't think you'll get better than me"
"You'll see, big brother! I'll show you!" Kukkai said as he ran off to kick the ball
"I know" Kaidou said as he watched Kukkai.
Kukkai bit his lip, trying to be strong. He continued walking, remembering all the times he spent with his brother, the time they would be competitive and try to beat each other at anything, when they would fight about silly things, when Kaidou would be nice, when Kaidou would be responsible and most importantly the person who Kaidou was. To Kukkai he was the greatest role model and a good big brother.
Soon Kukkai began looking through his pockets for his phone, then he remembered that he gave it to Rento to hold onto.
"Dammit" Kukkai muttered as he kept on walking, not knowing where to go or what to do next or even, what was left for him.
Amu's phone began to ring, she ran over to get it and saw that it said Kukkai was calling, she hesitated for a moment, but then she gathered her courage and answered the phone.
"Hello? Kukkai?" She said
"Sorry, this is Rento. Kukkai is..." Rento trailed off.
"huh? Rento?" Amu got confused.
"Yeah, listen. I've picked up that you and Kukkai aren't talking, but you wouldn't know where he is would you?" Rento asked, with a completely serious voice.
"No" Amu said, there was a pause. "Wait! Kukkai is missing?" She asked quickly
"Seems like it, we haven't seen him since he ran out of the hospital after...Kaidou..." Rento trailed off
"The hospital? what happened? Are you all okay? What about Kaidou?" Amu asked, getting worried.
"A fire started at our house" Rento hesitated to continue "Kaidou got severe burns, the rest of us are okay but Kaidou, this morning...he couldn't recover." He said. Amu's eyes widened in shock. "As soon as Kukkai found out, he bolted out of the hospital, leaving his phone behind" Rento finished explaining.
"Rento, i'm so sorry" Amu said with a soft voice
"It was for the best, i guess. He's free from pain. We just all need time to wrap our heads around the fact that he is gone. Say, will you come to the funeral, Amu?" Rento asked.
Amu took a minute to answer, "I would Rento, but with the way things are, I think it would make things worse if i came, i'm sorry."
"It's okay" Rento said "can you tell us if you see Kukkai? We're worried about him"
"I will and don't worry, he'll come back. He's stronger than that"
"Right now...I don't really think so.." Rento muttered
"What?" Amu said
"oh, its nothing. bye" He said and hung up
Amu stared at her phone and flipped it shut, "Kukkai...where are you?" she whispered looking out the window.
That afternoon she filled Ikuto in on the news. Amu, Ikuto and their chara's went searching for Kukkai but couldn't find him.
He was lost. The whether began to get very cold, getting ready to snow any day now, the air temperature was much lower.
The next night, before she fell asleep, Amu looked out her window,
"Kukkai...please be safe. Please come back, everyone's worried about you" she whispered and fell asleep.
That night Ikuto was walking to his house he walked past an alleyway then came back to it, he saw someone lying on the floor. Not looking in good shape at all.
Ikuto's eyes widened in shock "Souma!"
