[Multichapter] Dreamcatcher ～瞳を閉じて君を描くよ～ (chapter 7/9)

[tsuchi8562]

Title: Dreamcatcher ～瞳を閉じて君を描くよ～
Author: tsuchi8562
Beta: andreja1989 << Thank you so much ♥
Special thanks for: syunikiss1990 for kicking my butt to continue this story when I wanted to drop it and for yuuki_saya for throwing ideas at me when I needed them.
Pairing: Fukushi x Ninomiya, Matsumiya
Genre: romance, psychological drama
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Your comments are always highly appreciated

*MASTERPOST*

„J-Jun?” Kazunari gasped, covering his mouth and hoping nobody heard his surprise. How come his sister knows him? Why he talked with her? What was going on? Nino took a deep breath and his gaze moved from Shiori to Matsumoto and back while his brain tried to grab anything from this situation.

“Kazu… You know him?” The woman asked confused. Probably Jun told her some believable story just to get closer to her. “Ah… Yes, Matsumoto-san works here, right? You have to see him on the corridors…”

“W-works?” Younger Ninomiya frowned and looked again at the taller man feeling slight fear crawling to his throat. “Yes, he works here…”

“Listen, Kazu… I don’t have much time left so please remember that I will take you out of here. I need to take care of few legal matters and then I promise to help you. Just please be patient…”

“I am patient…” Nino whispered and focused on Shiori’s face. Will she really take him home or is it just another cruel idea of his father? And what Jun had to do with all of this? Kazunari exhaled slowly and decided to focus only on his sister’s promise. That was the most important thing to him right now and Matsumoto’s schemes can’t interrupt him in any way. He was scared to catch the small ray of hope that appeared in his heart but at the same time he needed it more than ever. Strength Ninomiya received right now will help him to go through this. When the woman left, Kazunari got back to his room and finally had some time to think everything through. Jun went to Shiori’s house and told some story which made her believe in her brother again; something which convinced her that he is not sick and he was put in this clinic by a mistake. On one hand Nino was grateful but on the other… What if Matsumoto really works here and everything till now was a lie? What if he talked with the woman only to prove that her brother is indeed sick and needs isolation till his last breath?

“What are you doing Jun?” Ninomiya whispered to himself and his gaze fell on the dreamcatcher gently dancing in the window. Even though he pushed the flyers in between the window frames, the wind still managed to find its way inside. Kazunari didn’t know what he should do now, how he should act towards the other man. He still wanted to trust Matsumoto but he got disappointed many times before, the confusion was bigger than ever. On the other hand, how come he knew practically everything about Souta? Everything complicated and Nino couldn’t grasp the details anymore. Recently he felt that he is more stupid than before, he can’t focus as well as before and he forgets things. Those were side effects of the therapy he had; the electrodes fried his brain and with each session it got worse. Ninomiya thought that after another two times he will become a vegetable, not able to care what happens to him anymore. He’ll be a living corpse. Shiori has to hurry.

“Can I…?” Familiar voice brought him back to reality. The dreamcatcher smiled gently and sat next to Kazunari, waiting for any reply. The shorter one just nodded, not sure if he really wants to talk with the latter. What he should say in the first place? Nino remained silent, he just moved few inches away from Matsumoto, showing him this way that his personal bubble got bigger.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything but I didn’t want to give you too much hope before I will be sure. I knew that this would kill you…” Jun bit his lower lip and looked at the man curled up next to him. “You won’t talk to me?”

Ninomiya just shook his head, still not sure if he should trust the latter or not. Instead of talking he just gently touched his ear to show that he will still listen.

“Remember when I was away for a week? I had few things to do. I visited your sister and talked with her about you. I saw how you were after she saw you here the other day and… Kazu, I just wanted to make things the way they should be. You weren’t sick when you got here and you may get seriously ill if you stay here any day longer. She needed time to organize everything, legally… Kazu, I can’t stand it, please say something, anything…” Matsumoto sighed and looked down, gluing his gaze to the weird black spot on the floor. Nino took a deep breath and opened his mouth but no words wanted to come out. It wasn’t even because he didn’t know what to say; it just seemed that his voice became very weak or entirely disappeared. He still was confused and scared so he didn’t move, even though something inside told him to hug the other man and thank him.

“Just… Please, remember you will get out of here really soon. Catch this ray of light and don’t let go, this will give you the strength to make it through. Can you promise me that?”

