"You're still here, though... And my brother, he'll just be reborn. Andrew knew him from another life time. He's just starting to awaken. And me...? I'm... I'm just no one. It's my first life, and I was supposed to die fourteen years ago. I just...feel like I'm living on borrowed time..."

"Reapers everywhere." He sat up with a quiet, tired groan, hanging his hands between his knees that dangled off the desk. "I have connections. Sure as Andrew has them, so do I."

She stared at him, a slightly amused expression on her face. "You call being a reaper living, or 'here?' I'd rather be flat out dead than have to do this job. First life, second life, it doesn't matter. People still care, people remember you. When you are a reaper, that's it, nothing more. No more memories, they just fade the longer you're a reaper. No, if reaping is living, I'd rather be dead."

"You made a choice to be a reaper, didn't you? If you did, would you have made that choice if you knew how it'd end up?" He turned his head to look away from her, not very appreciative of the amused look on her face. In fact, it made him feel rather hot ans embarrassed that she seemed to be so amused by him.

"No, if I could do at least that part over, I would have chosen to die, right then and there. The holes in my memory are almost too hard to bear. Could you imagine if you weren't sure that you had ever had your brother? Or not remember your friends' faces or names? I may have chosen some things that appeared right, but this wasn't one of them," she said, shaking her head and looking at her feet.

"Sometimes I wonder if we're really brothers. We hardly look like each other. And I don't actually have any friends... I wouldn't care forgetting... I really wouldn't."

((Hrm. Do you think they could end up being friends? o.O ))

{{-shrugs- I dunno, they seem to be getting along pretty well, since she hasn't talked about this to anyone before.}}

Tessan slowly looked up at him, her eyes half closed. "If you were closer, I think I might punch you in the face. Even if you aren't real brothers, you cannot hide the love you feel, it was written all over your face. Even if you aren't related by blood, your love for your brother is as strong as, maybe stronger than, most that are actually related for sure. And you may say you want to forget, but when you start to, you'll wish you hadn't," she said, shaking her finger at him.

"I do love him... But I don't want to live a lie, you know?" he asked, turning his head to look at her again. "If we aren't brothers, it won't make me feel any less for him. I'd just rather know the truth about if we are or not."

((Hmm... Do you still have the PM with my messenger address? If so, add me, will you? It's easier to talk about character interactions when it's more instant. ^^;; ))

{{I will later, I'm going to bed after this.}}


"You dope. If it's really that important to you, why not just ask?" she stated simply, a small smile on her face.

"I have asked... He doesn't know, and Andrew and Shozii refuse to answer my questions. We can't afford a DNA test, so I'm just left to wonder what the truth is..."

((Damn. >.< And True seems to have vanished. Bah. Bye bye roleplay... -Sigh- ))

"Connections?" Brodie asked, "To what? You seem far from being very connected to this world." He said it with a vague wave of his hand, "You can be a cat, and use shadows, I know that much. But what exactly are you connected to?"

He thought, for a second, that maybe he should drop the subject. The guy did seem tired enough. 'But,' Brodie thought, 'he's the one who woke me up. I know I sure can't get to sleep after this, Hell if I let him get more sleep than me.' He blinked several times, driving back his fatigue, just to make sure he wouldn't fall asleep.

"Excuse me?" he asked, tilting his head to the side with slight annoyance as he peered at Brodie. "I have a job, I have a car, I have a cellphone, I have internet, and an X-box360. I adapt to the time period I live in. I'm more 'connected' to this world than you are, kid. As for what I'm connected to. Let's just say that when you've been alive as long as I have, you learn to get on good terms with useful people."

Kohaku had been slowing down significantly, his muscles already starting to ache a little. He was running out of breath very quickly...now that everything had been taken over by someone else, the adrenaline rush was calming down, leaving him feeling his exhaustion quite strongly.

Still, he had to make it to the door and make sure everything was okay.

Meanwhile, Hideto was finally working up the courage to step out of the bedroom. He felt like a scared little kitten, still holed up even after he had been told it was safe...even if he was panicked, though, he couldn't let himself LOOK panicked. He slowly began to walk out toward the living room, hiding the fact that he really felt like he was about to collapse.

Now out of breath, Kohaku found himself standing by the open door. He peered in, thinking for sure this was where he was supposed to go...but when he noticed the scene, it seemed a bit off. Yet at the same time...it did seem about right...

Hideto turned a deep shade of red when he noticed his father standing in the door. Nervously, he stepped out into view and waved, laughing sheepishly as he let out a soft "Hi...Dad..."

Kohaku stumbled backward, nearly fainting for shock. He knew something weird was going on...he just knew it. But this was...unexpected.

Zaitsu managed to sit up fully, holding out his hand to Andrew in an offer to help him up. "Have you slept at all?" he asked with concern, though he should've been more concerned about himself.

"Yeah, actually. Believe it or not," he replied with a weak groan. He looked up at Zaitsu's hand, though his eyes couldn't focus properly on it.

