For the Love of a Brother

Reasons

The Tower of Heaven. Was my brother a part of this devious scheme? Was that the 'reason' why he had to hide his identity?

One thing is for certain: he knows that I know.

Usually, we keep our conversation's professional by only mentioning work-related topics. But recently, Jellal's been creating small talk. He's asked me questions like "What's your favorite color?" and "Is there one food item that you could spend the rest of your life only eating that item?" He already knew the answer to the first question, but to the latter, I answered, "Apples". That ended the small talk.

Which brings me to the predicament I'm currently in: Jellal's missing. I've asked everyone of his whereabouts, though no one has a clue.

"Kimmie, how long are you going to wander around in circles?"

I turned to Hayato and told him of my dilemma. "I need to find him immediately."

Hayato shuffled the files in his arms to place them more comfortably. "Well, Mr. Yajima also disappeared, so my best guess is they're at a meeting."

"But Siegrain would've told me." The blueprint and book of symbols came to my mind. Something didn't feel right.

Hayato rubbed his nose on mine. "I'm sure he had his reasons. Anyways, I should get these to their rightful places. Bye Kimmie!" He ran off, but I wish he hadn't. The floor circled around me and my head swelled. Reasons. There was that word again. The word settled like a rock in my stomach.

I wandered around, looking for a distraction. He came with a pair of glasses and an annoyed expression. "Hey, Lahar. What'cha up to?"

Lahar looked at me with relief. For Lahar to feel gladness in my presence, I knew something was terribly wrong. "We've run into a... um... situation."

Jellal's missing and there's a 'situation'? Doesn't sound like the best combination. "What kind of situation?"

He hesitated. "You've never told me your last name."

The statement took me by surprise. "I didn't think I had to. We've worked together for years."

"That family you mentioned when we first met... has made an appearance."

Shock wracked my body, leaving my limbs useless. "What do you mean? Who do you mean?"

By the look on Lahar's face, he questioned my sanity. "I always found it strange that you and Master Siegrain looked familiar. And in all this time, I guess I never really thought anything of it. His full name is Siegrain Fernandes."

Why didn't Jellal change his last name, too? He wanted to keep his identity hidden, but didn't think to change his entire name? I tried to collect myself. "So what? Can't people have the same surname without being directly related?"

Lahar frowned. There was something he wasn't telling me. "I suppose so." His frown subsided and a sly expression took its place. "I guess you wouldn't care to hear the rest of the information I have."

"Of course I want to know! You still haven't explained what the 'situation' is that you're talking about!"

My childlike pout was ignored as Lahar went straight to the point. A part of me wished he would've fed it to me gently like any other adult does to a child. But he's always insisted on treating me with a professional nature.

"Siegrain's twin brother is building the R-System. His name is Jellal Fernandes."

So much for ending my hiatus. I'm sorry I'm such a lazy person. And this chapter is so short! You all deserve better! I'm just going to the trash where I belong and write the next chapter better.