Cursed Love: Redemption (5)
Chapters (5):
Cursed
Illness 1: Asylum
Illness 2: Sacrifice
Illness 3: Monster
Redemption
Redemption
Kazunari slept for a few more hours. After the dream, his sleep was soothing and peaceful. When a knock came at his door again, he woke to a late morning and felt completely refreshed. All the frustration and uncertainty of the past few days had been washed away. He was determined. His mind was set on what he had to do and the strength of his mission rejuvenated him.
The knock continued with great insistence. He chose to ignore it, but belatedly remembered the hole in his door and that he’d left it unlock since yesterday’s interruption. He moved in time to see Sho stagger through. Sho vehemently shook his head to fight off his weariness and leaned against the inner wall.
“Ninomiya?” he called uncertainly, unable to focus his gaze.
“I’m here,” Kazunari answered, concerned with his presence so early in the morning. He’d never seen Sho come even close to this part of the school building, and never in such a weakened state.
“Come with me,” Sho ordered and staggered out of the room again.
Kazunari hesitated a split second, but he made up his mind and quickly followed.
Unpredictably, Sho did not head to the East Wing, but to the foyer and out the building. He went across the courtyard towards the gate. Every step he took woke him up a little more, and by the time they were halfway through the courtyard, Sho had stopped swaying. Kazunari sighted a car by the gate he guessed waited for him.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Did Satoshi tell you that Jun is in intensive care?” Sho returned the question. He rubbed his eyes to force out the remaining dregs of exhaustion.
Kazunari nodded, not certain he could voice the truth of Jun’s terminal condition without faltering.
“Satoshi’s in the emergency room,” Sho said, pronouncing the consequences of the devastation.
Kazunari paused just outside the car as Sho dived into the backseat. Sho turned back and watched him try to make sense of the news. “What happened?”
“He snuck into Jun’s room,” Sho said. “He destroyed the machines and stabbed Jun.”
“You mean…” Kazunari could not say the rest. Horrified, he froze as he stared at Sho.
Sho voiced his fear. “Satoshi tried to kill himself and Jun.”
* *
Everyone important waited outside the emergency room where both Jun and Satoshi had been wheeled into earlier. Sobbing onto her husband’s shoulder, Mrs. Ohno clung to a frustrated Mr. Ohno. Mrs. Sakurai tried to soothe a mildly hysterical Mrs. Aiba. Mr. Sakurai paced the hall. Sho stood furthest from them all and watched from a distance slumped against a wall. Kazunari hid behind him and was glad for the cover Sho willingly provided. The only one absent, he noticed, was Masaki.
“How long have they been in there?” Kazunari whispered.
Sho shook his head. “I don’t know. We’re fortunate that Satoshi’s private doctor came right away.”
“What about Jun?” Kazunari asked.
“He needs the cure,” Sho explained. “They can’t operate on him otherwise.”
“Why?” Kazunari demanded, frustrated by the current medical limitations.
Sho wearily shook his head again. “I’m not a doctor, but even I know that surgeries are risky. Not all are successful. People die during operations, Ninomiya. And Satoshi and Jun’s cases are too unique.”
Satoshi tried to take their lives because he believed finding the cure was impossible, Kazunari knew. Despite his promise to his mother, he felt fear and anxiety by the short time limit. What if Jun and Satoshi didn’t even make it off the table today? He regretted the despair he forced onto Satoshi yesterday, pushing him to take extreme actions. He should have given Satoshi hope. From behind Sho, Kazunari observed Satoshi and Jun’s parents. In his mind he told his mother, This is enough.
Sho slid to the floor and leaned back against the wall in the hall leading to the operational room. Kazunari went down beside him. He sat with one arm pressed against Sho’s and closed his eyes, wishing fervently for Satoshi and Jun’s well-being. He had to be given a chance to find a cure. Satoshi was his friend and he couldn’t let his friend down without trying.
Through the small contact of their heads and close proximity, Kazunari felt Sho quaver. Even if Sho’s outward appearance and speech appeared calm, he was just as emotionally invested. Sho eventually reached beside him and searched for Kazunari’s hand. Kazunari allowed their hands to meet and clasp. They shared each other’s strength through the physical connection.
“Can’t we do anything?” Sho whispered.
“I’m going to find the cure,” Kazunari murmured.
Sho’s voice came out hoarse as he asked quietly, “When? How much longer must we wait for a miracle?” He shuddered, the vibration wracking his entire frame. “They said it’s impossible. All of them said it was impossible.”
Time ticked away excruciatingly slow. They waited outside the emergency room for what seemed like hours. Their nerves were strung high and their energies were wrung dry. Focused on the doors of the room and beyond, they took no notice of the going ons in the rest of the hospital and its people.
When the nurses and surgeon finally emerged from the room an hour later, the visitors hastily surrounded the surgeon.
Mrs. Ohno gripped her husband’s sleeve as he demanded, “How is Satoshi and Jun?”
The surgeon bravely faced them. “Your older son took some internal damage,” she started, “but in time he’ll heal. He’ll wake in about an hour. But your youngest son--”
“What about him?” Mr. Ohno bellowed.
“He’s still in critical condition,” she informed them, sympathy immediately replacing her expression. “I didn’t think his condition would deteriorate so quickly. There’s nothing we can do to help him; not unless we can operate on him. If we don’t, then he might not wake tonight. Or ever.”
Mrs. Ohno wailed, fell back and fainted. Fortunately Mrs. Sakurai caught her.
Squeezing Kazunari’s hand, Sho bounded to his feet, dragging Kazunari up as well. He sharply turned and pulled them away before they were noticed. His fingers, closed over Kazunari’s, had gone clammy and cold. Although his steeled expression revealed nothing about his inner turmoil, through the contact Kazunari felt the strong tremors that overwhelmed him. They traveled aimlessly down the corridors and down a few floors.
Away from his family, suddenly Sho stopped and pressed his forehead against a wall. Next to him, Kazunari stood stiffly, mercifully struck dumb. He stared into space at a loss of what to say. The surgeon’s warning echoed in his mind. Jun may only have a few more hours to live.
How was he supposed to save them in time?
Sho shook his head, scraping his forehead against the wall. “You can’t die before me, Jun,” he whispered. “You can’t die before me. You can’t.”
Kazunari heard him and felt Sho’s grip on his hand become painfully tight. He tried to pull their hands apart, but Sho’s death-like hold of him did not budge. Kazunari winced. The ringing sound of an alarm set off. Sho made no effort to handle his phone. He seemed to not even notice. Unnerved by the earlier announcement and Sho’s oblivious attitude, Kazunari’s wits returned. He averted his eyes and glanced out the windows lining the opposite wall. Daylight and beautiful blue skies greeted him, but the blinding rays of the sun appalled him. The sirens of Sho’s alarm continued to ring as Kazunari realized it was noon.
Twisting back around, he pounded on Sho’s back with his other fist. “Where’s your medicine!?” he demanded. The Sun continued to be inattentive, distracted by the surgeon’s announcement. Kazunari screamed, “Sakurai, you’re out of time!”
As if on cue, Sho slumped against the wall and clutched his head. He shrieked, a terrifying cry that reverberated through the hall and struck terror into the hearts of every person who heard it. Kazunari braced to jump on him and wrestle him to the ground. He knew he couldn’t hold Sho down alone, but he had to try.
A larger man rammed them from behind and knocked Kazunari off his feet. On the ground he turned to see Mr. Sakurai trapping his son’s arms to his sides and ramming his own fist into his son’s mouth to stop the screams. The older man winced as Sho’s teeth bit down on his flesh.
“Help me move him!” Mr. Sakurai commanded.
Kazunari crouched and dived for Sho’s thrashing legs. Using all his strength, he managed to hold them together. With Mr. Sakurai’s help, they lifted Sho off the ground and proceeded to the nearest, empty room. Once inside, Kazunari locked the door behind them. Mr. Sakurai slammed his son onto the bed. He pulled out the bed lining and threw it to Kazunari.
“I need strips to tie him down!”
Without an object jammed in his mouth, Sho shrieked again.
After he’d rip enough strips, Kazunari was ordered to stuff the rest of the linen into Sho’s mouth. Sho bit him a few times and his teeth scraped across Kazunari’s skin, drawing blood. Kazunari ignored his scratches and helped Mr. Sakurai to secure Sho against the bed. They tied his limbs apart against the metal bedframes. The scabs on Sho’s wrists ripped open once more. Kazunari watched as blood stained the white strips and each and every mark seemed to sear into him as well. Unwarranted, tears clouded his vision. He called out to Sho just as Masaki had done.
“It’s me, Sakurai,” he murmured hoarsely. “Stop. You’re hurting yourself.”
“You’re Kazunari Ninomiya,” Mr. Sakurai said from a distance. “Don’t watch him. My son has a lot of pride.”
Kazunari shook his head. He couldn’t look away, even if he wanted to. He saw the strips of bed linen around Sho’s wrists drip dark red blood and hot tears burned down his cheeks. He hurt to see the madness that replaced the intelligent spark in Sho’s eyes. He tried to find breath.
How would he cure all of them? What if Jun died? What if Satoshi tried to commit suicide again? What if he couldn’t save Sho? How much more pain and suffering would Masaki have to go through?
Restrained and unable to scream, Sho’s banged his head against the hard bed. Mr. Sakurai rushed forward to pin his head back. Kazunari covered his mouth with his hands and turned his back on Sho. He stopped a sob from erupting from his throat. His knees buckled and he sank to the floor, the sight of an internally crying Sho at his back. His nerves already weak and his strength utterly depleted, Kazunari wept into his hands. His nails dug into his face in his frustration.
He had to hurry. He commanded his brain to think and strained his mind for answers. What could be the cure? What if his mother forgave them? What if their fathers forgave his mother? Or their mothers forgave his mother for cursing their sons? What if they went back to the place where it all started? Or what if they returned to his mother what she had lost? What if Kazunari accepted his inheritance and regained his birthright? If then, would the Suns’ curses fall away? Would he be able to save them?
But what if there was really no cure? What if all of them died?
His optimism that morning seemed light years away.
Kazunari felt a hand at his back, gently pounding his sobs out of him.
“Sho will be okay,” Mr. Sakurai assured him.
“You don’t understand,” Kazunari hissed, almost choking on his angry retort. “None of you do! They’re innocent. All of them. Why do they have to suffer? You haven’t done anything to help. Why aren’t you trying to save him? Why haven’t any of you done anything to help them?”
Frowning, Mr. Sakurai dropped his hand to the ground. “We found them the best doctors in the world. They all said--”
Kazunari jumped to his feet and glared down at Sho’s father. “You haven’t done anything! You haven’t tried! You don’t deserve to be forgiven!”
Mr. Sakurai slowly stood on his feet. His face turned red and his hands fisted as he tried to hold his anger. “I gave my son everything.”
Kazunari felt like spitting into his face. He didn’t. “Not enough!” he screamed. “Not your life!”
He stormed out of the room and refrained from seeing Sho tethered to the bed like a monstrous creature.
* *
Kazunari found a closet and crammed himself into the occupied space. He wanted to hide from the strength of the sun and refreshing breeze outside, waving through the windows. He wanted to hide from the light in the halls and the people. He wanted the coolness of darkness to wrap around him. He curled in the small space afforded him and thought.
He did not want to forgive Mr. Sakurai, or Mr. Ohno, or Masaki’s mother. None of them deserved to be forgiven. None of them had reflected on and regretted what they had done. Not even his father. Giving him a part of the Aiba inheritance meant nothing. Mr. Aiba didn’t even have the decency to approach his illegitimate son and the love of his life to apologize for his cowardness. Death did not make him a better man.
