Deleted Scenes: Who'll Stop the Rain

(Written by VR. Thanks VR!)

“Kousuke, do you think you can get the door please?”
“I’m busy, Mom.”
“Now.”

 

Kousuke sighed and tossed his book onto his desk. He shifted his arm a bit; it was doing a bit better and he no longer needed a sling. Next week, he and his parents were going to visit the doctor to determine whether or not he was fully healed.

 

That being said, he absolutely hated the cast. He couldn’t believe such a plain thing could contain so many painful memories.

 

At least he had school, homework, textbooks, and notes to distract himself with, if only temporary. It still didn’t change the past.

 

Finally, he was downstairs and cracked open the front door. He easily recognized the boy behind it, After all, a fake arm would be pretty hard to miss. The only new thing about the guy was that his bright auburn hair, which was usually really short, was starting to grow out.

 

“Why are you here?”
“I’m just saying hello.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not here.”

 

Tommy smiled sadly and Kousuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. What was up with this kid? Always smiling. Always. “Actually, I wanted to meet you.”

“Really.”

 

“Coda used to talk about you a lot.”

 

Kousuke wanted to argue, but his father cut him off. “Kousuke? Who is it?”
“Just some friend from school!” That wasn’t a lie. They had shared exactly one class together. “Mind if I go out?”
“As long as you’re back in time for dinner.”

 

“What did Coda say about me?” Kousuke asked once he and Tommy were on the street. “I didn’t want to mention him in front of my parents. Or else Mom will cry like crazy. And I’m really busy so make it quick, alright? I’m really behind on my studying and-”

 

“He missed you.” The message sounded strange coming from someone like Tommy. “He used to talk about how he wanted to make things up for you and that the incident with his leg was all his fault, but you had pushed him away. I kept telling him to try because hey, you never know!”

 

Tommy’s words felt like a hundred tiny knives aimed at Kousuke’s heart.

 

“He also liked playing with you a lot, when you guys were kids and that you were both really close. You sounded like such a fun guy to meet! I know we never talked much in school, so I’m glad we can finally get together and-”

 

“He thinks I pushed him away?”

 

Tommy blinked. “Um…”
“Oh my God, this is all my fault.”

“No, no, no! Just a...uh...a simple misunderstanding, right?”

 

Damn it. How could Kousuke be so stupid? How could he blame his older brother for destroying their relationship when he himself was doing nothing to mend it? And now, Coda died thinking Kousuke hated his guts.

 

That was not true. Kousuke was just...mad. But he still loved Coda. And time and time again, he could hear his brother whispering through a closed bedroom door, faintest apologies about how sorry he was for messing everything up, something so unlike Coda. Never once did Kousuke open that door. Bloody fucking hell, no wonder Coda spent all of his time with Tommy.

 

“What should I do?” Kousuke asked, neither to Tommy or himself.
“Um...apologize? I’m sure he’d forgive you!”

 

“Hey genius, in case you haven’t noticed, my brother has been dead for five days.” Kousuke didn’t mean to sound so harsh, he was just...worked up. Angry. Frustrated. Sad. He needed an outlet he didn’t have.

 

“Plus, I don’t know if he ever would. I mean, yeah the whole incident was his fault. I was trying to do the rational thing and he got upset and...well, losing a leg is probably punishment enough. He didn’t need me to just stop talking to him, did he?”

Tommy nodded. “He was sorry about it too.”

 

Kousuke bit his tongue. “Yeah, and you know what? I looked up to him. My mom used to call me a mini Coda when I was younger. But after everything, I started trying to follow in Blaise’s footsteps, because he was the smart responsible brother who had everything sorted out and actually knew what he was doing with his life.”

 

When Tommy didn’t respond, Kousuke continued. “It must’ve hurt. Knowing that your own brother thinks you won’t amount to anything.”
“Wouldn’t you feel hurt if it happened to you?”

“I suppose so.”

 

“My mom says you should treat everyone the way you want to be treated.”
Kousuke sighed. “Yeah, I haven’t exactly been following that, have I?”
“Can you make it up somehow?”

 

How? Kousuke wanted to ask. What could he possibly do that would absolve him of weeks of ignoring his late brother? What could ever compare to that?

 

Well, a lot of things, probably. His mourning was not the end of the world. Even if it felt like such. Even if it made him feel so alone in a district that would never know, never care, never understand.

 

Pshhhh.

 

“What are they doing?” Tommy asked and Kousuke looked up to catch two older teenagers, a boy and a girl, wearing dark clothing and carrying several cans of spray paint. Something Kousuke easily recognized. Because he and Coda once did the exact same.

 

He could’ve moved on, with tears in his eyes and nothing more. He could’ve alerted a Peacekeeper and bust these troublemakers. But he didn’t. Something in his head made him stop and stare. An idea.

 

A stupid idea. A Coda Fukai level of stupid. An idea so outrageous and chaotic it could quite possibly give him a fate worse than an amputated leg or a broken arm. An idea that could get him killed.

Nobody would ever assume Kousuke would be behind it all. But he’d make sure that the whole time, all they’d be thinking about was the Fukai brother the Capitol took away.

 

“Oh shit,” the girl said suddenly, attempting to pull her hat down over her hair. The boy gasped and quickly dumped a wooden crate over the spray paint cans. They both faced Kousuke and Tommy with a look of fear in their eyes.

 

“You know,” Kousuke said with as much disinterest as he could fake. “If you go a couple streets further, there’s some old factories that the Peacekeepers don’t patrol as much. Ton of older kids sometimes hang out there. Much less riskier.”

 

“Thanks! By the way, you kinda look like Coda Fukai. Do you know him?” the older boy asked.

“Um...yes.” Kousuke blinked back a few tears. “He was...he was my brother. I’m Kousuke and this is Tommy.”
“Oh really? So sorry to hear that, dude. Must suck.”

 

“It’s fine.” Kousuke could feel his fingers pull themselves into fists and he quickly relaxed his hands. “But...I’m not here to talk about him. I want in.”
The girl laughed. “Are you kidding me!? You’re like...thirteen! Don’t risk it buddy, this is serious business. You could get killed.”

 

“I don’t care. Coda and I did shit like this all the time and we never got caught.” Kousuke decided to skip the parts where his parents occasionally bribed Peacekeepers to keep him and Coda out of trouble. “I can get us supplies and the Peacekeepers off our trail. You’ll need me.”
“What about your friend?”

 

Oh, right. Tommy. Kousuke felt a slight pang in his stomach. “Tommy, you won’t tell anyone, okay? You don’t have to help me or anything, just...keep it a secret?”

Tommy giggled to himself. “Sorry Kousuke, but if this is for Coda like I think it is, then you’re not gonna do this alone.”

 

Kousuke felt relieved. “You know you don’t have to do this.”
“Yeah, but I want to!”

 

The girl laughed, fixing the brim of her hat. “How cute. Anyways, we’re gonna take you to the hideout quickly to let the others know. I’m Mandy by the way, and that guy is Pat.”

 

Pat waved a quick hello and Kousuke was startled by how friendly he was. These two were nothing like Coda’s so-called “friends” he used to hang out with. These were kids, like him, who just wanted to make a difference.

 

Would it be scary? Oh yes. Any of them could be killed and Kousuke couldn’t force his parents to lose another son. But maybe Coda had been onto something. He had a rebellious streak in him and while Kousuke’s had slowly grown subdued, it was burning now, raring, ready for action.

 

Schoolwork could wait.