The way home

The two siblings walked along a path littered with grey flowers, the once beautiful flowers now seemed to symbolize the despair of their situation... Leonard was in deep thought when he was suddenly hit with the intense strange headaches again. "Augh" Leonard groaned in pain as he clutched his head.

Yukki sighed as she watched Leonard grasp his head and pain. '...This is all because of me, right? He's worked so hard to provide for me, so I could focus on an education… I know any treatment I need can't be paid for.'

Yukki thought back to the scene in the doctor's office. She obediently sat in the back, watching as Leonard and Dr. Pigon discussed treatment plans. Dr. Pigon quoted some insane prices for the various options. She sighed, 'why was it so expensive? Whatever happened to the insurance of the past that Leonard talked about?' She knew that even if it was paid for, she would receive real treatment, but it would be subpar treatment to incentivize people to pay even more for "better" treatment.

'Does this mean… I was doomed to die?' She looked down at the ground, frowning. She was too young to remember when her parents died, Leon has been her only family her entire life. She knew that although Leon loved her dearly, she had only been a burden on him for her entire life. And now, despite everything, to be fated to die a slow and painful death.

Yukki stopped moving. Shutting her eyes violently, tears leaked from the corners. "W-Why…." She put up her hands to her eyes and wiped her tears, but the more she thought about the situation, the more she broke down.

Leonard however, was currently in a completely different mental plane of existence. He clutched his head in pain. 'What… WHAT IS THIS PAIN!?' As the headaches intensified, Leonard shut his eyes and screamed internally.

The headache suddenly subsided as soon as it came. Leonard opened his eyes. Yukki was nowhere to be found. A thick fog appeared from nowhere. Something stirred in its depths. '....What is this? What is happening...am I hallucinating!?' Leonard's thoughts spun, but he was too scared to even say anything, too scared to even move. His stomach suddenly gurgled, and a strange hunger consumed him. Leonard dropped to the floor, he felt oddly drained. Strange voices whispered in his ears, muttering things Leonard could not understand. In the midst of all this, Leonard lost consciousness.

As Yukki stood still, crying, she suddenly felt something strange. Leonard hadn't said anything. With all kinds of strange and depressing thoughts swirling around in her head, she took her hands away from her face and opened her eyes, revealing a pitiful face. "AHHHHHHH" Yukki quickly turned her head towards the source of the scream, it was her brother Leonard!

"Leon!" Yukki yelled and started to run towards Leonard, but Leonard suddenly looked in her direction, with a horrified, fearful look on his face. Yukki stopped in her tracks. "Leonard…" She didn't know what to say. 'Has the stress of the situation finally got to him?' She knew, if it wasn't for her, Leonard could be living a much better life than he is now, while working less. She loved her big brother dearly, and she knew that Leonard loved her the same.

'....' Leonard's mind started going to dark places. She had always been a bother. Now, she was going to die a slow and painful death while making Leonard's life miserable, both emotionally and financially? 'Perhaps it would be better… if I just…'

Yukki gripped her hands tight, her fingernails almost piercing the skin of her palm, and she started to hyperventilate. "Brother!" She looked towards Leonard, who was dropping to the floor. "Brother! Brother! Get up! It will be ok… just get up!." Leonard's body went fully limp as he fell unconscious.

Yukki kneeled over her unconscious brother's body. Tears falling from her eyes, she rubbed Leonard's shoulder roughly, "Brother! Brother, wake up!" Yukki suddenly looked up and started rapidly scanning her surroundings. No one was in sight. "Anyone…? ANYONE!" She looked around, but nobody came.

Yukki stood up, trying to take hold of Leonard's arm and shoulder, she pulled with her entire body, attempting to carry her brother, but she couldn't even lift half his body off the ground. She sat on the ground, putting her hands up to her face, "Wh….Wha.. *hiccup* What do I do..." She grabbed her brother's arm, and slowly started dragging his body into a nearby bush.

With that done, she sat down on the ground and reached over to Leonard, placing his head on her lap. She placed her arms around her brother's chest, and simply sat there, waiting.

.........…

Leonard slowly woke up. 'Where… where am I?' Leonard looked around, he was surrounded by grass and bushes. He left something touching him, looking down, there were two arms hugging him. He turned his head. "Am I...?"

Yukki sighed. "Leon, what happened?" Leonard stayed there confused for a bit. A few seconds later, he finally shook his head. "Sorry, it took me a bit to realize what happened after waking up."

A slight smile emerged on Yukki's face, as she somewhat cheerfully said, "It's ok! It's fine- I tried carrying you, but I wasn't strong enough. We need to get back home."

"Yes…" Leonard was stunned. His sister was like an angel. The aura she had around her was like no one else he had ever met. So kind, so pure. He had to do anything to preserve that smile...and it was clear to him, that no matter how hard he works, if he keeps doing the same thing he's doing right now, working his low-paying construction job and hoping the future is going to be alright, the future will, in fact, be anything but alright.

'I have to take a risk. It was time to seriously consider crime. It was a risk, but what else could I do? Get a better job? If he could get one, I would have done it instead. Even if I end up getting shot, or land jail, this isn't about me. If I don't take the risk, I have a 100% chance of failure. If I do, at least I have a chance.'

"Heh" Leonard couldn't help but let out a chuckle as a thought came to him. 'Maybe, if I do get arrested, I could make a big dramatic scene and end up on the news about how everything I did was for my sister. Maybe then some random rich person would pay for her treatment.'

'Hah, like that would ever happen.' Leonard inwardly scoffed to himself. 'Even if that did happen, there would be an ulterior motive.'

When he finished daydreaming, Leonard held Yukki's hand. "Let's go home. The future will be ok…. I'll make sure of it."

Walking side by side, hands intertwined, Leonard and Yukki both had their own, dark thoughts about the future. Like this, they made their way back to their neighborhood.

As they walked, Elder Zhou's shop could be seen in the distance surrounded by flashing police lights. "Look!" Yukki tugged on Leonard's sleeve as she pointed into the distance ahead of them. "That's Elder Zhou's shop, isn't it? It's flashing red and blue from all the police sirens!"

"What!?" Leonard looked straight at the scene. His heart sank to his stomach.

'Why do I have such a bad feeling about this!'