Kazunari wished he had the divine strength to forgive them, but he did not. No, he only wished he had the strength to protect the Suns. He rubbed the scar on his arm.
With a hard smile, he thought back to a time when the horrors had only been something he could have imagined in the worst of nightmares.
“Let’s be friends,” Satoshi had blurted. “...I’ll be your first friend. Tell Masaki that I’m first.”
Satoshi’s words echoed in Kazunari’s mind. He knew Satoshi may be considered a selfish, spoiled, prince, but the oldest Sun was almost one of the most selfless. He was one of the sweetest. And Jun knew and loved him for that. Only Jun who had lived because of Satoshi’s selflessness truly understood the sacrifice.
Kazunari’s head fell onto his arms that hugged around himself. His mother’s curse would destroy two suns tonight and two more in the future. Exhausted, his heart crushed, again he wept.
* *
Satoshi had been moved into a private room. Kazunari had only to see the hoard of bodyguards blocking the space of the corridor outside to know where Satoshi had been relocated. Without hesitation, he walked towards the room. The men recognized him and parted. They lined the door. Kazunari knocked twice. No one answered from beyond. He turned the knob and found it unlocked. He proceeded inside.
The ward he stepped into was spacious. Soft couches lined the walls. Satoshi rested in a comfortable bed between two windows. He had woken half an hour ago, but made no effort to speak or move. Bedridden, he blinked up at the ceiling with glazed eyes. Mrs. Ohno slept on a couch. Mr. Ohno stood facing an elderly man in a starched gray suit. None of them had heard him enter.
“Grandfather, I’m going to stay with Jun. Please stay with Satoshi’s mother.”
The elderly man shook his head. “I don’t think it wise to not take her with you. If my heir passes tonight, she’ll want to be there.”
“No, she can’t,” Mr. Ohno immediately rejected. “She has to keep an eye on Satoshi. Satoshi can’t be there or anywhere near Jun. Especially not when it happens.”
Mr. Matsumoto, Jun’s grandfather, sighed.
Mr. Ohno respectfully bowed to his father-in-law. “I will take my leave.”
He turned and started when he saw Kazunari standing silently by the doorway. His tired eyes roamed Kazunari’s face and recognized the features that gave his identity away. Kazunari straightened proudly, straight and tall under his scrutiny. Mr. Ohno said nothing to reveal his knowledge, even though both knew he recognized the child of his past victim. Kazunari and he measured each other across the room.
Finally, Mr. Ohno dropped his eyes. He walked around Kazunari and out the door without a single word. Or an apology.
Kazunari clenched his teeth and kept his silence. His harsh glare focused on the elderly Matsumoto who observed him curiously.
“Why are you here, child?” he asked.
At once, Satoshi stirred. “Nino,” he said.
Kazunari ignored Mr. Matsumoto and walked to the bed. Satoshi continued to stare with unseeing eyes up at the ceiling. Kazunari reached for his hand and clasped the cold fingers. “I’m here with you,” he murmured.
Satoshi blinked again and his eyes finally focused on the blankness of the white ceiling; a bleak canvas of nothingness. His bottom lip trembled. His voice as he spoke was a soft whisper. “They took Jun away. They said he was a Matsumoto, that’s why he couldn’t live with me. But he is still my brother.” Tears welled in his eyes and slide down the side of his face. “Jun is my brother, Nino. They took him away back then. And they’re separating us again. N-nino… I w-want to be with Jun. I-I want t-to see Jun.”
His other hand dashed at the tears in his eyes. He fought to breathe and speak again and Kazunari allowed him to catch his breath. “N-nino, I am c-cursed.” He broke into gasping sobs.
Kazunari felt despair close in around him again. His gut wrenching, his own breathing hard, he released Satoshi’s hand. He went to his knees beside Satoshi’s bed. Their parents had hurt his mother and she had taken her cruel revenge on their children; a twisted, merciless justice that had destroyed the innocence of these boys. Now, it would take away their lives. Kazunari bowed his head and closed his eyes.
“Forgive my mom,” he murmured. “Forgive me.”
Satoshi took a deep breath in an attempt to ease away his sobs. Shaking his head, he pushed onto his elbows and tried to push himself upright. His gasped at the pain in his side.
Kazunari continued, “Your father hurt my mom, and she is no longer alive to forgive him. But she has hurt you too. Please, forgive her.”
Satoshi leaned back against his pillows. “H-how can I? She’s going to take Jun away from me.”
Kazunari strengthened his voice and went on. “Forgive me for not finding a cure. For not being able to undo my mom’s curse. For not being able to save Jun. Even though you are my first friend at school and were kind to me.”
Satoshi closed his tired eyes and stiffled a sob. “D-don’t kneel.”
“Forgive my mom. Forgive me,” Kazunari repeated.
“Get up,” Satoshi whispered.
This time, Kazunari slowly rose from the floor. His knees ached, but he ignored the discomfort. His gaze riveted on Satoshi’s pale, tear streaked face. Satoshi raised his hand and understanding his motive, Kazunari stepped closer and reached for his hand again. Again, their hands met. But Satoshi’s nails suddenly sank into the soft flesh of Kazunari’s palm and haltingly dragged across. Kazunari started at the pain. His mouth opened in silent agony as Satoshi drew blood.
All of a sudden, the Sun released him again. Kazunari teetered on the edge of relief and pain. He blinked rapidly, trying to ignore the fresh burning of his skin. And for some reason as Satoshi opened his eyes and met his, he understood what Satoshi had done; he had passed on his physical pain, pain he could not feel because of a curse.
“Now do you know?” Satoshi whispered.
Kazunari withdrew his hand and pressed the bloodied palm to his chest. He could smell the iron scent of his own blood. To Satoshi’s question, he nodded because he did understand the action in its entirety. His mother had protected her own son when mercilessly hurting another person’s son, not understanding that they too were loved.
Satoshi closed his swollen eyes again and sighed against his pillow. “If I forgive your mother, will Jun and I be free? Will he and I be able to leave together? Can we leave everything behind? Will we be happy in another life? Then I forgive your mother. I can forgive her. And you too, Nino. I forgave you a long time ago.”
The windows and doors were closed, but a gust of wind rushed in from nowhere. It flitted throughout the room. It wrapped around Satoshi and Kazunari, brushing across their cheeks and running through their hair. Satoshi’s back straightened and he sat forward to take a deep breath of the fresh breeze. Kazunari did the same.
Satoshi froze as the wind dissipated. Kazunari watched him worriedly as he flexed his own hands. He reached for the needle in his arm and wrenched it out, grunting from the pain.
“What are you doing!?” Horrified, Kazunari ran forward to take the needle. Was Satoshi attempting to commit suicide again?
“Satoshi!” Mr. Matsumoto barked from behind him.
Satoshi shoved Kazunari away with a shoulder and drew the sharp tip across his forearm. A line of blood welled from the long scratch.
“Ohno!” Kazunari screamed, scrambling to reach the needle. As Satoshi froze once more, Kazunari snatched the drip away. He panted as he angrily assessed Satoshi’s wound. Mr. Matsumoto’s gasp disconcerted him, but he dismissed it. Blood poured down Satoshi’s arm. “Ohno, what have you done?” To his dismay, Satoshi did not seem to understand the horror of his actions. Instead, the Sun burst into tears again.
Satoshi touched his wound, disbelief and relief widening his eyes. “I feel it.”
“We need to wrap it!” Kazunari said, throwing the needle aside.
Satoshi ignored him and wrapped his arms around himself as he cried. “It’s gone. It’s really gone. I f-feel weightless. I-it’s gone. I-I’m free.”
The truth struck Kazunari. His eyes flashed to the cut again. The needle had not disappeared into Satoshi’s skin as it should. It had cut into him; drew blood. On the bed, Satoshi rocked back and forth, self-absorbed, his arms still hugged tightly around himself as more tears spilled down his cheeks.
“J-jun, I’m free,” he sobbed.
On the couch, Mrs. Ohno mumbled and stirred. The door to the ward opened and someone stepped in. His gaze still riveted on Satoshi, Kazunari did not turn around to see who had intruded on this momentous moment. He heard a gruff voice, one of the bodyguards say, “The young master Jun is awake.”
Satoshi’s head snapped up and he stared beyond Kazunari’s shoulder at the bodyguard, disbelief once more on his face.
“He wants to speak to you,” the bodyguard said. He glanced at Mr. Matsumoto who nodded his approval then approached the bed. He walked around Kazunari and to Satoshi’s side. The man unwound the watch around his wrist, opened a latch to reveal the cleverly hidden communication device, and placed the object in his young master’s lap.
“J-jun?” Satoshi cautiously asked.
Jun’s voice came as a croak, but it unmistakably belonged to the younger brother. “Satoshi…”
“Jun,” Satoshi repeated.
“I…” Jun swallowed. “I’m free.”
Satoshi closed his eyes and tears of relief joined the trail etched down his face. Kazunari saw peace overcome Satoshi’s expression. At last, Satoshi Ohno and Jun Matsumoto were free.
* *
Jun lay on the stretcher being wheeled into the operation room. Satoshi’s hands were entwined in his and he walked alongside the stretcher. They looked into each other’s eyes and nowhere else. Love, loyalty, and trust swam in the brown pupils of their eyes. They did not break apart, not until Jun disappeared beyond the operation doors. Satoshi sat on a chair lined against the walls, but his eyes never moved from the doors.
Mr. Ohno, Mrs. Ohno, and the elderly Mr. Matsumoto stepped in and blocked Kazunari’s view. Mr. Matsumoto remembered him and turned back to see him standing a few meters behind them, respectfully declining to intrude on the magical moment. The elderly man bowed his head to Kazunari. His silent thanks traveled across the distance.
Kazunari wished Satoshi and Jun complete happiness. He knew they would face difficult challenges in the future, but this obstacle had prepared them for anything else they may encounter. They had each other.
He inclined his head to Mr. Matsumoto again and turned to head down the opposite hall. His steps were strong and purposeful.
* *
Sho sat alone on a bench in the vast courtyard behind the hospital. The heavy bandages around his wrists and dark smudges under his eyes warded off curious eyes. Patients walked around, some with friends, enjoying the cool outdoor evening. Sho leaned back against the bench and his head rolled to one side. His tired eyes blinked slowly. Exhaustion and lack of sleep made him drowsy. Kazunari stealthily moved to sit beside him. The barest movement jerked Sho awake and he snapped out of his exhaustion induced sleep.
“If you’re tired, you should sleep,” Kazunari said.
Sho leaned forward into his hands and rubbed at his eyes. “No.”
“You’ve been through a lot today, and yesterday, and all the days before,” Kazunari said.
Sho sighed and leaned back against the bench again. Despite his best efforts, his eyes were closing again. “I’m tired everyday,” he mumbled sleepily, “For many years now, I’ve always been tired.” He slumped sideways and almost fell over away from Kazunari towards the opposite edge.
Kazunari pulled him upright again. “Sleep can help your body to heal.”
Sho fell sideways towards him this time. “But I don’t want to sleep. I want to stay awake. I want to live as much as I can. Before it’s too late.”
Pain gripped Kazunari’s heart and squeezed. Sho’s head fell on his shoulder, but he did not move away. He allowed the Sun to use his shoulder as a headrest. “Where are your parents?”
