It was one of those empty autumn dusks; the blinds cutting the light in slits across Kyo’s body slumped over the table with his hand barely able to clutch at his empty bottle any more. He was resting his cheek against an old book and some papers scattered across the table; a book and papers he’d kept from when he was younger. A book and papers he’d wrote and drawn from before he spent his days reaching out for that empty bottle.

Kyo was so intoxicated by this afternoon he didn’t notice Jet had got home from the store despite the rustling of food and bags and out of tune singing. At the time Jet was in a stable mood, unusual for him when he’s usually bouncing off the walls or curled in a corner because of the Stims. Within a few minuets of putting groceries away and shuffling about some clothes and rubbish left on the floor Jet found Kyo drunk as usual at the table.

“Ay man, I hope you’re not wanting me to get you to bed tonight! Not after the last five hundred times! You nearly barfed on me yesterday” Jet joked stood at the doorway, expecting Kyo to be sober enough to sit up and start one of his comical drunk ramblings. But Kyo just lay slumped over the table, eyes just gazing into the blank wall off the edge of the table. Jet instinctively knew some thing was up, Kyo had been getting like this for the past two or three days and was acting a bit out of it, not being his usual self. Jet sighed a little as he walked over and sat on the table next to Kyo, careful not to sit on any of the papers and took a fist full of Kyo’s hair, pulling his head up for him to sit up straight as he whined and huffed, hardly putting up a fight or putting any effort into stopping him self from slouching back into his chair.

“Dude, what’s up with you? You’ve been like this for a few days now, you’re not your usual self and I don’t like it”

Kyo hardly responded. His eyes were glazed over with a sad, dreamy expression. Jet didn’t really know what to do with Kyo like this, he was normally so good at acting alright all the time, despite things obviously wasn’t and it was kind of worrying to think some thing has got him to show it like this.

With Kyo still not showing and sign of movement or communication after about five minuets of Jet sat waving his hands over his face, clicking his fingers, pulling faces and poking at him; Jet groaned and thought he should just get him to bed and hope tomorrow he will get some answers. Jet shoved himself forward off the table, his tail catching on some paper on top of the scattered pile and sent it drifting to the floor. Jet went to pick it up, but found before he could even reach it he was suddenly been hurtled aside full force by Kyo’s limp body, sending them crashing into the wall.

“WHAT THE HELL! KYO-”

“DON’T” Kyo yelled. For a moment the anger in his voice stunned Jet into silence “Don’t read it… It’s nothing important- don’t read it”

Jet struggled to sit himself up against the wall, unable to shove Kyo off him, leaving him lying over his lap face down to the floor. Kyo pretty much used up the last of his energy in that sudden attack, and collapsed huffing a little with his nose to the floorboards. Jet reached over and picked up the papers, knowing that if Kyo didn’t want some one to read it, it might be connected to why he’s acting so off as late. Hoping that Kyo wouldn’t remember in the morning, or that Kyo wouldn’t really mind, Jet read the wonky lettering on the old tattered pages:

“Today Soshi cried in my arms. She keeps hugging me and saying she loves me. Mum and Dad kept hugging me and saying they love me too when we got home today and Soshi told them about what happened. Mum says, today I saved my baby sisters life. We were playing outside in the street near the corner shop like we do all the time with the nabors kids. We were just about to play a game of hide and seek, as usual Soshi got in a huff when we told her it was only fair she was it again since she didn’t find any of us, but because she was about to cry and go tell dad I said I’d be it instead. I turned and faced the window of the corner shop; it was sunny today so what they didn’t know was I could see in the glass where they were going until they got out of sight. It all seemed to happen is slow motion. I saw a bright orange car coming down the road in the corner of my eye and I saw that Soshi was heading right for the cars path. I don’t think I had time to or thought of shouting to stop her so I turned and ran to her. I was always faster than her. I grabbed her and flung us both back. It all happened so slow; I could feel the wind rushing as the car sped by and I saw the driver look so alarmed and stared right at us. He didn’t slow down though, he just kept going faster. By the time we hit the floor he was driving around the corner and gone. Mum and Dad keep saying they’re proud and Soshi keeps hugging me and being so annoying now. I don’t know what the big deal is. Any one would have done the same thing. I don’t see how it makes me such a hero. It’s not like I wouldn’t have done it. Of course I’m going to look after my baby sister. That’s what big brothers do. Even with my life-”

Before Jet could read on Kyo had managed to roll himself round onto his back and snatch away the paper before rolling on over Jet’s legs and squirming himself away over the floor.

“NO! Don’t read! Don’t! I told you!”

“Kyo… Why’s-”

“Stop it! I don’t want you to- your not reading it!”

Jet sighed and got to his feet, stood over Kyo and scooped him up with his arms as he squirmed, dropping the paper and gagged a little slapping his hand over his mouth before going limp again. Finding his feet, Jet started to shuffle him forward without a word heading for the bedroom. Tripping and stumbling around a few times and knocking over a fair few items, eventually Jet got Kyo to the bed and rolled him onto it and lay him on his side and placed a bucket at the side just encase and for in the morning.

“Kyo… some times I do worry about you, ya’know man? I hope you can talk to me about this in the morning… You make your self suffer too much” Kyo didn’t say anything, he lay there looking a sorry sight, probably half unconscious, his hair all over his face, clothes tattered and dirty, reeking of booze. Jet sighed and turned to walk out the door and go for a nap on the couch, his fingers just about to click the light switch when he herd Kyo sniffle and roll onto his back;

“It was the last time I really acted like a brother…” he slurred.