Chapter 5

Kouji’s Side

Next morning Kouji was awake by sunlight. Today was the day he was leaving this house and with luck it was the beginning of his runaway. His father was already awoken and walking side to side packing his old stuff. Kouji tried to stand up but by the first step he was on the floor. He doesn’t remember that he was tied to the arm of the sofa; he should remember that for the pain in his wrists. The noise puts his father on alert that he has already awoken too.

“Are you ready for the ride? It is going to be a long trip to get there. So… HURRY UP!” – he didn’t noticed before but his father was already drunk. Was he going to drive like that?

His father untied him and pushed him to work. He finally finished the late night work in the kitchen, and then went to his room to pack his things. He found a box were he put all his drawings and books and clothes that fit him, he was an inch more taller than last year but Kouichi was still a bit taller than him, that was other reason why his father thought Kouichi was better than him.

When he finished with his things he carried the box to the car and put it in the back sit. He put the other boxes too with his father’s help because some were bigger than him. He entered into the house for last time to see if he found something they were forggeting to take. The house brought him old painful memories that he, a long time ago, promise himself to forget but sometimes they came back to his mind. He forced himself to remember the times he was with his brother, that were very cool moments especially when they where with Takuya. He was going to go to say goodbye to Takuya when his father came in and pulled him into the car. The time to go had come.

He put the safety belt and looked to the car’s floor. He didn’t knew what else to do. His father began to drive but Kouji noticed that the car was going like the worm footprints, like a zigzag, and sometimes he stopped the car violently, he stopped the car once so hard that he hit his head with the window that was in front of him. They were getting into the principal road when Kouji noticed that something was not right.

“Father… why are we going this way? Weren’t we suppoused to go to Okinawa? Okinawa is in the other way.”

“Okinawa? Who said to you we were going there? We are going to Asahigawa, that’s in the north just were we go. Far away from here. Hope you are bringing all your jackets because Asahigawa is chilling now!” – But he said that they were going to Okinawa, how could this be possible?

“But you said yesterday we were going to Okinawa! You said it to me!”

“Realy? Well that will teach you never to ask a sleep man, especially if that man is me! Jajaja!” – so that was what had happen. He knew it all the time, he tricked him. Now Kouichi was going to look for him in other place, he will never find him that way! – “Don’t cry. That is not so bad. Think this way, like me. Kouichi will live very happy without you, he could have enough time to do a lot of things without you, he could employ the rest of his time to rest and Hang out with his beautiful girlfriend and that because… you’ll be very far from him!”

His father countinue with the car for 5 hours before they stop in a restaurant. Kouji and his father walked in and ate something. His father ate a big lunch and Kouji a smaller one. They went back to the car to continue the journey for 6 more hours. By the time to sleep they stopped at the sideway’s side. They both sleep in the car sits. Kouji was more comfortable than his father because he was smaller and his body could fit better in small spaces. The weather was very cold so he tried to get warm as best as he could but his father couldn’t. His father prefers to squeez his son to warm him so he took Kouji like a teddy bear or like a fluffy pillow. What Kouji doesn’t like of this was that feeling at his back, first it was like a touch but then it becames wet.

Next morning every thing was the same. They ate a quick breakfast. They had to make stops to go to the bathroom at the side of the way cause in some cases they couldn’t find any restaurant or inn or anything. By the afternoon his father was very tired. They stop in a restaurant to eat something. It was like 8 o’clock at night when the show began at that place. His father sent him to the car when some ladies began to dance. Kouji went away only because he wanted to sleep but then he remembered what Takuya told him, he said that if he had any oportunity he had to run away. He tried to see if his father was still looking the show by a little window. All he could see was the girls were half-naked and his father was drinking at the bar. This was his big oportunity.

Kouji went to the car only to pick up the most important things of his box like a warmer jacket and the picture of himself and his brother. He looks under the sits to see if he could find any money but all he could find was some coins that were enough only for a sandwich and some water not to buy a ticket to return to Tokyo. He closed the door of the car and began his journey alone to return to his brother. At first he was happy to go away from his father but then he began to feel scared. The highway at these hours was very dark and it was very windy. The cars passed by his side every ten minutes he continue walking but everytime he tried to stop a car to see if someone could help him.

It had passed something like an hour since he left his father when a car stops at his side. He couldn’t see anything because the car had the high lights on and they were very powerful. He tried to walk to the car and ask if he could take him to Tokyo but he could barely see. When he was walking to speak with the driver he fell with a rock. When he was facing the grass a hand grabbed him by the neck.