“Yes…” Ninomiya whispered, putting a lot of effort in this one word. The taller man smiled weakly and disappeared, as always somewhere between blinks of an eye. What else he could say? At this moment all he could do was to wait and see if Shiori will keep her word, of course still being careful with who to trust.

***

“I’m glad you came so quickly.” Aikawa was a lot nicer than usually. That could mean two things. Whether something really good happened or Kazunari is in deep troubles. Neither of options were good. “I have a very good news for you. Tomorrow you can leave your room.”

“I… I can what?” Kazunari frowned, not sure he heard right. Did his sister managed to settle everything already? His heart started to beat so fast he thought it will jump out of his chest any second.

“You can leave your room. But please, don’t get too excited, you will still stay in the clinic. I saw you made a progress recently again and after consulting your legal custodian we agreed to move you to another part of the building. It’s nicer and more beautiful and it has a garden you can walk around once a day. Treat it as a step closer to leaving this place.” The doctor leaned back in his chair and mercifully let his patient to process everything he had just heard. So Shiori didn’t do a thing yet and they are moving him? Aikawa said it’s a better place but he also said it was discussed with Nino’s legal guardian and that meant his father. If anything was consulted with Jiro, it didn’t mean anything good at all.

“I will still be able to get visitors, right? I… I want to see my sister from time to time…” Kazunari asked shyly, hoping that they won’t isolate him entirely. He ignored the huge pain he felt in his heart when he found out he will still have to stay here.

“Oh yes, she will be able to visit you, though not that freely as now. There are different rules, we want our patients to get used to certain rhythm before we let them out.” The doctor smiled wider and filed in some papers. “This will be your last night in your old room. Oh, and one more thing. As we need to separate you from your previous life all of your belongings have to stay here. Don’t worry, you will get it back as soon as you leave. Of course if you still need them.”

“Why I can’t take them? They’re mine…” Nino bit his lower lip, ready to beg them to let him take dreamcatcher with him. Even though he still was hesitating should he keep on trusting Jun, he wanted to have him close just in case. The doctor shook his head and repeated the same sentence as before. Ninomiya can’t take anything from his current room, even one piece of clothing. He will get everything in the new place and he shouldn’t be worried but happy that they allow him to make this important step. Kazunari knew that further convincing would be useless so he calmly got back to the chamber for the last night in the comfortable bed.

What will happen to him now? They promised him more freedom but when Jiro is involved it can’t mean anything good. What if they know about Shiori’s plans? What if they move him to the dungeon, just like his father locked him in the basement few times before? What if freedom means one more therapy session which will make him forget about his sister, Jun and the outside world? Nino curled up on the bed, shivering only on the thought.

“Hurry up, sis…” He whispered, hoping that in some magical way his words reach Shiori.

“Be patient, Kazu… It’s almost done…” Matsumoto’s voice sounded dangerously close to his ear and Ninomiya was surprised he didn’t jump, startled.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop or get inside somebody’s room without knocking…” The shorter man said quietly, not recognizing his own voice. It was colder than usually.

“I’m sorry…” Jun sounded confused and a bit upset, even though he wasn’t the one who had any right to feel that way. “Did something happen? You know you can tell me everything…”

“Yes, something did happen… My sister told me she will get me out of here even though she admitted I am sick and ran away. She also tells me you work in this clinic. Soon after, Aikawa wants to move me to another part of the building, promising it’ll be better than here… Sum that up yourself…” Kazunari sounded indifferent, even though he should be scared, angry or just disappointed. Everything was making sense now. He didn’t understand one thing though. Why Shiori lied that he will be able to live with her soon? Why she asked him to be patient? Why everyone he loves hurt him? First Fukushi, leaving him all alone in this world, then Matsumoto disappearing without a word and now his sister, his only family, gave him false hope. Maybe it would be better if I was dead?

“What are you talking about?! Of course it wouldn’t be better! Kazu, please, look at me…” Jun grabbed his arms and shook him, forcing him to look straight at the dreamcatcher’s face. Is it possible Ninomiya said it out loud? “Kazu, please, promise you won’t hurt yourself… You just need to hang on for a little while longer, I am sure Shiori-chan will take you home soon…”

“Soon…” Kazunari repeated quietly, feeling slight headache, spreading slowly from his temples to the back of his head. Matsumoto focused on the wrong part of the story. Nino doesn’t want to kill himself, even though he thought about it many times. The most important thing is that Aikawa will move him to the place where he will be alone, without his dreamcatcher. Was it the plan from the very beginning? The taller man was supposed to get his trust and prove that he is sick, just so Jiro and that doctor will have an excuse to keep him away from the world till the day he will die? But if so, then why Jun slept with him? Why did he kiss him? How come he appeared in his dreams? All the questions he had soon after he met the dreamcatcher came back, burying all the faith he had for him. The trust which had been built up laboriously was crushing down right now. Ninomiya felt like this was the first day in this facility again, fear crawling up his throat, squeezing so hard he could barely breathe. He recorded that Jun was saying something to him but he didn’t catch any word from that. It was hard for him to focus, Matsumoto’s voice was only a noise which with passing time became unbearable. Nino covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut out from every sound, praying for dead silence.