It took a moment for Sho to sort through his muddled thoughts. Eventually, he forced out between his teeth, “Returned to work.”
“Then why are you still here? You should have gone home, or back to school. You need to rest.”
Sho hummed. “You.”
“Me?”
“You don’t have a ride.”
Warmth filled Kazunari from the tip of his toes all the way up. He rubbed the scar on his forearm, and then he reached out to press gentle fingers to the bandages around Sho’s nearest arm. Even though his touch was featherlight, Sho hissed.
Kazunari withdrew his hand and changed the subject. “Did you hear about Ohno and Matsumoto?”
Sho took a slow, deep breath. “Cured.”
“That’s right,” Kazunari concurred, marveling at the speed of the news traveling between the families. “I don’t know how it happened, but I have a theory. You can be cured, Sakurai.”
Sho struggled to wake, but he did not move his head from Kazunari’s shoulder. “I want to be cured. I want to be free too, but how?”
Kazunari stared into the distance and saw the sun setting beyond the fanciful trees that fenced in the courtyard. He remembered that he had seen the sun rise beyond the East Tower just that morning. The beginning of a new day and the ending of that day; a day that changed everything. Hope, real hope, had shed light on his doubts at last. The darkness and despair of just a few hours ago, of yesterday and the days before, fled before the glow. He could truly smile again.
“Remember,” Kazunari started, “I asked you if you will continue to hate me? What did you say?”
Sho did not answer. Afraid he had fallen asleep, although he had encouraged Sho to sleep just moments ago, Kazunari gently shook his shoulder.
Sho grunted. “I don’t hate you.” He sighed and moved against Kazunari’s shoulder. “I still don’t hate you.”
“What about my mom?”
Sho stiffened and kept silent.
“Can you forgive her?”
Sho shook his head. Kazunari felt his movements through his arm. He reached across and fingered Sho’s bandages again. “I want you to forgive her.”
Again Sho shook his head. “I can’t. She took away the most important thing from me.”
“Yes, you can,” Kazunari urged. His hand traveled down and he gripped Sho’s hand tightly in his. He felt an oncoming headache. Soft voices whispered in his head. He winced at the pricks in his mind.
“I can’t,” Sho repeated in a whisper.
Kazunari delivered the finishing blow. “You are incorrect. Someday, you will forgive her, Sakurai. Because you forgave me for running away. Because you are still my friend.”
He waited. Sho did not deny anything he said. Neither did he move.
Finally, Sho conceded in the softest of murmurs, almost inaudible, “Maybe one day. Maybe I can.”
In the silence and stillness that followed his confession, their arms pressed together, a fresh breeze gathered around them. The voices in Kazunari’s head intensified until the garbled voices exploded into shouts. He felt Sho slump against him until he felt nothing at all. He saw nothing. His mind split as darkness and chaos took over. Kazunari screamed at the spirits to leave him alone. His words made no sense. He screamed until his throat seemed to tear. The voices in his head laughed at him. He felt himself fall deeper into a hole of anguish, despair, and never-ending torture. The spirits just laughed harder.
His eyes snapped back to the present. He focused on a concerned face peering down at him, gripping his shoulders. Kazunari found he was panting.
“A-are you okay, sir?” the stranger asked. “Y-you were screaming. I thought you were in pain.”
Kazunari felt sweat on his brow. With shaking fingers he touched his temple. He had just had a taste of insanity. He noticed the heaviness on his lap and saw that Sho had fallen over asleep on him. Somehow, Kazunari had not managed to buck him off during the split second of his madness.
“I’m fine,” Kazunari told the stranger that frowned down at him.
The stranger did not look assured, but he nodded and moved back to help a patient he knew back into the hospital building.
Kazunari took a few deep breaths. He tried to steady his pounding heart. He was eternally grateful he did not have to suffer through such madness everyday. The thought caused his eyes to travel back to Sho. To his surprise and relief, Sho slept heavily. A peaceful smile, reminiscent from their childhood, turned up Sho’s lips. Kazunari had not seen him smile for such a long time. Warmth eased into him and dissolved the chill that the madness had brought. Involuntarily, he traced the scar on his arm again.
“Are you free at last?” he whispered.
* *
Night had fallen. On the way back to Kitagawa Academy, Kazunari sat beside the sleeping Sho in the car and looked out the window in thought. He thought about forgiveness and his own stubbornness, his inability to forgive the previous Suns. He recalled his embittered vow made in the darkened closet and realized its coldness. He thought about his father, Aiba, and the man’s half-hearted attempt to apologize for taking everything away from his mother. He thought about how it had all began and was ending. He knew that it had nothing to do with him. It was the strength of the Suns and their struggle to move forward. They changed their own fates. Probably, with the resources they had, they could change the world. Kazunari was only a pawn in that destiny. He wondered at the contentedness that embraced him at that thought. He did not covet much. He appreciated the life of a common man.
Once they reached the gate of the academy, Kazunari tucked Sho’s phone back into his jacket. He had used the phone to call their driver. Now, he turned to directly speak to the man upfront.
“I’ll leave him in your care. Please take Sakurai back to his family home and help him to bed. You have to force him to rest even if he becomes sick of it. Don’t let him return until he’s completely healed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replied. “I’ll do my best for my young master.”
“One more thing,” Kazunari said.
The driver waited expectantly.
“If you can send a message to your master, Chairman Sakurai, for me. Tell him Ninomiya Kazunari is sorry and thankful for all the things he’s done for me and my mother over the years. Thanks for caring for my mother and me. Tell him thanks for helping me stay in this school and that he doesn’t have to worry anymore.”
“I’ll do my best to remember, sir,” the man said.
Satisfied, Kazunari stepped back from the vehicle and watched it drive away.
His one and only childhood friend had grown up to be a determined, willful boy, and he knew Sho would one day become a great man; greater than his own father. It was a pity he wouldn’t see it. His gut wrenched at the thought, but he forcibly dismissed the feeling.
Kazunari waited until the car disappeared around a corner before walking through the gates of the academy.
* *
The first thing Kazunari noticed when walking into the Headmaster’s office was that half the furnishings were gone, but the essential items remained. He knew, from rumors he had heard on his way there, that Kitagawa had been forced to auction off numerous valuable items to pay off his debts. The big three had withdrawn their investments in the school and sold their shares, leaving the school and Kitagawa’s coffers bereft.
Kitagawa sat at his desk, his chair turned away from the door as usual.
“I had a guess you would be returning,” he said. “I dismissed Sasaki and wriggled my way out of Ohno’s deathlike grip, but they have squeezed everything out of me. This academy will fall into ruin within a month. I am tired. If you remember my proposal and have agreed to join with me, then I will be glad to have your partnership. But if you refuse, all you need to do is walk out.”
“I will appreciate you turning around to face me,” Kazunari said.
Kitagawa hesitated. A few seconds later, he reluctantly swiveled around in his chair. Kazunari saw the familiar face of a janitor he had come to like. He braced himself and asked, “You tricked me into believing you were Kagawa. Why?”
Kitagawa’s mouth thinned as he graced Kazunari with a wry expression. “I did not attempt to make a fool out of you. You mistake my intentions.” He heaved a sigh and folded hands on his desk. “I wanted to be closer to you. That was the only way I knew how to approach you without you second guessing my motives.”
“Wasn’t it just because I am useful to you?”
Again, Kitagawa sighed. “I make no excuses. That was part of the reason. I wanted your help. But also, the Kitagawa family’s mission was to create a welcoming and friendly educational environment. That was our goal when we created this school many years ago. My great-great-grandfathers accomplished that by establishing a close relationship with the pupils and spreading peace among the students. It was not until the Ohno, Aiba, and Sakurai groups gained influence over this school that this academy became a corrupted place for the privileged. I wished to become closer to you because you were not one of them; you were not a blind admirer of the Suns and their twisted principle.”
“It’s hard to believe you when you disguised yourself as Kagawa,” Kazunari said.
“I won’t force you to believe me,” Kitagawa conceded. “Believe what you want.”
Kazunari watched the Headmaster and saw no sly glint or calculation in his eyes. He was not like his former assistant Sasaki. Kitagawa was not wholly innocent of the crimes committed within the school, yet he was far from vile like Sasaki. Kazunari gratefully knew Kitagawa was a man who could bring change.
“I’m quitting Kitagawa Academy,” he announced.
Kitagawa did not appear startled. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”
“I decided that I’m going to hire a lawyer,” Kazunari continued as if he had not spoken. “I’m going to claim my inheritance from my father. Only the money, that is. I have no one else except myself and I’m not going to stubbornly reject outside help. Anyway, my mom would have wanted me to take what’s rightfully mines. This is the least my father owed me. With this, I can cleanly sever all ties with the families of the Suns.”
Kitagawa snorted, but offered nothing more intelligible.
Kazunari continued, “I won’t leave Japan, but I’m going somewhere far where I can start over.”
“Is that all?” Kitagawa asked, his voice somber and tired.
“I think you can start over with the Suns too,” Kazunari pushed on. He gained Kitagawa’s interest and proceeded to voice his thoughts. “You made a mistake when you dealt with the Fifth Generation of Suns, Headmaster. You assumed they were just like their fathers and the previous Suns. But they’re not. Hot blood runs through their veins. They may be arrogant, jerks, and unkind, but they can also be kind and generous when they want. They are smart. Most importantly, they are the heirs of the big three and the Matsumoto group. So they may also be the future of Kitagawa Academy.”
Kitagawa leaned forward in his chair. “What is your meaning?”
“I mean,” Kazunari said, “You have been fighting Director Ohno, Sakurai, and Aiba through these Suns. If you reach out to the current Suns as the individuals that they are, if you can be shrewd enough to elicit their support, then I’m sure Sakurai Sho will find a way to save this academy. You have your chance to create a new partnership.”
A smile turned up Kitagawa’s lips, but it did not reach his eyes. “You’re telling me to negotiate with children?”
“In a few years, Aiba Masaki will take over as Chairman of his company. One day, they will become powerful men. Don’t underestimate any of them. As you had done.”
Kitagawa leaned back in his chair. He heaved another heavy sigh. “Is that all?”
Kazunari did not wait to be dismissed. He stepped to the door. “I appreciated your friendship as Kagawa. Thank you.”
He walked out.
Kitagawa sighed again and leaned forward into his hands.
* *
Kazunari knew where Masaki would be. In the East chamber, he climbed the stairs to the pet room on the second floor. Inside, he walked around the marsh he had fallen into during his first time there and entered the artificial forest. Graveyards were scattered haphazardly beyond the trees. Near a freshly dug graveyard, Kazunari sighted a lump. He approached it.
Masaki curled on his side in the dirt next to the headstone. He did not stir even as Kazunari sat beside him. But he was awake.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“Matsumoto will live. Ohno is watching over him. I sent Sakurai home to rest for a few weeks, I hope,” Kazunari gave the news. He sat crosslegged next to Masaki and waited for a response.
“Why are you here?” Masaki asked again.
Kazunari tentatively reached out and touched Masaki’s shoulder. The Sun shuddered, but did not shake him off. “Aiba, will you listen to me?”
“I am listening,” Masaki sulked.
“Sit up and look at me.”
“I am a monster. You should not breathe the same air as me or I’ll taint you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kazunari retorted, steadily losing his patience. “It’s never affected me before. It won’t ever because you’re not a monster.”
