Angels and Demons

I walked down the street, eyes on the pavement. I was in a bad mood, tears still falling. Around me danced the ghostly visage of my teenage brother. There was still a patch of blood on the road where he had fallen. A small drop of brown, the smallest amount that dropped from his nose that morning. He'd died that afternoon. I turned to keep the ghost in view, and he had stopped now. He was gazing at a bouquet of flowers by the roadside, a lovely vision of yellow and pink.
"Starfire left them there." I explained, keeping my voice low. If I spoke up, they might think I was insane. "The point at which you struck the car..."
"It struck me."
"Yes...it is sort of like a mural, I guess..." I stepped closer and instinctively went to wrap my arm around his shoulders. I can't explain the numb, empty feeling when my arm fell through. He wasn't really there, was he? He glanced at me and gave an apologetic smile.
"I didn't mean to leave you...I didn't even think I could cross over to the afterlife wthout you...maybe that's why I'm here, why I can't go on and come back as something else...perhaps I still need big brother to show me the way. I started to rise out of my body back at the hospital and I just felt cold, but I just thought it was more fun. I thought the doctor would keep going, but he stepped back all solemn, it wasn't right...he should have done more. He didn't listen to me shout at him..."
I took things in and gasped. "You're only here because you're trapped."
"I can't leave the planet, but I can go all over." He disappeared.
"Wait! Where are you going?" I blushed then, realising I'd called out. I quickly turned and continued walking. I didn't know where I was going, but perhaps soon I would reach wherever it was. It was a good half hour before I stopped, finding myself by a fast river. I sat, dipping my feet into the current and breathing deeply, trying to relax. Every now and then water splashed up into my face, just little bits, but still annoying. Eventually I opened my eyes and opposite me was crouched a translucent form, long blond hair down, held off his face by a fancy beaded beret, the hairclip kind. He was wearing a dark kimono and flicking water at me.
"Brother?"
He looked up and grinned. "Took you long enough to notice me. Guess where I've been!"
"...The North Pole?" I wasn't in the mood for games.
"Tokyo. There were a lot of lights and noises. I don't like it much, I've decided. If I want to wear something I see, I just have to want to wear it and I'm wearing it, isn't that cool?" There was a beat before the kimono turned into his normal shirt and a pair of jeans, sandals becoming trainers. "I don't have to worry about them catching fire when I fly, so I can wear anything. Anything!"
I watched him dully before sighing. "You're dead."
"Yet so alive!"
"You're dead, you shouldn't be happy." I crossed my arms. I suddenly felt angry. How dare he be gleeful at his own loss of life. How dare he? "You got hit by a car and even though you were clearly injured, you insisted you were fine. You died because of your own ridiculous pride. Now we can never hug or keep one another warm or safe, everything I did to protect you in our youth was for nothing! And now? Now you sit here opposite me, grinning like a madman. I should not even be able to see you. You should be gone for good, not haunting me and making me feel so guilty! Just leave me alone, you brat! Quit lording your death over me like it is the best thing to ever happen! Are you trying to kill me too? Isn't it bad enough that I lost mother and father? I have to lose you too?"
Lightning leant back, mouth hanging open, shock evident on his face. Slowly, he began to tear up.
"You know, I never really forgave the way you treated me when we were children..." He stood and wiped his eyes. "You were such a bully. You still are. You broke my arm once just because I wasn't walking fast enough for you, but your superior physique and your superior strength and speed and your greater age. You're not better than me, you're not even that tough..." He disappeared then and my eyes widened.

Oh holy hell...that was still my little brother. If I lost him, that was it. I'd just thrown away my last chance to be with my little brother, "I'm sorry..." I whimpered. "I'm so sorry...don't go..."