“Shut up… Shut up…” He repeated like mantra, hating even his own voice. Jun broke off in the middle of the sentence and just hugged the shorter man. Kazunari tensed at first but when the latter didn’t want to let him go, he just surrender and glued himself to the other man. For a long while they sat like that in silence, not moving an inch even though Nino’s legs got numb from the position when a sudden thought came across his mind. If he is supposed to stay here forever, even if Jun really tricked him, does that mean he should just keep his feelings for himself? Can’t he say whatever he wants before his brain will get fried by the shocks? Why not use this moment to tell everything he feels, thinks and wants? Since that won’t change anything anyway, so why keep it inside?

“I feel that my mind is dying…” Kazunari finally broke the muteness. “Like they are killing it slowly. I can’t focus on anything and I am forgetting things. Once I even woke up and didn’t know where I am… They will shock me again, I know it. I will become a vegetable, not able to talk or think and they will keep me here forever. Or kill me.”

“They won’t, I promise you that.” Matsumoto said calmly. “You just need to hold on for a bit more. And exercise your brain. If they move you to a better place, ask for a book. The most difficult you can imagine… And just read. Or write.”

“Write what?” Nino moved away a bit and groaned when he felt blood flowing down to his legs again.

“I don’t know, whatever you want. Create silly stories. Force your brain to work and it will get better, you’ll see.” How come the dreamcatcher can be so calm? And why he knows what can be helpful?

“What if better place is heaven… or hell?” Ninomiya asked out of sudden, changing the subject. What if they want to just kill him or make him take his own life?

“Don’t think about it. They will just move you to a room with a better view, that’s it.” Jun said firmly. He seemed to know more than he wanted to say or show and Kazunari didn’t ask. He was still confused and decided to be more careful now, just to try to stay safe. A small beam of hope was still shining from the distance but Nino decided to leave it at that, not moving even step closer to it, afraid to scare it away. On the other hand, maybe the fact he won’t see the taller man for a bit was a good idea? The trust he had in him was already cracked in few places and if Shiori or Matsumoto himself tell another lie it can be damaged beyond repair. A moment alone is always a good idea, unless it lasts too long. But his sister promised to take him away, right? And if not… After one more session he won’t remember anything anyway. Before they noticed, the sun started to show his face on the horizon and that could mean only one thing. They won’t see each other till nobody knows when.

“You accept this easier than me…” Jun tried to joke but neither of them laughed. The taller one didn’t try to get closer to the latter, as if he sensed his need of keeping the distance between them. Maybe he understood everything? Ninomiya just bowed politely as you do while saying goodbye to your senpai or your mother’s friends and when he rose his head again, the other man was long gone. Neither of them even whispered their goodbyes but Nino felt this was the way it should be. Right now he has to figure everything out by himself. Not only who Matsumoto was in general but also who he was for him. A friend? Somebody more than just that? There will be a lot of time to do that, in his new room somewhere in the other part of the building.

“In the better place…”

***

They didn’t lie, at least not about the garden. It was more like a square with grass, some flowers and three trees but it was outside and Kazunari could use it more or less freely. His room was also bigger and brighter than the one he had before, with bigger bed. It looked more like a fancy hotel than a clinic but one thing didn’t change a bit. He was alone, or at least they kept every other patient away from him and they did it efficiently. A nurse handed him a new thick script with rules and asked him to read it as soon as possible, preferably before dinner. Aikawa was telling the truth, which probably surprised Nino the most. He was free to go around the garden but only on set part of the day. Since there were more patients in this wing of the clinic and meeting them was still forbidden they need to share this piece of greenery. Everything seemed to be just as they promised but Ninomiya decided to be careful. If Jiro is involved in this it can’t be that beautiful. He was sure this was just sugarcoat and devil only knows what it’s underneath. But when he got to the section regarding the visitors everything became clear as crystal.