Masaki curled into a tighter ball. His voice softened. “I hurt them, Nino. They’re my friends and yet just so that I can live, I take away their lives. I’m not like Satoshi, Jun, or Sho. I kill. I kill my pets and I drink their blood.” He shuddered again. “My mother told you that I tried to drink my blood once. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I thought if only I needed to drink blood, then I could drink my own. But it almost killed me. My own blood, no, human blood is poison to me. Only I am a true monster.”
Kazunari knew he could not change Masaki’s mind like this. He unwound his legs and laid on his side next to Masaki until they were leveled facing each other. Kazunari’s eyes drank in Masaki’s handsome face smudged with dirt. He saw the dark rings under Masaki’s eyes. His own heart wrenched at the sight. His voice turned into a whisper similar to the Sun’s. “Then from now on, you will change. You will atone for every kill. You will love all and every single animal you see, not only your pets.:
Masaki opened his eyes and blinked at Kazunari a mere centimeters away. “But when my cravings come back, then I will hurt them again.”
“It won’t. Your illness will go away completely.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It is,” Kazunari told him. “You’ll be cured.”
“I can’t,” Masaki stubbornly argued.
Kazunari reached over and touched Masaki’s face. He smoothed his thumb in circles over the Sun’s cheeks, rubbing away a patch of dirt. “Aiba, you once said you forgave me because I had nothing to do with what our parents did. Does that extend to the curse too?”
Masaki slightly shook his head. “I’ve never blamed you for the curse.”
“What about my mom? Do you blame her for the curse too?”
Masaki tentatively reached up with dirt and blood encrusted hands to grasp Kazunari’s hand on his face. “I used to. Back then. I also told you I no longer believe it’s a curse. It’s what we owe because of what our fathers did.”
Kazunari studied his face and saw the innocence in his eyes. “There’s so much you don’t know.”
Masaki’s brows knitted together, but he did not ask Kazunari to elaborate.
“Aiba, can you forgive my mom for hurting you?”
“She hurt my mother. She never hurt me.
“Can you forgive her for cursing you?”
“For what we deserve? I can forgive her for that. Just that.”
Kazunari smiled. “That’s good enough.”
This time, Masaki frowned. “What do you mean?”
Instead of answering, Kazunari moved closer to him and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. They lay on their sides, connected by their soft touches. Kazunari strived to touch him further, deeper. He parted his lips slightly. His heart painfully thumping against his chest, the tip of his tongue dabbed out to touch the cleft between Masaki’s lips. With a groan, Masaki dropped Kazunari’s hand and pulled them closer until their bodies touched. He parted his lips and allowed their mouths to dance, to taste each other. Fire burned from within their bodies.
It was only as Masaki rained kisses across Kazunari’s face did he taste the salty tears on Kazunari’s cheeks. He tried to pull away, but Kazunari did not allow him to. He pulled Masaki back, pushed the Sun onto his back and straddled him. He buried his face in the Sun’s neck. He pushed aside Masaki’s collar and licked a line along his nape. Masaki felt searing pain arc through his body as Kazunari bit down on his flesh. His back arched from the pain, but his arms encircled the smaller body straddling him. He felt coldness and warmth twist into one.
Kazunari sunk his teeth into Masaki’s neck until he tasted the sweet and iron blood of the Sun. Then he settled back and gently licked Masaki’s wound. He could taste his own tears mixing with the blood. He forced himself to laugh. “S-see? I-it’s n-not poison. It’s the b-blood of a human.”
A wind in the enclosed chamber wafted through the forest and wrapped around them, gently lifting their hair. Masaki took a deep breath of the fresh air. A burden lifted from his body. He felt weightless. He stared up at the canopy of branches above him in wonder.
Kazunari swallowed Masaki’s blood on his tongue. “This is your blood. It’s… my blood.” He had to stop so he could breathe through his tears. He thought his heart might really stop. “We’re b-brothers, Aiba.” He nestled his face into Masaki’s neck and reached up to blindly caress Masaki’s face. “But I d-did love you. I r-really did. You are my f-first love.”
Masaki’s view of the green branches waving above him blurred as his own tears fell down the side of his face. He knew Kazunari’s meaning, could understand the implications through his stuttering words. He felt Kazunari’s body, pressing down on him, tremble as it became wracked by his sobs.
“One d-day, you’ll f-find the l-love of your life,” Kazunari cried. “A-and you’ll b-be happ-py. T-truly happy. You m-must be.”
Masaki wrapped his arms tighter around his brother; his younger brother. His body also shook with his sobs.
“Y-you’re free,” Kazunari said.
In the forest, they held each other as they continued to shed their tears. Much later, Kazunari finally broke away and left Masaki alone in the forest and pet room. Masaki did not follow him.
* *
He hired a lawyer and dropped out of Kitagawa Academy. With just a few weeks left his lawyer was able to convince the administration to let him graduate out of his junior year.
He acquired his inheritance without much trouble. All other assets he sold back to the family and took the money.
He moved out of the city and to the countryside.
He bought a small patch of land and a small and comfortable house.
He invested in stocks and hired a stock broker.
He consulted business professionals and financed entrepreneurs.
His school credits, transferred over, allowed him to complete his senior year in one of the smaller domestically owned schools.
He lived a comfortable, secluded, but lonely life in his little house in the countryside. He sometimes met with his neighbors at the farmers’ market, and many of them took pity on him because of his youth and took him under their wing, but he never encouraged the relationship. He had a dog to keep him company and that was all.
On the national news, he often heard snippets about the Ohno, Aiba, Sakurai, and Matsumoto corporations. To his satisfaction, Kitagawa Academy, with investments from anonymous shareholders, had not fallen and was climbing up to success again. Kazunari had no doubt who were behind the achievement.
He turned eighteen and then nineteen. His business associates, who traveled all the way to his secluded lodgings at least once a month always came with objects he had commissioned them to buy from the city. He had desktops, laptops, numerous game systems, an assortment of musical instruments, sports equipment, technical gadgets, household furniture, kitchen appliances, and much more including miscellaneous toys. They could never understand why he needed these many objects since only he used them. He had no one to even play with, except for them whenever they visited him.
In a matter of one and a half years, he had established himself as an eccentric and recluse. His associates were mistakenly led to believe that he enjoyed his solitude.
Once again, Kazunari lived a quiet life without human friends. But he had his memories and he wondered how he would survive the rest of his existence with only the recollection of warmth. Every night, he dreamed familiar faces. He understood the emptiness of his future. A few months in Kitagawa Academy had changed his entire outlook on life.
Kazunari longed for life again, but he had no idea where to begin or to find it. He wanted his friends, but he had willingly severed all ties and was fool enough to not reconstruct the bridges. Months and months of disconnection separated them. He wondered if in his existence he would find a beam of light again.
* *
One early summer morning, Kazunari kicked the drunken ceo of an upstart small business, of which he had invested in and helped grow, out of his house. The man was five years older than him and an annoyance when drunk. Kazunari slammed the door shut as soon as he saw the man fall into the driveway. He knew the ceo would find his way to his car and back to the city somehow. Or he’d probably sleep in his car until morning. That was fine was Kazunari. The summer night was warm anyway. And it was already two in the morning. The summer sky would lighten soon.
Kazunari turned off all the lights inside his home, made sure his security was armed, and made his way to his bedroom. The short journey was difficult. His small house was cramped with all the objects he had accumulated over the past few months. There was barely room for guests to sit. Sometimes he had to invite them into his bedroom to sit on his bed when there were more than two guests. Unfortunately all of them had promised him an extravagant present on his impending twentieth birthday. He was coming-of-age, they reasoned. He could finally, legally, drink. That was the least they could do.
Kazunari wondered what else they could throw at him that he didn’t already have. He knew there wasn’t much. He had everything a person living alone could ever want. And more. He lived a life vastly different from before his time at Kitagawa Academy. He had money and he was making still more vast amounts of money that would allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Poverty was only a distant nightmare of the past.
Then why was he so unhappy?
Lying on his back on the bed, his thoughts were interrupted by an urgent knock on his door. He ignored it. It was probably the ceo, come back to sift through Kazunari’s empty refrigerator. The man was always hungry when drunk. Kazunari turned on his side and kicked away his bedcovers. Summer nights in the countryside were damn hot.
The knock came again, as urgent as before. Kazunari pulled a pillow over his ear and tried to fall asleep. He heard the knocks again and he grunted in irritation, but did not move to open his door. In time, the interruption would stop.
“Unarm security,” the robotic voice of his security system bellowed. “Security is now unarmed.”
Kazunari threw back his pillow and sat up in alarm. How was that possible? He heard his back door open and shut. His dog, fallen asleep in the kitchen, barked and then snarled at someone inside his home. Kazunari grabbed the baseball bat against his closet and slipped out of his room. His toe stubbed on something and he mentally cursed every object in his messy house as he endured the pain. His dog had stopped barking and was whining in pleasure. Why?
Kazunari did not enter the kitchen where his damned dog had submitted to the terrifying intruder. He edged towards his mobile in a messy pile in his unrecognizable living room where he had stupidly discarded it much earlier. He would climb out a window and call the cops while hiding out. His only concern was that the nearest police department was quite far from his location.
As he clumsily searched for his phone, a light flashed into his eyes. Kazunari jumped. He swung back his bat to attack the owner of the flashlight.
“Stop!” someone commanded.
Stupidly, Kazunari followed the command. He recognized the voice. The bat hovering in midair, he blinked into the darkness ahead of him.
“You can try to kill me, and you’ll probably succeed, but you’ll only be ending the future of one of the largest corporations in the nation and destroying the lives of over a billion people,” a voice from the past drawled.
The light flashed in Kazunari’s eyes once more before it veered away and Kazunari could make out a familiar, even if more mature, handsome face in the dimness. His pulse sped. He dropped his bat and flung himself into the intruder’s arms without a second thought. Kazunari recalled that a similar scenario had happened sometime in the past. Sho laughed as he wrapped his arms around Kazunari and pressed their bodies together.
“It’s Sakurai!” Kazunari screamed. He was so damned happy to see the Sun again, he could not control his delight. Then he wondered. “Why are you here?” He released his arms and tried to step back, but Sho refused to let him go and tightened his hold. Kazunari remembered the disarming of his security, which had cost thousands, the unlawful intrusion into his home, and the taming of his dog. Irritation quickly replaced his pleasure.
“You ran away once. I never said anything about forgiving you a second time.” Sho pressed his face into the hair along Kazunari’s neck.
“I did not run away,” Kazunari denied, bracing himself against Sho’s chest. Through their contact, he could feel Sho’s heart racing as fast as his own and he smiled triumphantly. He was glad Sho could not see his grin.
“I don’t care what you call it,” Sho murmured against his ear. “I refused to wait another ten to fifteen years for you to realize your stupid mistake and return.”
Kazunari pulled back and pushed with all his strength against Sho. Reluctantly, Sho released him. “You’re not as smart as you think,” he snapped. “It took you more than a year to find me.” To his annoyance, he saw Sho grin down at him. It made no difference that Sho’s smile caused his pulse to speed faster than it was already going. The pounding reached his ears.
“I always knew where you were,” Sho murmured. He took hold of Kazunari’s shoulders. “I had a few things to take care of, but now I’m entirely ready to swear undying loyalty to you for a different reason.”
Kazunari eyed him suspiciously. He rubbed the scar on his forearm. “What loyalty? When we met again in school, you were an outright bully.”
“I’m also a fool,” Sho said. “There’s always been someone important to me from the very beginning. I won’t be my father. I’m not going to lose my most important person.”
Before Kazunari could confirm his meaning, Sho leaned down and kissed him soundly and thoroughly. Against Sho’s lips, Kazunari burst into joyous laughter.
