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There was normally a very peaceful atmosphere in the house. Everyone tended to be relaxed after a hard day of work. There was never much going on. Well, that was how it normally was. This evening, however, not so much.
The ryusoulgers had just returned from another fight not that long ago. Unfortunately the minosaur had not been defeated yet. They had gone to the house in an attempt to brainstorm things. That itself was not a very unusual scene. But there were two people who made it so today.
"Don't ever do something stupid like that again."
"I'm fine, nii-san. I know what I'm doing."
"You almost got seriously hurt!"
"But I didn't."
"Towa!"
The brothers were having a bit of an argument. Towa had rushed in and done some questionable actions in an attempt to attack the minosaur. Bamba was quite furious about what he had done and was letting him know it. Towa kept brushing off his concerns, which just made Bamba angrier.
The others all listened with mixed feelings. Some were more on Towa's side and some on Bamba's. No one dared to interrupt with their opinions though. That didn't feel like it would end well.
"You're not the boss of me."
"I'm in charge of looking after you. I am the boss of you."
"Stop acting like I'm a helpless child! I know how to fight!"
"You aren't acting like you do!"
Koh leaned over to whisper in Melt's ear. "Should we do something?"
"I have no idea..." Melt replied.
"They've never fought this much before." Asuna added in.
"Leave me alone! Stop treating me like a helpless child!" Towa ran out of the house.
"Towa!" Bamba moved to follow him, but then hesitated.
There was a heavy silence that filled the room. No one wanted to be the first one to speak.
"You might've been a bit too harsh on him." Koh broke the silence.
"His foolish actions could've caused him to get hurt." Bamba growled.
"It's obvious he doesn't see it that way." Koh replied, carefully choosing his words. "It might be a case where he'll only learn when things go wrong."
From the silence and the way Bamba tensed up from his words, Koh realized that was not what he wanted to hear. This was not going well.
Bamba didn't say anything else. He simply left the house. Koh glanced back at Asuna and Melt. Both shrugged. They weren't sure what to do either.
...
Towa had run off with no particular destination in mind. He just wanted to get away. He needed a moment to himself.
He wasn't a helpless child. He knew how to fight. He knew what he was doing. He wasn't that stupid. He knew how to not get hurt. Why didn't Bamba understand that? He wasn't that helpless.
Towa was wandering around the town now. He had no idea what to do. He would go back when he was ready. For now, he just wanted to be alone.
He was startled by a scream from nearby. Towa rushed toward the noise. The minosaur was back. Thankfully it hadn't grown yet.
"Ryusoul Change." Towa was not about to just sit back and let the minosaur run free.
He transformed and then rushed to fight. The minosaur turned to face him. The two clashed hard. Unfortunately seeing as they hadn't found a good way to defeat this minosaur yet, Towa was at a disadvantage. His attacks weren't doing much except probably angering the minosaur more. It wasn't taking much damage from anything he threw at it.
The minosaur hit him with some shots and Towa went flying back. He rolled across the ground, his transformation coming undone. He bit his lip to distract himself from the pain running through his body.
The minosaur was lining up another shot. Towa struggled to stand, but was unable to get back to his feet. This was bad. What did he do? Was this the end?
As the minosaur fired its shot, Towa closed his eyes. The brightness from the shot was all he could see. And then the brightness suddenly dimmed. The pain never came.
Towa opened his eyes, them widening as he realized just what had happened.
"Nii-san...?"
It was hard to see much from the blinding light, but Bamba had jumped in front of him just in time. The shot hit him hard. As the light from the attack faded, Towa could actually see the damage. Bamba fell to the ground, his transformation coming off even before he hit the floor.
Towa felt himself trembling. Bamba didn't move. Why wasn't he moving?
"Nii-san!" Towa found the ability to move and launched himself forward, desperately grabbing his brother and shaking him.
He didn't stir. Towa's eyes were filling with tears. He didn't know what to do.
"Guys!"
The other three arrived on the scene. Towa only now realized the minosaur had vanished.
"Towa..." A hand placed itself on his shoulder. "What... happened?"
Towa explained as best he could through his tears. He was a sobbing mess. Koh pried him away from Bamba and pulled him into a firm hug. Towa struggled against his grip, but to no avail.