Guests are allowed. However due to larger amount of open space and lack of video recording equipment their visits should be announced at least four weeks ahead, so the Clinic’s schedule can be arranged. Meetings shouldn’t last more than an hour and presence of at least one medical stuff is obligatory.

Shiori was here not more than four days ago and her next visit will be possible at least in a month. That is a lot of time for the medical staff here to mess with his brain by applying more shocks and turn him into a vegetable. Kazunari looked through the window and sighed. They promised him freedom but in fact this was just a most sophisticated form of jail, just as he had expected. All he can do right now was to try and keep his mind as sharp as possible, hoping that they didn’t fry it too much already. Matsumoto said something about reading books, difficult ones. Do they have anything like that here? It won’t hurt to ask. He sneaked slowly out of his new chamber and shuffled towards the nurse station. The fact that he wasn’t the only patient here became more obvious the closer he got to the place he could call a living room. He saw some magazines put here and there chaotically and cushions on the couch were crumpled. Nino shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of something from his mind and turned to the nurse who was busy with some papers. He coughed quietly, trying to get her attention and it worked only after third time.

“Something happened? You need help?” The woman asked politely but she kept her distance. Ninomiya thought for a second how many times somebody jumped behind the counter to hurt one of the medical staff here but soon he remembered why he came here in the first place.

“No… Nothing happened but I need help… Can I get a book? I mean… I would like to read and… Is it possible for me to get a book?” Nino stuttered like crazy, feeling ashamed and afraid so he clenched his hands on his arms till his knuckles became white. He wasn’t scared of the woman in front of him, not at all. What terrified him the most was the fact he won’t understand anything from the story and it’s already too late to save his brain.

“A book? Well, we have few of them here, let’s see if something will suit you.” Nurse smiled and disappeared in a small room in the back. She was taking her time, leaving Ninomiya alone with his thoughts. He spaced out, looking at the floor but not seeing anything. His mind was blank until a soft cough reached his ears. Kazunari shook his head again, recalling where exactly he was and what happened just a while ago. It was getting worse with passing time. Nee-chan, please hurry up…

“I have no idea what you like so I brought few of them… Pick one you like and after you finish it, you can exchange it for another one.”

“Thank you.” Nino whispered and read the titles. He never read any of them but he knew the authors and outline of the stories. After few minutes he picked thick one with golden letters on the cover saying “Count Monte Christo”. Ninomiya didn’t hear the woman’s comment as he slowly came back to his room and jumped under the blankets. When he opened the book and his eyes fell on first sentences a small voice in the back of his head was whispering that this is way too difficult for him and he should start reading something easier, like books for kids. At the same time Kazunari heard Matsumoto saying he shouldn’t give up and read slower, trying to understand as much as possible.

Nino didn’t have a script in his hand for a quite long time and his tortured brain got tired way too fast. His thoughts came back to Shiori’s promise. She said she has a plan but… Why didn’t she help him before he was closed in this clinic? Why didn’t she take him away and talk with lawyers earlier? His sister was probably scared or… Maybe she really needed somebody who explained her everything, from who her younger brother really was and that’s nothing wrong or evil about it? Was Jun really so persuasive? On one hand it seemed logical, everything had sense and created believable picture. However on the other… Who is Matsumoto? He said he was sent by Souta to protect Nino but he is not ordinary creature from the dreamland. He can easily move to the real world and seems to be a regular human being, visible for everyone. This was far too complicated and magical for Kazunari to wrap his already strained mind around. Everything seemed to be one, very long nightmare he can’t wake up from. Deep inside he wished to wake up in the basement in his father’s house because that gave him a tiny beam of hope that he will be released from there sooner or later and nobody will shock him. His head started to hurt from all that thinking and he decided to take a nap. Ninomiya turned on his side and faced the window. Just then he noticed the curtains which he had seen before. Crimson with black feathers painted on the material. Is it possible he is in the same room? How come?

“Excuse me…” A quiet woman’s voice reached his ear. “Aikawa-sensei is asking you to come to the office now, he wants to talk to you.”

“I’ll… I’ll be right there… Oh and… Can I get something for a headache?”

“I will see what can be done about it… Just come to the station on your way to the doctor.” The nurse disappeared and Kazunari wondered why she is so polite to him. The previous ones weren’t so nice, not mentioning the rape attempts. Whether they really tried hard to make him believe this is really a better part of the clinic or indeed it was just that. Nino slowly crawled out of bed and shuffled towards the nurse station where he got a painkiller, half of glass of water and instructions how to get to Aikawa’s office on this floor. He took the pill on his way and soon found himself sitting on a chair in front or an oak desk, waiting for questions.