Cursed
Illness 1: Asylum
Illness 2: Sacrifice
Illness 3: Monster
Redemption
Redemption
Kazunari slept for a few more hours. After the dream, his sleep was soothing and peaceful. When a knock came at his door again, he woke to a late morning and felt completely refreshed. All the frustration and uncertainty of the past few days had been washed away. He was determined. His mind was set on what he had to do and the strength of his mission rejuvenated him.
The knock continued with great insistence. He chose to ignore it, but belatedly remembered the hole in his door and that he’d left it unlock since yesterday’s interruption. He moved in time to see Sho stagger through. Sho vehemently shook his head to fight off his weariness and leaned against the inner wall.
“Ninomiya?” he called uncertainly, unable to focus his gaze.
“I’m here,” Kazunari answered, concerned with his presence so early in the morning. He’d never seen Sho come even close to this part of the school building, and never in such a weakened state.
“Come with me,” Sho ordered and staggered out of the room again.
Kazunari hesitated a split second, but he made up his mind and quickly followed.
Unpredictably, Sho did not head to the East Wing, but to the foyer and out the building. He went across the courtyard towards the gate. Every step he took woke him up a little more, and by the time they were halfway through the courtyard, Sho had stopped swaying. Kazunari sighted a car by the gate he guessed waited for him.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Did Satoshi tell you that Jun is in intensive care?” Sho returned the question. He rubbed his eyes to force out the remaining dregs of exhaustion.
Kazunari nodded, not certain he could voice the truth of Jun’s terminal condition without faltering.
“Satoshi’s in the emergency room,” Sho said, pronouncing the consequences of the devastation.
Kazunari paused just outside the car as Sho dived into the backseat. Sho turned back and watched him try to make sense of the news. “What happened?”
“He snuck into Jun’s room,” Sho said. “He destroyed the machines and stabbed Jun.”
“You mean…” Kazunari could not say the rest. Horrified, he froze as he stared at Sho.
Sho voiced his fear. “Satoshi tried to kill himself and Jun.”
* *
Everyone important waited outside the emergency room where both Jun and Satoshi had been wheeled into earlier. Sobbing onto her husband’s shoulder, Mrs. Ohno clung to a frustrated Mr. Ohno. Mrs. Sakurai tried to soothe a mildly hysterical Mrs. Aiba. Mr. Sakurai paced the hall. Sho stood furthest from them all and watched from a distance slumped against a wall. Kazunari hid behind him and was glad for the cover Sho willingly provided. The only one absent, he noticed, was Masaki.
“How long have they been in there?” Kazunari whispered.
Sho shook his head. “I don’t know. We’re fortunate that Satoshi’s private doctor came right away.”
“What about Jun?” Kazunari asked.
“He needs the cure,” Sho explained. “They can’t operate on him otherwise.”
“Why?” Kazunari demanded, frustrated by the current medical limitations.
Sho wearily shook his head again. “I’m not a doctor, but even I know that surgeries are risky. Not all are successful. People die during operations, Ninomiya. And Satoshi and Jun’s cases are too unique.”
Satoshi tried to take their lives because he believed finding the cure was impossible, Kazunari knew. Despite his promise to his mother, he felt fear and anxiety by the short time limit. What if Jun and Satoshi didn’t even make it off the table today? He regretted the despair he forced onto Satoshi yesterday, pushing him to take extreme actions. He should have given Satoshi hope. From behind Sho, Kazunari observed Satoshi and Jun’s parents. In his mind he told his mother, This is enough.
Sho slid to the floor and leaned back against the wall in the hall leading to the operational room. Kazunari went down beside him. He sat with one arm pressed against Sho’s and closed his eyes, wishing fervently for Satoshi and Jun’s well-being. He had to be given a chance to find a cure. Satoshi was his friend and he couldn’t let his friend down without trying.
Through the small contact of their heads and close proximity, Kazunari felt Sho quaver. Even if Sho’s outward appearance and speech appeared calm, he was just as emotionally invested. Sho eventually reached beside him and searched for Kazunari’s hand. Kazunari allowed their hands to meet and clasp. They shared each other’s strength through the physical connection.
“Can’t we do anything?” Sho whispered.
“I’m going to find the cure,” Kazunari murmured.
Sho’s voice came out hoarse as he asked quietly, “When? How much longer must we wait for a miracle?” He shuddered, the vibration wracking his entire frame. “They said it’s impossible. All of them said it was impossible.”
Time ticked away excruciatingly slow. They waited outside the emergency room for what seemed like hours. Their nerves were strung high and their energies were wrung dry. Focused on the doors of the room and beyond, they took no notice of the going ons in the rest of the hospital and its people.
When the nurses and surgeon finally emerged from the room an hour later, the visitors hastily surrounded the surgeon.
Mrs. Ohno gripped her husband’s sleeve as he demanded, “How is Satoshi and Jun?”
The surgeon bravely faced them. “Your older son took some internal damage,” she started, “but in time he’ll heal. He’ll wake in about an hour. But your youngest son--”
“What about him?” Mr. Ohno bellowed.
“He’s still in critical condition,” she informed them, sympathy immediately replacing her expression. “I didn’t think his condition would deteriorate so quickly. There’s nothing we can do to help him; not unless we can operate on him. If we don’t, then he might not wake tonight. Or ever.”
Mrs. Ohno wailed, fell back and fainted. Fortunately Mrs. Sakurai caught her.
Squeezing Kazunari’s hand, Sho bounded to his feet, dragging Kazunari up as well. He sharply turned and pulled them away before they were noticed. His fingers, closed over Kazunari’s, had gone clammy and cold. Although his steeled expression revealed nothing about his inner turmoil, through the contact Kazunari felt the strong tremors that overwhelmed him. They traveled aimlessly down the corridors and down a few floors.
Away from his family, suddenly Sho stopped and pressed his forehead against a wall. Next to him, Kazunari stood stiffly, mercifully struck dumb. He stared into space at a loss of what to say. The surgeon’s warning echoed in his mind. Jun may only have a few more hours to live.
How was he supposed to save them in time?
Sho shook his head, scraping his forehead against the wall. “You can’t die before me, Jun,” he whispered. “You can’t die before me. You can’t.”
Kazunari heard him and felt Sho’s grip on his hand become painfully tight. He tried to pull their hands apart, but Sho’s death-like hold of him did not budge. Kazunari winced. The ringing sound of an alarm set off. Sho made no effort to handle his phone. He seemed to not even notice. Unnerved by the earlier announcement and Sho’s oblivious attitude, Kazunari’s wits returned. He averted his eyes and glanced out the windows lining the opposite wall. Daylight and beautiful blue skies greeted him, but the blinding rays of the sun appalled him. The sirens of Sho’s alarm continued to ring as Kazunari realized it was noon.
Twisting back around, he pounded on Sho’s back with his other fist. “Where’s your medicine!?” he demanded. The Sun continued to be inattentive, distracted by the surgeon’s announcement. Kazunari screamed, “Sakurai, you’re out of time!”
As if on cue, Sho slumped against the wall and clutched his head. He shrieked, a terrifying cry that reverberated through the hall and struck terror into the hearts of every person who heard it. Kazunari braced to jump on him and wrestle him to the ground. He knew he couldn’t hold Sho down alone, but he had to try.
A larger man rammed them from behind and knocked Kazunari off his feet. On the ground he turned to see Mr. Sakurai trapping his son’s arms to his sides and ramming his own fist into his son’s mouth to stop the screams. The older man winced as Sho’s teeth bit down on his flesh.
“Help me move him!” Mr. Sakurai commanded.
Kazunari crouched and dived for Sho’s thrashing legs. Using all his strength, he managed to hold them together. With Mr. Sakurai’s help, they lifted Sho off the ground and proceeded to the nearest, empty room. Once inside, Kazunari locked the door behind them. Mr. Sakurai slammed his son onto the bed. He pulled out the bed lining and threw it to Kazunari.
“I need strips to tie him down!”
Without an object jammed in his mouth, Sho shrieked again.
After he’d rip enough strips, Kazunari was ordered to stuff the rest of the linen into Sho’s mouth. Sho bit him a few times and his teeth scraped across Kazunari’s skin, drawing blood. Kazunari ignored his scratches and helped Mr. Sakurai to secure Sho against the bed. They tied his limbs apart against the metal bedframes. The scabs on Sho’s wrists ripped open once more. Kazunari watched as blood stained the white strips and each and every mark seemed to sear into him as well. Unwarranted, tears clouded his vision. He called out to Sho just as Masaki had done.
“It’s me, Sakurai,” he murmured hoarsely. “Stop. You’re hurting yourself.”
“You’re Kazunari Ninomiya,” Mr. Sakurai said from a distance. “Don’t watch him. My son has a lot of pride.”
Kazunari shook his head. He couldn’t look away, even if he wanted to. He saw the strips of bed linen around Sho’s wrists drip dark red blood and hot tears burned down his cheeks. He hurt to see the madness that replaced the intelligent spark in Sho’s eyes. He tried to find breath.
How would he cure all of them? What if Jun died? What if Satoshi tried to commit suicide again? What if he couldn’t save Sho? How much more pain and suffering would Masaki have to go through?
Restrained and unable to scream, Sho’s banged his head against the hard bed. Mr. Sakurai rushed forward to pin his head back. Kazunari covered his mouth with his hands and turned his back on Sho. He stopped a sob from erupting from his throat. His knees buckled and he sank to the floor, the sight of an internally crying Sho at his back. His nerves already weak and his strength utterly depleted, Kazunari wept into his hands. His nails dug into his face in his frustration.
He had to hurry. He commanded his brain to think and strained his mind for answers. What could be the cure? What if his mother forgave them? What if their fathers forgave his mother? Or their mothers forgave his mother for cursing their sons? What if they went back to the place where it all started? Or what if they returned to his mother what she had lost? What if Kazunari accepted his inheritance and regained his birthright? If then, would the Suns’ curses fall away? Would he be able to save them?
But what if there was really no cure? What if all of them died?
His optimism that morning seemed light years away.
Kazunari felt a hand at his back, gently pounding his sobs out of him.
“Sho will be okay,” Mr. Sakurai assured him.
“You don’t understand,” Kazunari hissed, almost choking on his angry retort. “None of you do! They’re innocent. All of them. Why do they have to suffer? You haven’t done anything to help. Why aren’t you trying to save him? Why haven’t any of you done anything to help them?”
Frowning, Mr. Sakurai dropped his hand to the ground. “We found them the best doctors in the world. They all said--”
Kazunari jumped to his feet and glared down at Sho’s father. “You haven’t done anything! You haven’t tried! You don’t deserve to be forgiven!”
Mr. Sakurai slowly stood on his feet. His face turned red and his hands fisted as he tried to hold his anger. “I gave my son everything.”
Kazunari felt like spitting into his face. He didn’t. “Not enough!” he screamed. “Not your life!”
He stormed out of the room and refrained from seeing Sho tethered to the bed like a monstrous creature.
* *
Kazunari found a closet and crammed himself into the occupied space. He wanted to hide from the strength of the sun and refreshing breeze outside, waving through the windows. He wanted to hide from the light in the halls and the people. He wanted the coolness of darkness to wrap around him. He curled in the small space afforded him and thought.
He did not want to forgive Mr. Sakurai, or Mr. Ohno, or Masaki’s mother. None of them deserved to be forgiven. None of them had reflected on and regretted what they had done. Not even his father. Giving him a part of the Aiba inheritance meant nothing. Mr. Aiba didn’t even have the decency to approach his illegitimate son and the love of his life to apologize for his cowardness. Death did not make him a better man.