"How is he, Melt?" Towa heard Asuna asked.
Towa didn't get to hear the answer. Koh had drug him away. Towa tried to fight him, but in his state he was no match for the older.
"Is everything okay?" Ui had rushed to greet them when they arrived.
"I'll explain later." Koh brushed her off.
"O-okay."
Koh led Towa into a room and had him sit. Towa didn't look at him. He stared at the ground. Koh held a tissue out to him. Towa accepted it and tried to wipe his tears away. More just kept falling.
"Is... nii-san..." Towa trailed off.
"He's alive. It's gonna be okay. I promise." Koh replied.
Not long after, the others returned. Koh locked Towa in the room as he went to go greet them. Towa pressed himself as close as he could to the door to try and hear what they were saying.
"How is he?"
"It's bad."
"Will he recover?"
There was a long silence. Towa felt dread rising in him. Why was no one answering?
"I... don't know. He's suffered some pretty bad internal damage."
"What do we do? Towa's already a mess as it is..."
"Just try and reassure him everything will be okay, I guess."
"Lie to him?"
"What good will telling him his brother might die do?"
Towa sunk to the ground, his back leaning against the door. What did he do? If he lost Bamba... he'd be all alone. And it would be all his fault.
Had he just agreed with Bamba instead of arguing with him... if he hadn't run off... none of this would have happened. It was all his fault. He was the reason his brother was on the verge of death. Because he had been an idiot.
...
Towa's dreams were plagued by nightmares. He was haunted by Bamba dying. Every time he closed his eyes it was all he could see. He didn't know what to do.
He didn't sleep well that night.
When morning came, he was let out of the room. He learned that the minosaur had been defeated. That was good. But that didn't help with the other problem at hand.
Towa couldn't help but notice the lack of Bamba's presence. He had been taken to the hospital. That was the only thing they could do with him. He needed serious medical care.
It took a lot of convincing before anyone agreed to take Towa there. It took a lot of tears and pleading. Towa normally would care that he was being so weak but if that was what it took to get them to let him see Bamba then he'd do it.
All four of them took a trip to the hospital. It was a very quiet walk. At one point, Melt had reached over and held one of Towa's hands. It was a small act of comfort, but it was helping. It grounded him back to the present.
When they got to the room, Towa rushed to the side of the bed. Bamba was still unconscious. He was covered by a blanket so his wounds were hidden. Towa didn't have the strength to see them right now. He glanced over at the monitors that Bamba was hooked up to. While he didn't understand them too much, they seemed mostly stable.
Towa took a seat next to the bed and stared at Bamba. It was all his fault his brother was like this right now. Would Bamba ever forgive him for how stupid he had been?
"You alright, Towa?" Asuna asked quietly.
"It's all my fault..." Towa whispered.
"No, it's not." All three chimed in at practically the same time.
"If I had just listened to him... this wouldn't have happened." Towa argued in a quiet voice.
"Towa, it's not your fault this happened." Koh stated, "I doubt Bamba would be happy to hear you blaming yourself so much. He didn't have to protect you. He could've let you get hurt, but he didn't."
Towa didn't say anything more. He went silent and returned to simply staring at Bamba. Even if they said it wasn't his fault, he couldn't believe them. Bamba wouldn't have had to save him if he hadn't ran off on his own.
Towa spent the entire day in hospital. He stared at Bamba, watching him for any signs of change. The older man remained unmoving besides his chest rising and falling.
The doctor had come in at some point. Once someone, who Towa couldn't remember who, had explained he was family to Bamba, they had given a rundown on his condition. As of now, he was stabilized. However, there was a chance he may not improve beyond what they had accomplished.
Towa was told that it was very unlikely Bamba would wake up any time soon. His body was very badly hurt and his brain was keeping him asleep to protect him from the pain was the gist of how he had been explained the situation. All the big words were confusing. Towa just wanted his brother to be okay.
...
It had been a week. Every single day, Towa went to go check on Bamba. He would spend the entire day glued to the seat, watching his brother. The rest of the ryusoulgers mostly let him do as he pleased, occasionally coming to make sure he ate something and was getting some sleep.
Bamba's condition hadn't improved. Towa was starting to lose hope. The fear that his brother would never come back was growing. He didn't know how to process any of those feelings. No one could help him much either. He was on his own.