“I heard you asked for a book. Good, that means you slowly are feeling comfortable here…” The doctor smiled but something was not right. He looked scared and tried to mask it behind his fake smile but Kazunari didn’t allow himself to be tricked. Did Shiori asked already for his release?

“Y-yes, I just want to kill time…” Nino said quietly, seeing the latter was waiting for his response.

“Good, good. You can go to the garden tomorrow before breakfast if the weather stays as nice as now, nurse Mizukawa will show you the way, just ask her. Oh… One more thing… Did you read the rule book already?”

“Yes…” Ninomiya nodded, trying to understand everything but failing miserably due to the headache which still was lingering.

“Then you are aware that you can’t have visitors at least for a month, right? I am asking because somebody wants to see you but I can’t allow that. And since that person is very brazen I would like you to write a short note saying you are fine and that this facility and its patients need peace. Maybe your words will get where it should?”

“I… I can write something but I don’t know to whom I should address it…”

“Oh, it’s your sister. Here…” Aikawa pushed a piece of paper and a pencil towards his patient and leaned back, waiting until he scribbles few sentences. “Of course you are aware that I will read it before I can hand it to her? You understand, I can’t let her read something she shouldn’t; she is ready to bring a police and lawyers here and this whole fuss is not needed.”

“Yes, sensei…” Nino whispered and looked at the blank sheet, wondering what he should write. He can’t say anything straight but he couldn’t find any kind of code which could be understood by Shiori. Without wasting much more time he wrote what the doctor asked him to, adding few words about taking care of their cousin and his dog. Maybe this way the woman will figure out that something’s not right. “Sensei, can I ask something?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes of course.”

“Since I was moved here, the… therapy is not needed anymore, right? I… I mean I am better now…”

“Yes, Ninomiya-kun, you are better and as for now you don’t need sessions. I can’t promise that if you get worse we won’t go back to it though. Don’t think about it, you are doing good and let’s hope for the best. Now, off you go, I have few other patients to talk to.” The older man laughed nervously while Nino was leaving the room. Something was definitely wrong. Probably Shiori started to push them to let her brother go and that’s why Jiro decided to put him in the better cage. Out of anybody’s reach. He rather has his son dead than gay. Aikawa said they won’t shock him anymore but can he be trusted in this? Ninomiya went back to his chamber and went to the window. He wanted to touch the dreamcatcher but then he remembered that it wasn’t there anymore. Funny how your body gets used to the surroundings and remembers more than your mind. Nino sighed loudly and his eyes fell on the wall, just behind the thick curtains where somebody scratched some words in the paint.

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real

Kazunari touched the letters with his fingertips, wondering who left this message and why it was so true for him as well…

***

Days were practically identical. Kazunari was going out to warm up in the early sunshine and then went back to his room, reading all the time with small breaks for meals and talks with the doctor. Nino liked to go to the very edge of the garden, where the cliff was ending just few meters behind the fence and look at the raging ocean beneath. This was his small piece of freedom which was making him calmer and chased every doubts away. During those weeks he wasn’t taken to the session even once but he still was scared and prepared for everything. Ninomiya caught himself on missing Jun a bit even though he was still hesitating on trusting him fully. During those three weeks here he didn’t have any dream, neither bad nor good but that was probably because he made sure to be very tired before his head hit the pillow. Kazunari was perfectly aware that Matsumoto is not waiting in the dreamland for him so there was no use to visit it. It’s not that he was missing him that much that he wanted to see the dreamcatcher; more like he got lonely and scared. Nino couldn’t let himself calm down and not being careful, not that he could stop the therapy in the first place but at least he could delay it even for a couple of minutes.

“Come on nee-chan, hurry up…” Kazunari whispered to the open window for the nth time. All he knew was that she wanted to see him but due to stupid rules she couldn’t and that could mean she finally got a plan to get him out. Why she would be so stubborn to see her brother? Maybe she just wanted to say she couldn’t do anything because Jiro had better lawyers? This uncertainty was slowly killing Nino inside and all he could do was to distract himself with books. He was now in the middle of “Name of the Rose” which was more difficult than the previous one he read and that made him somehow happy. Since he started to read he could focus more on everything and joked to himself that he felt his brain cells grow back. After he finished “Count Monte Christo” he had something very close to a dream, where he saw himself wrapped in white sheet, thrown in the ocean and having his triumph moment, when everyone believed he is really dead. He liked to think what he would do after running away from here and the only thing that came across his mind was visiting Fukushi’s tomb. His thoughts never went past that moment.