“Runing away boy?” – if his ears were correct that was his father’s voice. – “You don’t understand don’t you?” – his father instead of hitting him to dead he just made him enter into the car. He sat in his place as Kouji prayed for his live. He doesn’t say anything, he just continued driving like the drunken man he was. If he was not going to said anything then Kouji too. Kouji just closed his eyes and began to sleep.

He didn’t know how many hours he was like this but a wet sensation woke him up. He was sit in his fathers legs while he was driving, he could smell all the alcohol he drunk in that bar.

“Oh you are awake! So bad!” – Kouji tried to return to his place but his father didn’t let him. - “Hey! Stay there, don’t move!” – kouji didn’t know what to do, he tried to move out, but this time his father squeezed him. – “Come on! If you stay I teach you how to drive.”

“But I can’t drive, Im under age!”

“I don’t care about it! You are going to learn how to drive so stay exactly were you are or I’ll do something that you wouldn’t like!” – Kouji didn’t liked everything that came from him so this time he preferred to stay there only for a while. He was not going to pay attention, so his father could get bored and let him alone again.

Kouichi’s Side

This was the day for him. He was going to return to his old neighborhood and was going to see his brother for the first time since their fight. He didn’t care if his father was there or not, he just want to take him out of there.

He took the buses he had to take and walked a few blocks to get there. At 11 am he was standing in front of his old house that still looked as dirty as ever. But something was diferent. His father’s car was not in the garage. Well that means that this problem could be solve withouth any kind of fight and he could talk to Kouji about everything he wanted all because his father was not there.

He walked in only to find a desert house. There were the same old couches were Kouji and himself used to play, and table were they ate and the wall were they compared their heights. But the house was something more than dead.

“Kouji? Where are you? I know what happened yesterday, Takuya told me. You don’t have to hide away. Dad is not here…”

“Kouji isn’t here too” – Takuya walked out of the rooms. He was bringing some of Kouji’s clothes.

“What do you mean Takuya? Of course Kouji is here! Koooooujiiiii! Come on get out of your hole!”

“Belive me he is not here. He is gone!” – Kouichi was frozen.

“Doesn’t you talk to him yesterday?”

“Yes I did. But he is gone. Not that he wants to. Your father took him away. They move out to… “ – Takuya tried to remember the place Kouji told him.

“To where? Try to remember! That couldn’t be so hard!”

“Hey! No jokes please! This is serious. Ok I remember! He told me he was going to Okinawa. He asks his father while he was sleeping and he says they were going to Okinawa.”

“Are you sure? I mean... did he was really sleep?”

“What do you mean? I’m totally sure, I even heard when he says they were going to Okinawa.” - Takuya stopped to think a bit more – “Unless he was tricking us... but then... Oh God! That old man is really a genius!”

“The question is where are they now” – Kouichi was trying to think hard. Obviously his father was very smart; he didn’t want to be followed so he just tricked Kouji and Takuya. They didn’t have another option... – “Well... I think this is it. We have to wait for Kouji to comunicate with us. He is going to call you as soon as he can, it is very difficult for him to runaway”

“I can’t believe you! You are not going to do anything? What kind of brother are you?”

“One that doesn’t know where is his brother! Japan is not a two-block country, it has a lot of cities with lots of people living in there! How do I’m going to found him!” – Kouichi was begining to panic but he doesn’t wanted to show it. He was afraid for his brother, how was he going to know when he was in trouble? As takuya kept his silence he was wondering for his brother hoping for his sanity.

Kouji’s Part

His father didn’t seem to get bored. It seemed that he loved to pass his hand like a strange kind a masage for all over his legs and face. Kouji was not confortable with that behavior but he didn’t want to move because of the pain he would feel later if his father got angry. He couldn’t say anything to try to stop this; his legs were half-dead, more like sleep. He was beginning to feel hungry but it was like suicide to express it in front of his father. It was kind late now… like five… maybe six o’clock in the night, the highway was getting darker with every second, cars were turning on their lights… how much time was this going to continue?

He tried to look at his father, he was scared when he noticed that his father was sleep. Kouji looked at the highway again and a big truck was making light signals to them. He tried to stop the car but his legs were too short, the car was almost there, they were going to crash… he was going to die without saying goodbye to his brother. The lights were powerful ones, so powerful that they woke up his father, he pushed him a side and tried to stop the car but without luck. The crash was violent and threw him at the back, Kouji had a little time to hide behind his father’s sit…

TBC

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