Hearing The Heartbeat (Sequel to 'Broken Perfection')

The Happiness He Deserved

"No! Leave my sister alone!" Ko shouts, standing in front of his little sister. The masked man held up a knife, looming over the young boy's petite figure. His little twin sister, sobbing loudly, clutched the back of his shirt.

Knees shaking, fearing the worst, Ko willed himself to hold up his arm in a protective manner, hiding his sister. "B-Back off! Leave us alone! What do you want?!"

Ko, though he was scared and hopeless-looking was patiently waiting for his uncles and parents to come. Where were they?

Feeling his sister tremble behind him, Ko fights the urge to just turn around and hug his younger sister. He might only be 7, but his uncle Mamoru and Soryu had always taught him if anything happened like this, he should never turn away from the attacker.

"We'll be okay, Kou," he said cautiously, sparing a glance to his sister, who looked up to him with trusting eyes. "Trust me... Mom and Dad will come..."

But somehow, in that split second he looked away, Ko noticed the masked man was gone. Then, he felt his sister's grip loosen on him and an ear-splitting, bone-chilling scream sounded in the tense air, right beside his ear.

Ignoring the ringing and slight pain in his ear, Ko hurriedly turned away, only to find his sister in the arms of the masked man, bleeding profusely with a knife lunged in her chest.

Right where her heart was.

~*****~

"KOU!" The older brother cried, reaching out, only to stop when the man mercilessly pulled the knife out of her, only to stab her again on the opposite side of her chest.

Red, red blood began to show on Kou's light pink dress, the dark liquid overpowering the color of the fabric. "Don't move, little boy," the man smirked, looking at him, the grip he had on the knife never loosening. "Don't want your sister to hurt anymore, right?"

Ko, having no other choice, bit his lip and froze on the spot. He lowered his head, knowing he was powerless. He failed. He failed to keep his promise.

The moment he had seen his sister for the first time, the first time he ever held her was the time he promised to protect her. Protect her from anything that would cause her pain and harm.

Fisted hands trembling, just like the rest of his figure, the raven haired boy felt tears sting his eyes and he tried to blink them away. Then he heard a weak whisper.

"Onii-chan..." he looked up, and there she was, Kou, smiling so so meekly at him as she forced the words out of her throat. "I'm okay, onii-chan... I trust you... Don't... worry... Pinky promise... right?"

Ko fell to his knees, the memories of him making that pinky promise with her to protect her flashing through his mind. "Y-Yeah... I-" "KO!"

He looked up, but then Ko found his sister on the ground, trying her best to crawl over, still bleeding. Then he felt it. The stinging pain of the knife going right through his stomach before it was pulled out and pushed through again.

He couldn't say anything, the pain preventing words to come out. Then he felt something and he suddenly began hacking and coughing violently. He weakly reached up to cover his mouth from coughing, just like he was taught by his mother and father.

He felt the warm liquid wet his hand and he moved his hand away, finding blood all over it. Pain too unbearable, the young boy falls backward, feeling the knife shift slightly as he did so.

And she was forced to watch all of this. Katsumi was down on her knees, tears streaming down her face as she screamed in pain, fear and heartbreak. "NO! NO! STOP!"