Kazunari wished he had the divine strength to forgive them, but he did not. No, he only wished he had the strength to protect the Suns. He rubbed the scar on his arm.
With a hard smile, he thought back to a time when the horrors had only been something he could have imagined in the worst of nightmares.
“Let’s be friends,” Satoshi had blurted. “...I’ll be your first friend. Tell Masaki that I’m first.”
Satoshi’s words echoed in Kazunari’s mind. He knew Satoshi may be considered a selfish, spoiled, prince, but the oldest Sun was almost one of the most selfless. He was one of the sweetest. And Jun knew and loved him for that. Only Jun who had lived because of Satoshi’s selflessness truly understood the sacrifice.
Kazunari’s head fell onto his arms that hugged around himself. His mother’s curse would destroy two suns tonight and two more in the future. Exhausted, his heart crushed, again he wept.
* *
Satoshi had been moved into a private room. Kazunari had only to see the hoard of bodyguards blocking the space of the corridor outside to know where Satoshi had been relocated. Without hesitation, he walked towards the room. The men recognized him and parted. They lined the door. Kazunari knocked twice. No one answered from beyond. He turned the knob and found it unlocked. He proceeded inside.
The ward he stepped into was spacious. Soft couches lined the walls. Satoshi rested in a comfortable bed between two windows. He had woken half an hour ago, but made no effort to speak or move. Bedridden, he blinked up at the ceiling with glazed eyes. Mrs. Ohno slept on a couch. Mr. Ohno stood facing an elderly man in a starched gray suit. None of them had heard him enter.
“Grandfather, I’m going to stay with Jun. Please stay with Satoshi’s mother.”
The elderly man shook his head. “I don’t think it wise to not take her with you. If my heir passes tonight, she’ll want to be there.”
“No, she can’t,” Mr. Ohno immediately rejected. “She has to keep an eye on Satoshi. Satoshi can’t be there or anywhere near Jun. Especially not when it happens.”
Mr. Matsumoto, Jun’s grandfather, sighed.
Mr. Ohno respectfully bowed to his father-in-law. “I will take my leave.”
He turned and started when he saw Kazunari standing silently by the doorway. His tired eyes roamed Kazunari’s face and recognized the features that gave his identity away. Kazunari straightened proudly, straight and tall under his scrutiny. Mr. Ohno said nothing to reveal his knowledge, even though both knew he recognized the child of his past victim. Kazunari and he measured each other across the room.
Finally, Mr. Ohno dropped his eyes. He walked around Kazunari and out the door without a single word. Or an apology.
Kazunari clenched his teeth and kept his silence. His harsh glare focused on the elderly Matsumoto who observed him curiously.
“Why are you here, child?” he asked.
At once, Satoshi stirred. “Nino,” he said.
Kazunari ignored Mr. Matsumoto and walked to the bed. Satoshi continued to stare with unseeing eyes up at the ceiling. Kazunari reached for his hand and clasped the cold fingers. “I’m here with you,” he murmured.
Satoshi blinked again and his eyes finally focused on the blankness of the white ceiling; a bleak canvas of nothingness. His bottom lip trembled. His voice as he spoke was a soft whisper. “They took Jun away. They said he was a Matsumoto, that’s why he couldn’t live with me. But he is still my brother.” Tears welled in his eyes and slide down the side of his face. “Jun is my brother, Nino. They took him away back then. And they’re separating us again. N-nino… I w-want to be with Jun. I-I want t-to see Jun.”
His other hand dashed at the tears in his eyes. He fought to breathe and speak again and Kazunari allowed him to catch his breath. “N-nino, I am c-cursed.” He broke into gasping sobs.
Kazunari felt despair close in around him again. His gut wrenching, his own breathing hard, he released Satoshi’s hand. He went to his knees beside Satoshi’s bed. Their parents had hurt his mother and she had taken her cruel revenge on their children; a twisted, merciless justice that had destroyed the innocence of these boys. Now, it would take away their lives. Kazunari bowed his head and closed his eyes.
“Forgive my mom,” he murmured. “Forgive me.”
Satoshi took a deep breath in an attempt to ease away his sobs. Shaking his head, he pushed onto his elbows and tried to push himself upright. His gasped at the pain in his side.
Kazunari continued, “Your father hurt my mom, and she is no longer alive to forgive him. But she has hurt you too. Please, forgive her.”
Satoshi leaned back against his pillows. “H-how can I? She’s going to take Jun away from me.”
Kazunari strengthened his voice and went on. “Forgive me for not finding a cure. For not being able to undo my mom’s curse. For not being able to save Jun. Even though you are my first friend at school and were kind to me.”
Satoshi closed his tired eyes and stiffled a sob. “D-don’t kneel.”
“Forgive my mom. Forgive me,” Kazunari repeated.
“Get up,” Satoshi whispered.
This time, Kazunari slowly rose from the floor. His knees ached, but he ignored the discomfort. His gaze riveted on Satoshi’s pale, tear streaked face. Satoshi raised his hand and understanding his motive, Kazunari stepped closer and reached for his hand again. Again, their hands met. But Satoshi’s nails suddenly sank into the soft flesh of Kazunari’s palm and haltingly dragged across. Kazunari started at the pain. His mouth opened in silent agony as Satoshi drew blood.
All of a sudden, the Sun released him again. Kazunari teetered on the edge of relief and pain. He blinked rapidly, trying to ignore the fresh burning of his skin. And for some reason as Satoshi opened his eyes and met his, he understood what Satoshi had done; he had passed on his physical pain, pain he could not feel because of a curse.
“Now do you know?” Satoshi whispered.
Kazunari withdrew his hand and pressed the bloodied palm to his chest. He could smell the iron scent of his own blood. To Satoshi’s question, he nodded because he did understand the action in its entirety. His mother had protected her own son when mercilessly hurting another person’s son, not understanding that they too were loved.
Satoshi closed his swollen eyes again and sighed against his pillow. “If I forgive your mother, will Jun and I be free? Will he and I be able to leave together? Can we leave everything behind? Will we be happy in another life? Then I forgive your mother. I can forgive her. And you too, Nino. I forgave you a long time ago.”
The windows and doors were closed, but a gust of wind rushed in from nowhere. It flitted throughout the room. It wrapped around Satoshi and Kazunari, brushing across their cheeks and running through their hair. Satoshi’s back straightened and he sat forward to take a deep breath of the fresh breeze. Kazunari did the same.
Satoshi froze as the wind dissipated. Kazunari watched him worriedly as he flexed his own hands. He reached for the needle in his arm and wrenched it out, grunting from the pain.
“What are you doing!?” Horrified, Kazunari ran forward to take the needle. Was Satoshi attempting to commit suicide again?
“Satoshi!” Mr. Matsumoto barked from behind him.
Satoshi shoved Kazunari away with a shoulder and drew the sharp tip across his forearm. A line of blood welled from the long scratch.
“Ohno!” Kazunari screamed, scrambling to reach the needle. As Satoshi froze once more, Kazunari snatched the drip away. He panted as he angrily assessed Satoshi’s wound. Mr. Matsumoto’s gasp disconcerted him, but he dismissed it. Blood poured down Satoshi’s arm. “Ohno, what have you done?” To his dismay, Satoshi did not seem to understand the horror of his actions. Instead, the Sun burst into tears again.
Satoshi touched his wound, disbelief and relief widening his eyes. “I feel it.”
“We need to wrap it!” Kazunari said, throwing the needle aside.
Satoshi ignored him and wrapped his arms around himself as he cried. “It’s gone. It’s really gone. I f-feel weightless. I-it’s gone. I-I’m free.”
The truth struck Kazunari. His eyes flashed to the cut again. The needle had not disappeared into Satoshi’s skin as it should. It had cut into him; drew blood. On the bed, Satoshi rocked back and forth, self-absorbed, his arms still hugged tightly around himself as more tears spilled down his cheeks.
“J-jun, I’m free,” he sobbed.
On the couch, Mrs. Ohno mumbled and stirred. The door to the ward opened and someone stepped in. His gaze still riveted on Satoshi, Kazunari did not turn around to see who had intruded on this momentous moment. He heard a gruff voice, one of the bodyguards say, “The young master Jun is awake.”
Satoshi’s head snapped up and he stared beyond Kazunari’s shoulder at the bodyguard, disbelief once more on his face.
“He wants to speak to you,” the bodyguard said. He glanced at Mr. Matsumoto who nodded his approval then approached the bed. He walked around Kazunari and to Satoshi’s side. The man unwound the watch around his wrist, opened a latch to reveal the cleverly hidden communication device, and placed the object in his young master’s lap.
“J-jun?” Satoshi cautiously asked.
Jun’s voice came as a croak, but it unmistakably belonged to the younger brother. “Satoshi…”
“Jun,” Satoshi repeated.
“I…” Jun swallowed. “I’m free.”
Satoshi closed his eyes and tears of relief joined the trail etched down his face. Kazunari saw peace overcome Satoshi’s expression. At last, Satoshi Ohno and Jun Matsumoto were free.
* *
Jun lay on the stretcher being wheeled into the operation room. Satoshi’s hands were entwined in his and he walked alongside the stretcher. They looked into each other’s eyes and nowhere else. Love, loyalty, and trust swam in the brown pupils of their eyes. They did not break apart, not until Jun disappeared beyond the operation doors. Satoshi sat on a chair lined against the walls, but his eyes never moved from the doors.
Mr. Ohno, Mrs. Ohno, and the elderly Mr. Matsumoto stepped in and blocked Kazunari’s view. Mr. Matsumoto remembered him and turned back to see him standing a few meters behind them, respectfully declining to intrude on the magical moment. The elderly man bowed his head to Kazunari. His silent thanks traveled across the distance.
Kazunari wished Satoshi and Jun complete happiness. He knew they would face difficult challenges in the future, but this obstacle had prepared them for anything else they may encounter. They had each other.
He inclined his head to Mr. Matsumoto again and turned to head down the opposite hall. His steps were strong and purposeful.
* *
Sho sat alone on a bench in the vast courtyard behind the hospital. The heavy bandages around his wrists and dark smudges under his eyes warded off curious eyes. Patients walked around, some with friends, enjoying the cool outdoor evening. Sho leaned back against the bench and his head rolled to one side. His tired eyes blinked slowly. Exhaustion and lack of sleep made him drowsy. Kazunari stealthily moved to sit beside him. The barest movement jerked Sho awake and he snapped out of his exhaustion induced sleep.
“If you’re tired, you should sleep,” Kazunari said.
Sho leaned forward into his hands and rubbed at his eyes. “No.”
“You’ve been through a lot today, and yesterday, and all the days before,” Kazunari said.
Sho sighed and leaned back against the bench again. Despite his best efforts, his eyes were closing again. “I’m tired everyday,” he mumbled sleepily, “For many years now, I’ve always been tired.” He slumped sideways and almost fell over away from Kazunari towards the opposite edge.
Kazunari pulled him upright again. “Sleep can help your body to heal.”
Sho fell sideways towards him this time. “But I don’t want to sleep. I want to stay awake. I want to live as much as I can. Before it’s too late.”
Pain gripped Kazunari’s heart and squeezed. Sho’s head fell on his shoulder, but he did not move away. He allowed the Sun to use his shoulder as a headrest. “Where are your parents?”
It took a moment for Sho to sort through his muddled thoughts. Eventually, he forced out between his teeth, “Returned to work.”