It was getting to the evening now. Soon he would have to go home. Towa hated this part of the day. He wanted to remain at Bamba's side through it all. But someone would come drag him back to the house and make him eat dinner and then go to bed. He had no say.
Towa was stretching out his stiff limbs when he heard a noise. For the first time since being here, Bamba had made a sound. Towa stared at his brother with hopeful eyes. Was he going to wake up?
Bamba made a few more sounds. Pained sounds. Towa gulped. Please... he needed Bamba.
After a few more agonizing minutes, Bamba slowly opened his eyes. Towa numbly walked to the bed.
"Nii-san..."
Bamba's gaze turned to look at him. "Towa..."
Tears started filling Towa's eyes. "Nii-san... I'm so sorry..."
"Are you okay...?"
Instead of being concerned about himself, the first thing Bamba did was make sure Towa was okay. The words that Koh had told him before echoed in his mind. Bamba would do anything to protect him no matter what might happen. Even if this could happen.
Towa nodded. "I-I'm fine... nii-san... I..."
"It's okay... I'm just glad I got there in time..."
Towa didn't know what to say. He just started crying. He sunk to his knees and pressed his face against Bamba's shoulder.
A hand was placed on his head. Bamba ruffled his hair slightly. Towa hugged him as best he could from his position.
"I love you, nii-san..." Towa whispered.
"I love you too, Towa..."
"I'm sorry I... I didn't listen..."
"It's okay... everything will be okay. I'm sorry I yelled at you. That didn't help anything."
"I..." Towa didn't have words again. They fell into silence.
The hand on his head slid off. Towa raised his head quickly. Bamba had fallen unconscious again. Towa shakily grabbed his hand and held it. The tears were coming harder now.
...
Towa had no idea how long had passed before someone came into the room. He had cried himself to sleep from the look of things.
"Are you okay, Towa?" Melt had been sent to collect him tonight.
"I don't know..." Towa whispered.
"Did something happen?"
"Nii-san... woke up... but..." Towa glanced at Bamba again. He hadn't moved since.
"That's a good sign, though." Melt said gently. "That means he's getting better."
Towa numbly let Melt pull him to his feet. After a long minute, they began the walk home. Towa wasn't moving very fast. He felt numb inside.
"Do you want to hop on my back?"
Towa blinked at Melt. He was looking at Towa with a lot of concern. Towa nodded to his question. In a minute, he was situated on the blue-haired boy's back and they began walking again. Towa rested his head on Melt's shoulder and closed his eyes.
The walk back was quiet. Towa was grateful that Melt wasn't trying to start a conversation. He wasn't in a talkative mood. Not since Bamba had gotten hurt. He had completely shut down.
The usual routine followed once they made it to the house. Dinner was served. Koh and Asuna kept prompting Towa to talk, but to no avail. Melt told them of the good news for him. That lightened up the mood. Everyone was pretty down. Knowing there was nothing they could do to help Towa was getting to them.
"I'm sure in no time he'll be back on his feet."
...
Two months. Two months had passed since that day. Two whole entire months with nothing. Bamba didn't wake again. Didn't show much improvement.
Towa was so close to just completely coming undone. He had no idea what to do anymore. He needed his brother. He couldn't go on without him.
But no matter what he did... nothing was getting better. The doctor was starting to tell them it might be time to give up. That Bamba wouldn't wake again. That he would stay asleep forever.
Towa was so lost on what to do. He was so out of it. He hadn't been able to help fight any minosaurs since the incident. He was just ruining everything. He didn't have a clue on how to proceed.
He mostly still remained beside Bamba. He very rarely left his side. The same routine was in place. Nothing anyone did made him feel better. The only thing that would make him feel better was Bamba waking up. That was all he wanted.
Towa took a glance at the clock. It was just past noon. He had already been here for a few hours. There had been no movement. It was the same as always.
Soon someone would show up to make him eat. Towa was used to it by now. He couldn't help but wonder if everyone was sick of dealing with him. All he ever did was mope around. He was no help to them any more. Were they fed up with having to babysit him like this?
"Towa. I brought some food." Today was Koh's turn to check up on him.
Towa glanced at him, but said nothing. Koh held out a sandwich for him. Towa took it and slowly ate it. If he argued against it, it would just cause him more problems. It was better to just do what they wanted. Towa didn't even have the will to fight them anymore.