"Well then, that's their fault, not yours. You don't need to be so gloomy because the adults won't answer your questions. My questions never get answered and, while I may be pouty for a few seconds, I'm right back," she said, closing her eyes as she smiled. "Have you tried asking questions that might let you figure out if you were brothers? Like, not just asking 'are we brothers,' but another question?"

"I'm not some little kid. I've asked hundreds of questions. But they never actually lead to anything. All I know for sure - and that's only because news reports from back then confirmed it - is that we were the only two survives in car nine... Lightning hit the track a few yards ahead of the train. It derailed and cars went flying."

He cringed a little, the memories of that horrible wreck playing through his mind. "I... I got hurt," he said quietly, his voice starting to falter. "But my injuries were nothing compared to Zaitsu's... A piece of metal went through the base of his skull... They thought he was going to die for sure. Andrew. I don't know if he was on the train with us or if he was waiting nearby, already aware of what was going to happen. But he was there, and he carried my brother out of the mangled car. Shozii took me. I was screaming, trying to stay with Zaitsu, but they wouldn't let me..."

He sat up and took his helmet, stepping over Tessan and out of the car. "I don't know if we're brothers, or just two frightened children clinging together in hopes that we'll wake up and it was all just a nightmare. Sometimes I feel like if I keep my eyes closed just a little longer in the morning, that when I open them I'll be three again and my father will be getting ready for work and my mother will be making breakfast. But it never happens. I wake up and it's Zaitsu I see, trying to get ready for work and make me breakfast at the same time. He's not very good at doing both, but he tries. He... He doesn't care if we're brothers or not. But I just have to know the truth. I want to know if I have a family somewhere that's mourning over the grave of a child that isn't even their's."

He reached out and gently pulled her up by her hand, moving her away from the door of the car so he could close it and lock it properly. "Sorry for saying too much," he muttered, heading back towards the elevator.

As he walked away, Tessan shook her head, skiping after him and punching him lightly in the side of the face. "You didn't say too much, only enough. So they haven't told you; we can find out for ourselves. ...Or you can for yourself, I'm not really in this. I know you've probably tried everything, but how about looking back at the records of those on the train? And Andrew isn't a very good person for keeping things from you, even if it would hurt you," she said, falling into step with him.

He turned his face away from her after he was hit. Normally, he would've struck her back, but he didn't this time. "I'm not an idiot. I've tried to look through the records. They've been misplaced. I tried hunting them down but I couldn't. Alright? Yeah, I said too much. Because you fucking hit me."

He stopped mid-step, realizing that he didn't want to go back upstairs. "I wonder if it's safe to go home yet," he said quietly under his breath, turning and heading back towards his motorcycle. He didn't really feel like going back to Andrew or his brother.

"Hey, ya jerk!" Tessan said, slightly angry. "I didn't punch you hard; it didn't even make a sound. Clearly you've never had friends before, because it's the kind of thing that they do! Cheesus, I feel like actually hitting you now for thinking like that! Seriously!" Tessan huffed and turned away, crossing her arms and glowering at the ground.

"I already told you I don't have friends. And I sure as hell don't like being touched, either," he growled. "I guess you forget things faster than you make it seem."

He pushed his hair out of the way and put his helmet on, then sat down on his motorcycle. He revved the engine and backed out from between the cars.

"Well you made no quams about me being so close on the motorcycle! You even told me to hold on!" she cried out in frustration, turning around to watch him on his motorcylce. "And that was below the belt! It's unfair to make fun of me for something I can't control..." Her anger had turned to sadness and tears welled in her eyes. "Hmf, I never thought I'd be crying after I was already dead," Tessan said softly, wiping at her eyes.

"You had to hold on if you didn't want to fall," he called back, before riding off. He needed to think, and for the moment, his brother's car just wouldn't to it for him. As he he rode out of sight, his shadow became perfectly visible.

((Is she going to try to find him or something? Just asking. Because he's going to need someone there for him in a little bit.))

{{-nods- xD what a meanie, leaving when a girl is crying.}}

Tessan sighed, trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes as she started to walk after him, not trusting him to drive safely in his angered condition. "What a dork, he's so oblivious about everything," she said to herself, smiling slightly.

((He really upset himself by thinking about what happened to him and Zaitsu as a kid. And the only person he completely trusts is his brother.))

He headed for a main road towards the apartment that he and his brother shared, hoping against hope that it was safe to reenter, as the building had been being fumigated.

As she walked along, Tessan felt out to see if she could find no shadow where there should be, but all she could feel were shadows in the right places. Although she sighed, she still followed after him, walking out of the parking garage onto the sidewalk.

{{I'ma go eat dinner =]}}

He came to a stop at a red light, though there weren't any other vehicles around. There was a soft rumble of thunder, and a gentle rain began falling. He hung his head in defeat, hating being caught in the rain, regardless of what he was or wasn't driving.

((Okay. see ya when you get back.))