“Then why are you still here? You should have gone home, or back to school. You need to rest.”
Sho hummed. “You.”
“Me?”
“You don’t have a ride.”
Warmth filled Kazunari from the tip of his toes all the way up. He rubbed the scar on his forearm, and then he reached out to press gentle fingers to the bandages around Sho’s nearest arm. Even though his touch was featherlight, Sho hissed.
Kazunari withdrew his hand and changed the subject. “Did you hear about Ohno and Matsumoto?”
Sho took a slow, deep breath. “Cured.”
“That’s right,” Kazunari concurred, marveling at the speed of the news traveling between the families. “I don’t know how it happened, but I have a theory. You can be cured, Sakurai.”
Sho struggled to wake, but he did not move his head from Kazunari’s shoulder. “I want to be cured. I want to be free too, but how?”
Kazunari stared into the distance and saw the sun setting beyond the fanciful trees that fenced in the courtyard. He remembered that he had seen the sun rise beyond the East Tower just that morning. The beginning of a new day and the ending of that day; a day that changed everything. Hope, real hope, had shed light on his doubts at last. The darkness and despair of just a few hours ago, of yesterday and the days before, fled before the glow. He could truly smile again.
“Remember,” Kazunari started, “I asked you if you will continue to hate me? What did you say?”
Sho did not answer. Afraid he had fallen asleep, although he had encouraged Sho to sleep just moments ago, Kazunari gently shook his shoulder.
Sho grunted. “I don’t hate you.” He sighed and moved against Kazunari’s shoulder. “I still don’t hate you.”
“What about my mom?”
Sho stiffened and kept silent.
“Can you forgive her?”
Sho shook his head. Kazunari felt his movements through his arm. He reached across and fingered Sho’s bandages again. “I want you to forgive her.”
Again Sho shook his head. “I can’t. She took away the most important thing from me.”
“Yes, you can,” Kazunari urged. His hand traveled down and he gripped Sho’s hand tightly in his. He felt an oncoming headache. Soft voices whispered in his head. He winced at the pricks in his mind.
“I can’t,” Sho repeated in a whisper.
Kazunari delivered the finishing blow. “You are incorrect. Someday, you will forgive her, Sakurai. Because you forgave me for running away. Because you are still my friend.”
He waited. Sho did not deny anything he said. Neither did he move.
Finally, Sho conceded in the softest of murmurs, almost inaudible, “Maybe one day. Maybe I can.”
In the silence and stillness that followed his confession, their arms pressed together, a fresh breeze gathered around them. The voices in Kazunari’s head intensified until the garbled voices exploded into shouts. He felt Sho slump against him until he felt nothing at all. He saw nothing. His mind split as darkness and chaos took over. Kazunari screamed at the spirits to leave him alone. His words made no sense. He screamed until his throat seemed to tear. The voices in his head laughed at him. He felt himself fall deeper into a hole of anguish, despair, and never-ending torture. The spirits just laughed harder.
His eyes snapped back to the present. He focused on a concerned face peering down at him, gripping his shoulders. Kazunari found he was panting.
“A-are you okay, sir?” the stranger asked. “Y-you were screaming. I thought you were in pain.”
Kazunari felt sweat on his brow. With shaking fingers he touched his temple. He had just had a taste of insanity. He noticed the heaviness on his lap and saw that Sho had fallen over asleep on him. Somehow, Kazunari had not managed to buck him off during the split second of his madness.
“I’m fine,” Kazunari told the stranger that frowned down at him.
The stranger did not look assured, but he nodded and moved back to help a patient he knew back into the hospital building.
Kazunari took a few deep breaths. He tried to steady his pounding heart. He was eternally grateful he did not have to suffer through such madness everyday. The thought caused his eyes to travel back to Sho. To his surprise and relief, Sho slept heavily. A peaceful smile, reminiscent from their childhood, turned up Sho’s lips. Kazunari had not seen him smile for such a long time. Warmth eased into him and dissolved the chill that the madness had brought. Involuntarily, he traced the scar on his arm again.
“Are you free at last?” he whispered.
* *
Night had fallen. On the way back to Kitagawa Academy, Kazunari sat beside the sleeping Sho in the car and looked out the window in thought. He thought about forgiveness and his own stubbornness, his inability to forgive the previous Suns. He recalled his embittered vow made in the darkened closet and realized its coldness. He thought about his father, Aiba, and the man’s half-hearted attempt to apologize for taking everything away from his mother. He thought about how it had all began and was ending. He knew that it had nothing to do with him. It was the strength of the Suns and their struggle to move forward. They changed their own fates. Probably, with the resources they had, they could change the world. Kazunari was only a pawn in that destiny. He wondered at the contentedness that embraced him at that thought. He did not covet much. He appreciated the life of a common man.
Once they reached the gate of the academy, Kazunari tucked Sho’s phone back into his jacket. He had used the phone to call their driver. Now, he turned to directly speak to the man upfront.
“I’ll leave him in your care. Please take Sakurai back to his family home and help him to bed. You have to force him to rest even if he becomes sick of it. Don’t let him return until he’s completely healed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replied. “I’ll do my best for my young master.”
“One more thing,” Kazunari said.
The driver waited expectantly.
“If you can send a message to your master, Chairman Sakurai, for me. Tell him Ninomiya Kazunari is sorry and thankful for all the things he’s done for me and my mother over the years. Thanks for caring for my mother and me. Tell him thanks for helping me stay in this school and that he doesn’t have to worry anymore.”
“I’ll do my best to remember, sir,” the man said.
Satisfied, Kazunari stepped back from the vehicle and watched it drive away.
His one and only childhood friend had grown up to be a determined, willful boy, and he knew Sho would one day become a great man; greater than his own father. It was a pity he wouldn’t see it. His gut wrenched at the thought, but he forcibly dismissed the feeling.
Kazunari waited until the car disappeared around a corner before walking through the gates of the academy.
* *
The first thing Kazunari noticed when walking into the Headmaster’s office was that half the furnishings were gone, but the essential items remained. He knew, from rumors he had heard on his way there, that Kitagawa had been forced to auction off numerous valuable items to pay off his debts. The big three had withdrawn their investments in the school and sold their shares, leaving the school and Kitagawa’s coffers bereft.
Kitagawa sat at his desk, his chair turned away from the door as usual.
“I had a guess you would be returning,” he said. “I dismissed Sasaki and wriggled my way out of Ohno’s deathlike grip, but they have squeezed everything out of me. This academy will fall into ruin within a month. I am tired. If you remember my proposal and have agreed to join with me, then I will be glad to have your partnership. But if you refuse, all you need to do is walk out.”
“I will appreciate you turning around to face me,” Kazunari said.
Kitagawa hesitated. A few seconds later, he reluctantly swiveled around in his chair. Kazunari saw the familiar face of a janitor he had come to like. He braced himself and asked, “You tricked me into believing you were Kagawa. Why?”
Kitagawa’s mouth thinned as he graced Kazunari with a wry expression. “I did not attempt to make a fool out of you. You mistake my intentions.” He heaved a sigh and folded hands on his desk. “I wanted to be closer to you. That was the only way I knew how to approach you without you second guessing my motives.”
“Wasn’t it just because I am useful to you?”
Again, Kitagawa sighed. “I make no excuses. That was part of the reason. I wanted your help. But also, the Kitagawa family’s mission was to create a welcoming and friendly educational environment. That was our goal when we created this school many years ago. My great-great-grandfathers accomplished that by establishing a close relationship with the pupils and spreading peace among the students. It was not until the Ohno, Aiba, and Sakurai groups gained influence over this school that this academy became a corrupted place for the privileged. I wished to become closer to you because you were not one of them; you were not a blind admirer of the Suns and their twisted principle.”
“It’s hard to believe you when you disguised yourself as Kagawa,” Kazunari said.
“I won’t force you to believe me,” Kitagawa conceded. “Believe what you want.”
Kazunari watched the Headmaster and saw no sly glint or calculation in his eyes. He was not like his former assistant Sasaki. Kitagawa was not wholly innocent of the crimes committed within the school, yet he was far from vile like Sasaki. Kazunari gratefully knew Kitagawa was a man who could bring change.
“I’m quitting Kitagawa Academy,” he announced.
Kitagawa did not appear startled. “You’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”
“I decided that I’m going to hire a lawyer,” Kazunari continued as if he had not spoken. “I’m going to claim my inheritance from my father. Only the money, that is. I have no one else except myself and I’m not going to stubbornly reject outside help. Anyway, my mom would have wanted me to take what’s rightfully mines. This is the least my father owed me. With this, I can cleanly sever all ties with the families of the Suns.”
Kitagawa snorted, but offered nothing more intelligible.
Kazunari continued, “I won’t leave Japan, but I’m going somewhere far where I can start over.”
“Is that all?” Kitagawa asked, his voice somber and tired.
“I think you can start over with the Suns too,” Kazunari pushed on. He gained Kitagawa’s interest and proceeded to voice his thoughts. “You made a mistake when you dealt with the Fifth Generation of Suns, Headmaster. You assumed they were just like their fathers and the previous Suns. But they’re not. Hot blood runs through their veins. They may be arrogant, jerks, and unkind, but they can also be kind and generous when they want. They are smart. Most importantly, they are the heirs of the big three and the Matsumoto group. So they may also be the future of Kitagawa Academy.”
Kitagawa leaned forward in his chair. “What is your meaning?”
“I mean,” Kazunari said, “You have been fighting Director Ohno, Sakurai, and Aiba through these Suns. If you reach out to the current Suns as the individuals that they are, if you can be shrewd enough to elicit their support, then I’m sure Sakurai Sho will find a way to save this academy. You have your chance to create a new partnership.”
A smile turned up Kitagawa’s lips, but it did not reach his eyes. “You’re telling me to negotiate with children?”
“In a few years, Aiba Masaki will take over as Chairman of his company. One day, they will become powerful men. Don’t underestimate any of them. As you had done.”
Kitagawa leaned back in his chair. He heaved another heavy sigh. “Is that all?”
Kazunari did not wait to be dismissed. He stepped to the door. “I appreciated your friendship as Kagawa. Thank you.”
He walked out.
Kitagawa sighed again and leaned forward into his hands.
* *
Kazunari knew where Masaki would be. In the East chamber, he climbed the stairs to the pet room on the second floor. Inside, he walked around the marsh he had fallen into during his first time there and entered the artificial forest. Graveyards were scattered haphazardly beyond the trees. Near a freshly dug graveyard, Kazunari sighted a lump. He approached it.
Masaki curled on his side in the dirt next to the headstone. He did not stir even as Kazunari sat beside him. But he was awake.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“Matsumoto will live. Ohno is watching over him. I sent Sakurai home to rest for a few weeks, I hope,” Kazunari gave the news. He sat crosslegged next to Masaki and waited for a response.
“Why are you here?” Masaki asked again.
Kazunari tentatively reached out and touched Masaki’s shoulder. The Sun shuddered, but did not shake him off. “Aiba, will you listen to me?”
“I am listening,” Masaki sulked.
“Sit up and look at me.”
“I am a monster. You should not breathe the same air as me or I’ll taint you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kazunari retorted, steadily losing his patience. “It’s never affected me before. It won’t ever because you’re not a monster.”
Masaki curled into a tighter ball. His voice softened. “I hurt them, Nino. They’re my friends and yet just so that I can live, I take away their lives. I’m not like Satoshi, Jun, or Sho. I kill. I kill my pets and I drink their blood.” He shuddered again. “My mother told you that I tried to drink my blood once. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I thought if only I needed to drink blood, then I could drink my own. But it almost killed me. My own blood, no, human blood is poison to me. Only I am a true monster.”