“Ninomiya-kun… You have a visitor…” Nurse’s voice brought him back to reality and he had to ask her to repeat because he thought he didn’t hear right the first time. “You have a visitor.”

“Nee-chan…” Nino whispered and even though he wanted to dash out of his room he just walked slowly, not giving anyone any reason to keep him here any second longer. He noticed that the nurse was tensed and nervous though…

“Kazu!!!” Shiori shouted and pulled her brother in tight embrace, as if she didn’t see him in few years, not weeks. “How are you? Are they treating you well here?”

“I am as fine as I can be here.” Ninomiya replied, trying not to look around too much. He had a small hope that Jun will be there as well but there was only his older sister.

“Can you believe they didn’t want to let me see you, even though I have everything ready? Kazu… I am taking you home.” The woman said with a smile glued to her face. Kazunari frowned and moved away two steps to get a better look at his sister. Then he raised his arm and pinched himself as hard as he could to check if this is not a dream.

“No, I am serious. I am taking you home.”

“You mean I can leave today?! I am going home? Really??” Nino’s heart was about to explode from happiness. Nothing else mattered, not their so-called father, not Matsumoto, anything… This moment of happiness wasn’t meant to last more than ten seconds though.

“No, Ninomiya-kun, you are not leaving here today.” Aikawa appeared out of nowhere. He was sweating and a pulsing vein on his neck showed that he was more than just upset. “I saw your papers, Ninomiya-san but… I cannot allow my patient to leave this facility basing on opinions of someone who doesn’t know a thing about your brother’s sickness.”

“You have no right to keep my brother here and you know it. If you really saw the documents you would see that I am his legal guardian now and I have a right to take my brother out of here whenever I want. So instead of wasting my time, get Kazunari’s things back and we’re out of here. Or do you want me to call my lawyers here?” Shiori was as calm as she could be but it was clear she was on the edge of anger. Nino didn’t see his sister in such state before, so his mouth fell open in shock.

The doctor squinted and didn’t utter a word for at least few minutes. It was obvious that he lost but he didn’t want to admit it. Maybe Jiro even threatened him that if he lets Kazunari out something bad will happen to the clinic? When Aikawa couldn’t prolong the silence anymore he just signed a paper and threw it in Shiori’s face, leaving soon after. That was it, Ninomiya was free. He will never see those awful walls ever again, he won’t have to look at the staff’s faces and, more important, he won’t have to be afraid anymore. His father is no longer his legal guardian and he can’t do a thing to his seventeen years old son.

“Go get your stuff Kazu, I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary.” The woman touched the younger man’s shoulder and smiled with a relief. Nino nodded and decided to go to the nurse station and ask about his belongings, even though he wasn’t sure this is the right place to go. In around thirty minutes he was already in his sister’s car, heading to the harbor. Kazunari didn’t look back, focusing on his new life and trying not to be overwhelmed. He wanted to ask about Jun but he was afraid and he didn’t know what to say anyway. The silence was unbearable and slowly drove Nino crazy, so he coughed and asked about his nearest future.

“Well, first you will go to our new apartment. It’s small but you have your own room. And then… We’ll see. I believe that you need to get used to living outside again, but we’ll manage.”

“What about father?”

“Don’t think about him. He is not your concern anymore. He won’t hurt you, I promise you that.” The woman smiled but it was clear that it’s fake. She was worried about something but she didn’t want to burden her brother with it so she kept everything for herself. Nino stayed silent till they reached the ferry and were able to walk around the deck in the sun.

“Where exactly is your apartment?”

“Our apartment. It’s not that far away from previous one. Why are you asking?”

“I… I was just wondering if you can take me to one place before we go home…”

“I can but… Aren’t you tired? Don’t you want to rest?”

“No, I am fine. And I really want to go there… Please, nee-chan…” Kazunari looked in his sister’s eyes and bit his lower lip. He wanted to do this for so long right now that even if he was deadly tired or sick, he would do anything to go to that place.

“Okay, where you want to go?”

“I want to go to the cemetery… For the last time, say proper goodbye…” Ninomiya whispered the last sentence and smiled weakly when Shiori nodded. He will visit Souta’s tomb just to thank him for the dreamcatcher which was the only thing that could keep him sane behind the clinic’s walls.