And I see a shooting star

Set apart from all the rest

While the other stars are standing still

he’s on a quest

Every night this shooting star

 darts across the twilight sky

Cause he knows he doesn’t quite fit in

He’s longing to know why.

Shooting star : Boyzone

Rage; there was no other way to describe it, It burned within him like a raging bonfire.

Why hadn’t she told him? Didn’t he have a right to know?

Kouichi stormed out of the Hospital leaving his speechless mother at the door, he didn’t want to speak to her, not now, Rage and tears intermingled on his conflicted face as he boarded the subway.

He sat there alone in the crowd allowing his anger to simmer and settle.

“So,” he muttered to himself at last “I have a brother, a twin,”

He knew it was true, he always knew, besides people didn’t lie on their death beds...

The thought stopped him dead, the memory of his grandmother’s last moments passed before his eyes, she had used her last breath to right a wrong already a decade old

“Kouji,” he muttered to himself “I’ll find you Kouji,”

***

Kouichi felt drained of energy for the next couple of weeks, all of his energy was bent into finding the brother he’d never met now it was affecting his school work. Why were there so many Minamotos’ in the phone book, each address led to nowhere plenty of red herrings but no real satisfaction

“Kouichi are you even focussing?” reprimanded Sabrina when he got back a maths test with a C on it “I know you Kouichikins, your better than this,”

Kouichi flinched slightly, he knew she was right but she also knew he hated that nickname.

“I’m worried,” she continued “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been so distant recently,”

Kouichi hated this, but he couldn’t share this, no not even with Sabs, it was his burden.

“This is something I have to do on my own,” he snapped at her

Sabrina looked hurt Kouichi caught himself

“Sorry Sabs, I have some issues to work out by myself before I can talk I promise I’ll tell you all about it when it’s over” he said to her with care

And with that he pushed away from the table and began to walk to class

“I just hope you solve them before they destroy you” mumbled Sabrina poking a fork into the last of her lunch “I can only hope,”

***

It all culminated today, he could feel it. Even before he saw Kouji, he knew he was at the right place, it was if he had been drawn there by some invisible force, he stayed out of sight trying to be inconspicuous as he watched first his father and then Kouji leave the house and then a woman, he guessed was his brother’s Stepmother rushing after them

“He has a family! why does he get happiness while my mom gets pain,” he said to himself silently hating his father.

He turned, he’d come back later he had to talk to Kouji, he had to know why. Why they had left.

***

Kouichi’s step was lighter the next few days, he had a purpose again, he may not have resolved the problem yet but he felt glad to know that he had found his brother.

“What’s gotten into you?” Asked Sabrina giving Kouichi a smile

“Nothing Sabrina, it’s just that issue I told you about is drawing to a close” replied Kouichi cryptically

“Whatever,” said Sabrina waving the issue away she had become rather callous of late, Kouichi knew she was angry at him but he knew her well enough to know that the tall reserved girl was only hurt that he was keeping secrets, she had forgiven him his faults long ago. he wondered if he should enlighten his best friend as to his little secret.

No he had to solve this problem himself, today he would confront him, he knew his brothers patterns pretty well, stalking him was like second nature.

“Crazy” he thought to himself “It’s like I’m the shadow and he’s the light”

***

Following his brother again, his second nature kicking over in his head, it was weird, they looked exactly the same but they were so different, from his outside Kouichi could see the brother buying flowers what was that all about? He hadn’t seen a girlfriend anywhere, Kouji kept to himself for the most part.

Wait, things were changing he was leaving now, and in quite a hurry too, Kouichi followed

“I have to talk to him, I have to make him understand,” he thought urgently to himself.

***

Why was he such a coward he wanted to talk to him but he was held back.

He just stood there watching his brother in the reflection of a mirror, couldn’t he turn? Why was he so afraid to look into those angry eyes.

The train stopped Kouji moved to the door,

“Go, don’t lose him,” called a voice inside his head

Kouichi rushed out a flicker of blue and yellow as his guide to his brothers whereabouts, something felt final today Kouichi had to talk to him he had to end this.

He ran into someone.

“I’m sorry” he said absent-mindedly getting to his feet and searching for his brother in the ever thickening crowd,

“I should hope so! Kouichi? What are you doing here?” Demanded Sabrina getting to her feet

The elevator! Kouji was there!

“Later!” He said to Sabrina making a mad dash for the doors

“Kouichi! Wait!” Called Sabrina hopelessly running behind him

Doors closing. He had to hurry

Kouichi lunged forward his hands touching only the metal of the elevator

He cursed

Stairs he thought

“Kouichi!” Called Sabrina trying to reach him through the throng

One flight, two flights, no more, his foot caught, he flew forward, as he reached the ground he heard a faint crack,

“K, K, Kouji” he sputtered and remembered no more,

I need not tell you any more save this Kouichi was not the only person to miss the train that day, someone else missed that call as well, someone was calling 911 when the bell tolled.

That person... was Sabrina!