20. The Last Rule

Kouichi wakes up in pain.

He lays on the rubble of the train station floor, looking where the elevator shaft used to have a dangling car. That car is meters from his sneakered feet and somehow seems so far away. He can barely roll his head to see it.

He doesn't try to move his legs. He doesn't think he can. Kouichi instead, lays there and remembers. He remembers the monsters and the great and terrible darkness. The power that answers within him. The power that ceases being a dream and becomes reality. He remembers his brother's heartbroken sound. It hurts more than any physical agony.

A part of him wonders where he and the others are. The rest knows he can't go looking for them. But he wants to, he wants to.

He closes his eyes and daydreams. Dreams of his fingers moving a little faster, and rolling over when he wants to.

Kouichi dreams that the sky is bright and yellow and orange and the others are playing games. He dreams that he can run to hug his mom and show her to her other son and their father and say, l'ook what you made. We're okay.'

He dreams he can hear everyone's footsteps, hear their voices. He dreams that they are right beside him, and they are crying.

Kouichi opens his eyes and it's not a dream. It's real. They are real.

Somehow, he lives. They all do.

He joins them in crying, just for a little while.

A/N: And... that's that. It's done. This short little Frontier foray. If anybody wants to take this world a little further, just shoot me a message in the review box or PM me with your ideas and I'll let you know if I'm cool with that. Heads up, I probably will be. This isn't my only foray into Frontier though. More is to come! Eventually. For now, thanks for your support and have a good evening.