Kazunari knew he could not change Masaki’s mind like this. He unwound his legs and laid on his side next to Masaki until they were leveled facing each other. Kazunari’s eyes drank in Masaki’s handsome face smudged with dirt. He saw the dark rings under Masaki’s eyes. His own heart wrenched at the sight. His voice turned into a whisper similar to the Sun’s. “Then from now on, you will change. You will atone for every kill. You will love all and every single animal you see, not only your pets.:
Masaki opened his eyes and blinked at Kazunari a mere centimeters away. “But when my cravings come back, then I will hurt them again.”
“It won’t. Your illness will go away completely.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It is,” Kazunari told him. “You’ll be cured.”
“I can’t,” Masaki stubbornly argued.
Kazunari reached over and touched Masaki’s face. He smoothed his thumb in circles over the Sun’s cheeks, rubbing away a patch of dirt. “Aiba, you once said you forgave me because I had nothing to do with what our parents did. Does that extend to the curse too?”
Masaki slightly shook his head. “I’ve never blamed you for the curse.”
“What about my mom? Do you blame her for the curse too?”
Masaki tentatively reached up with dirt and blood encrusted hands to grasp Kazunari’s hand on his face. “I used to. Back then. I also told you I no longer believe it’s a curse. It’s what we owe because of what our fathers did.”
Kazunari studied his face and saw the innocence in his eyes. “There’s so much you don’t know.”
Masaki’s brows knitted together, but he did not ask Kazunari to elaborate.
“Aiba, can you forgive my mom for hurting you?”
“She hurt my mother. She never hurt me.
“Can you forgive her for cursing you?”
“For what we deserve? I can forgive her for that. Just that.”
Kazunari smiled. “That’s good enough.”
This time, Masaki frowned. “What do you mean?”
Instead of answering, Kazunari moved closer to him and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips. They lay on their sides, connected by their soft touches. Kazunari strived to touch him further, deeper. He parted his lips slightly. His heart painfully thumping against his chest, the tip of his tongue dabbed out to touch the cleft between Masaki’s lips. With a groan, Masaki dropped Kazunari’s hand and pulled them closer until their bodies touched. He parted his lips and allowed their mouths to dance, to taste each other. Fire burned from within their bodies.
It was only as Masaki rained kisses across Kazunari’s face did he taste the salty tears on Kazunari’s cheeks. He tried to pull away, but Kazunari did not allow him to. He pulled Masaki back, pushed the Sun onto his back and straddled him. He buried his face in the Sun’s neck. He pushed aside Masaki’s collar and licked a line along his nape. Masaki felt searing pain arc through his body as Kazunari bit down on his flesh. His back arched from the pain, but his arms encircled the smaller body straddling him. He felt coldness and warmth twist into one.
Kazunari sunk his teeth into Masaki’s neck until he tasted the sweet and iron blood of the Sun. Then he settled back and gently licked Masaki’s wound. He could taste his own tears mixing with the blood. He forced himself to laugh. “S-see? I-it’s n-not poison. It’s the b-blood of a human.”
A wind in the enclosed chamber wafted through the forest and wrapped around them, gently lifting their hair. Masaki took a deep breath of the fresh air. A burden lifted from his body. He felt weightless. He stared up at the canopy of branches above him in wonder.
Kazunari swallowed Masaki’s blood on his tongue. “This is your blood. It’s… my blood.” He had to stop so he could breathe through his tears. He thought his heart might really stop. “We’re b-brothers, Aiba.” He nestled his face into Masaki’s neck and reached up to blindly caress Masaki’s face. “But I d-did love you. I r-really did. You are my f-first love.”
Masaki’s view of the green branches waving above him blurred as his own tears fell down the side of his face. He knew Kazunari’s meaning, could understand the implications through his stuttering words. He felt Kazunari’s body, pressing down on him, tremble as it became wracked by his sobs.
“One d-day, you’ll f-find the l-love of your life,” Kazunari cried. “A-and you’ll b-be happ-py. T-truly happy. You m-must be.”
Masaki wrapped his arms tighter around his brother; his younger brother. His body also shook with his sobs.
“Y-you’re free,” Kazunari said.
In the forest, they held each other as they continued to shed their tears. Much later, Kazunari finally broke away and left Masaki alone in the forest and pet room. Masaki did not follow him.
* *
He hired a lawyer and dropped out of Kitagawa Academy. With just a few weeks left his lawyer was able to convince the administration to let him graduate out of his junior year.
He acquired his inheritance without much trouble. All other assets he sold back to the family and took the money.
He moved out of the city and to the countryside.
He bought a small patch of land and a small and comfortable house.
He invested in stocks and hired a stock broker.
He consulted business professionals and financed entrepreneurs.
His school credits, transferred over, allowed him to complete his senior year in one of the smaller domestically owned schools.
He lived a comfortable, secluded, but lonely life in his little house in the countryside. He sometimes met with his neighbors at the farmers’ market, and many of them took pity on him because of his youth and took him under their wing, but he never encouraged the relationship. He had a dog to keep him company and that was all.
On the national news, he often heard snippets about the Ohno, Aiba, Sakurai, and Matsumoto corporations. To his satisfaction, Kitagawa Academy, with investments from anonymous shareholders, had not fallen and was climbing up to success again. Kazunari had no doubt who were behind the achievement.
He turned eighteen and then nineteen. His business associates, who traveled all the way to his secluded lodgings at least once a month always came with objects he had commissioned them to buy from the city. He had desktops, laptops, numerous game systems, an assortment of musical instruments, sports equipment, technical gadgets, household furniture, kitchen appliances, and much more including miscellaneous toys. They could never understand why he needed these many objects since only he used them. He had no one to even play with, except for them whenever they visited him.
In a matter of one and a half years, he had established himself as an eccentric and recluse. His associates were mistakenly led to believe that he enjoyed his solitude.
Once again, Kazunari lived a quiet life without human friends. But he had his memories and he wondered how he would survive the rest of his existence with only the recollection of warmth. Every night, he dreamed familiar faces. He understood the emptiness of his future. A few months in Kitagawa Academy had changed his entire outlook on life.
Kazunari longed for life again, but he had no idea where to begin or to find it. He wanted his friends, but he had willingly severed all ties and was fool enough to not reconstruct the bridges. Months and months of disconnection separated them. He wondered if in his existence he would find a beam of light again.
* *
One early summer morning, Kazunari kicked the drunken ceo of an upstart small business, of which he had invested in and helped grow, out of his house. The man was five years older than him and an annoyance when drunk. Kazunari slammed the door shut as soon as he saw the man fall into the driveway. He knew the ceo would find his way to his car and back to the city somehow. Or he’d probably sleep in his car until morning. That was fine was Kazunari. The summer night was warm anyway. And it was already two in the morning. The summer sky would lighten soon.
Kazunari turned off all the lights inside his home, made sure his security was armed, and made his way to his bedroom. The short journey was difficult. His small house was cramped with all the objects he had accumulated over the past few months. There was barely room for guests to sit. Sometimes he had to invite them into his bedroom to sit on his bed when there were more than two guests. Unfortunately all of them had promised him an extravagant present on his impending twentieth birthday. He was coming-of-age, they reasoned. He could finally, legally, drink. That was the least they could do.
Kazunari wondered what else they could throw at him that he didn’t already have. He knew there wasn’t much. He had everything a person living alone could ever want. And more. He lived a life vastly different from before his time at Kitagawa Academy. He had money and he was making still more vast amounts of money that would allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. Poverty was only a distant nightmare of the past.
Then why was he so unhappy?
Lying on his back on the bed, his thoughts were interrupted by an urgent knock on his door. He ignored it. It was probably the ceo, come back to sift through Kazunari’s empty refrigerator. The man was always hungry when drunk. Kazunari turned on his side and kicked away his bedcovers. Summer nights in the countryside were damn hot.
The knock came again, as urgent as before. Kazunari pulled a pillow over his ear and tried to fall asleep. He heard the knocks again and he grunted in irritation, but did not move to open his door. In time, the interruption would stop.
“Unarm security,” the robotic voice of his security system bellowed. “Security is now unarmed.”
Kazunari threw back his pillow and sat up in alarm. How was that possible? He heard his back door open and shut. His dog, fallen asleep in the kitchen, barked and then snarled at someone inside his home. Kazunari grabbed the baseball bat against his closet and slipped out of his room. His toe stubbed on something and he mentally cursed every object in his messy house as he endured the pain. His dog had stopped barking and was whining in pleasure. Why?
Kazunari did not enter the kitchen where his damned dog had submitted to the terrifying intruder. He edged towards his mobile in a messy pile in his unrecognizable living room where he had stupidly discarded it much earlier. He would climb out a window and call the cops while hiding out. His only concern was that the nearest police department was quite far from his location.
As he clumsily searched for his phone, a light flashed into his eyes. Kazunari jumped. He swung back his bat to attack the owner of the flashlight.
“Stop!” someone commanded.
Stupidly, Kazunari followed the command. He recognized the voice. The bat hovering in midair, he blinked into the darkness ahead of him.
“You can try to kill me, and you’ll probably succeed, but you’ll only be ending the future of one of the largest corporations in the nation and destroying the lives of over a billion people,” a voice from the past drawled.
The light flashed in Kazunari’s eyes once more before it veered away and Kazunari could make out a familiar, even if more mature, handsome face in the dimness. His pulse sped. He dropped his bat and flung himself into the intruder’s arms without a second thought. Kazunari recalled that a similar scenario had happened sometime in the past. Sho laughed as he wrapped his arms around Kazunari and pressed their bodies together.
“It’s Sakurai!” Kazunari screamed. He was so damned happy to see the Sun again, he could not control his delight. Then he wondered. “Why are you here?” He released his arms and tried to step back, but Sho refused to let him go and tightened his hold. Kazunari remembered the disarming of his security, which had cost thousands, the unlawful intrusion into his home, and the taming of his dog. Irritation quickly replaced his pleasure.
“You ran away once. I never said anything about forgiving you a second time.” Sho pressed his face into the hair along Kazunari’s neck.
“I did not run away,” Kazunari denied, bracing himself against Sho’s chest. Through their contact, he could feel Sho’s heart racing as fast as his own and he smiled triumphantly. He was glad Sho could not see his grin.
“I don’t care what you call it,” Sho murmured against his ear. “I refused to wait another ten to fifteen years for you to realize your stupid mistake and return.”
Kazunari pulled back and pushed with all his strength against Sho. Reluctantly, Sho released him. “You’re not as smart as you think,” he snapped. “It took you more than a year to find me.” To his annoyance, he saw Sho grin down at him. It made no difference that Sho’s smile caused his pulse to speed faster than it was already going. The pounding reached his ears.
“I always knew where you were,” Sho murmured. He took hold of Kazunari’s shoulders. “I had a few things to take care of, but now I’m entirely ready to swear undying loyalty to you for a different reason.”
Kazunari eyed him suspiciously. He rubbed the scar on his forearm. “What loyalty? When we met again in school, you were an outright bully.”
“I’m also a fool,” Sho said. “There’s always been someone important to me from the very beginning. I won’t be my father. I’m not going to lose my most important person.”
Before Kazunari could confirm his meaning, Sho leaned down and kissed him soundly and thoroughly. Against Sho’s lips, Kazunari burst into joyous laughter.