Koh took a seat nearby, watching Towa with a worried gaze. Everyone was still concerned for him. They all tried to remain as positive as they could about the situation for Towa's sake, but even they were starting to falter.
The two boys sat in silence. Towa had no desire to say much to Koh right now. There was nothing to talk about. Nothing had changed. The only time they had things to talk about was if a minosaur appeared. Even then it wasn't like Towa could help fight. He was just a liability on the battlefield.
The silence droned on for quite some time. Towa was used to this. Whoever came to visit would often stay for a while to keep him company. Towa didn't really care, but opted to not complain. Maybe it was a bit less suffocating in the room when someone else was with him?
The two of them startled as suddenly Bamba made a noise. Towa almost immediately rushed to his side. He was moving. Towa watched as his older brother stirred. Relief washed over him for a bit, but there was still that worry of the fact that Bamba may simply not stay awake for long again.
Bamba opened his eyes. He met Towa's gaze.
"Nii-san..." Towa started crying and hugged him tightly.
"Towa..." Bamba brought his arms up and hugged him as well.
Towa sniffled. "I thought you weren't ever gonna wake up again..."
Bamba took a minute before he spoke. "How long has it been?"
"Two months." Koh answered.
"Two... months?" Bamba repeated.
"Nii-san..." Towa tightened his grip.
"I'm here, Towa. I'm okay." Bamba soothed him. "I'm sorry I've worried you so much."
Towa couldn't bring himself to say his worries out loud. What if this was going to be a repeat of the last time he woke up? What if... this was the last time he would ever get to talk to him again?
"A-ah, should you really be sitting up?"
Towa barely realized what was happening until suddenly two firm arms pulled him onto the bed fully. He was pulled into Bamba's lap and held in a firm hug. Towa sunk into the embrace.
"I'm fine. I feel much better than before." Bamba brushed off Koh's worries.
Towa felt a bit more relieved hearing that. Maybe Bamba would be okay now. Maybe he had nothing to worry about.
"Nii-san." Towa nuzzled in closer. "Promise you won't leave me..."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm sorry... it's all my fault this happened..."
Bamba sighed at his words. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have yelled at you so much."
"But... but I..."
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you more. You just really scared me when you did all of that. I thought I was going to lose you."
Towa paused. He had been prepared to argue his case more, but that statement threw him off. The entire reason Bamba had been so furious was because he had been worried that much?
"I... I'm sorry... I didn't... mean to worry you." Towa mumbled. "I thought I could... do that plan a lot smoother than I did..."
"Please don't scare me like that again. I don't want to lose you."
Towa nodded.
"And he doesn't want to lose you." Koh butted into the conversation.
Bamba ruffled Towa's hair. "I know... But if it comes down to it... I'll give my life if it means he stays safe."
"Nii-san..." Towa looked up at him.
Bamba smiled softly. "I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. It'll be okay."
Towa pouted and punched him on the shoulder. "You almost just did, nii-san."
Koh chuckled. "Towa's right, you know. The doctor was pretty certain you weren't gonna recover. He was amazed you woke up at all."
Bamba sighed and shook his head. "Fine. I don't plan on repeating this anytime soon. How about that?"
"Better." Towa said, but did whack him once more. "I'm still mad at you though."
"For what?"
"Not telling." Towa huffed.
"Towa."
Towa just stared at him with a pout still. Bamba chuckled and poked his cheek.
"Fine, fine. I'll make it up to you soon."
"Eh? You know why he's mad?" Koh questioned.
Bamba glanced his way. "I'm his older brother. I know how to read between the lines with him."
"Well, I'm going to tell everyone you're awake. They'll want to visit too." Koh stated. "Be back in a bit."
With that, he left the room. Towa settled back down against Bamba. His nerves were still a bit high.
"I'm sorry about everything, Towa. I never meant to upset you with my words." Bamba said.
"You're forgiven." Towa hummed. "Nii-san just wanted to protect me."
Bamba kissed him on the head. "It's my job to protect you and by god you don't make it easy for me sometimes."
"Sorry, nii-san."
"It's fine. I'm glad you get to be so carefree."
"Because I have you to watch my back."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."