"Hey, hey Haruto let's hang out big brother hasn't gotten to spend much time with you lately… "
"...I think I'm going to go spend time with big brother iii okay bye"
"Hey—" B-big brother III? Kaito couldn't help but feeling a sting in his chest at this.
"...why don't you go play with Chris?"
"...Haruto...what do you mean?"
"...n-nothing...bye Nii-san."
"Haruto...what is it you're not telling me?" Gently putting his hand on his shoulder, Kaito looked down into Haruto's eyes
"Hey little guy, how are you doing"
"I'm fine Kaito. I'll be over here okay, I'm busy" Haruto felt the name, "Kaito" drip strangely from his mouth. He had never called his brother by his first name like that.
"O-oi! Haruto. That's no way to talk to your older brother-"
"I-it's fine Chris"
"Yeah, mind your own business Chris." Haruto chokes out, clutching his deck and hurrying out the door
He knew that he wasn't old enough...wasn't someone Kaito wanted to be around He wasn't cool like Chris. He wasn't as good a duelist, he was just a younger brother...a burden. Alls Kaito ever did was worry over him...
He didn't need that.
He would be fine by himself, and he'd show that he wasn't just a burden on everyone. Dad still worked late. Kaito only smiled...smiled so freely when he was with Chris
Not that Haruto cared
What did it matter?
He would be better than his Nii-san, no Kaito. He'd be stronger than his brother. He's be strong and look after himself
Just like Kaito used to...
People only treated him special because he was Kaito's little brother It was annoying...it was too much He was still something...He Was, wasn't he?
A strange woman saw him rushing about, and stopped him quickly.
"Dear, you shouldn't be rushing about like that! Especially so close to traffic, your mother would be very upset"
Haruto looked up to her with a cold gaze, her arms around him felt like needles digging into his skin.
"Hey! Hands off my little brother!" Kaito called out, Chris following closely behind him.
Haruto cringed and shoved her away,
"I'm NOT. Your little brother!"
He didn't understand how that sounded
He didn't know how it cut through Kaito's heart, or how the weight of those words would weigh upon him long into the years ahead. He just wanted to be-he wasn't little. He didn't need someone looking after him
He wasn't going to be weak.
Dashing away from the scene, Haruto cursed himself for the tears that began welting down his face
His brother was fast, But he knew he could out run him this time
The real problem was Orbital
Personally, Haruto had always appreciated Orbital's help...but Kaito had a tendency to use Orbital to keep an eye on Haruto That wasn't Orbital's function though. Haruto remembered when he was young...very young. Back before any of the Numbers, the Barian world, or even Chris He remembered his father programming Orbital from the garage. Fixing him up. His father had said firmly,
"Now your job is to protect Kaito."
Kaito.
Did dad just assume Kaito would always be protecting him?
Well it didn't matter
He didn't care in the slightest really
These tears? Are you crazy? Just all the wind in his face
Well, Haruto wasn't useless. He knew how...he knew how Orbital worked. He...had...just temporarily...shut him down. For a little bit
Orbital would be fine. He just...wanted his space. For a bit, He didn't want to be around…All this...for a bit
Making his way quietly down the alley way, Haruto numbly whipped away the tears that just wouldn't stop falling down his face. He didn't want Kaito to see him like this. He didn't want to see Kaito.
Haruto knew he was just being selfish...but it hurt. It hurt and it just wouldn't go away. It had been building up...for so long...
He just wanted to be able to take care of himself, to stop being such a burden on everyone around him. He knew he had to work hard to be worth anything. He did
He was the top duelist in his class, actually the school, but that really didn't mean much to him. He wanted to be strong like his brother, like Chris, Yuma, everyone else. Everyone else was so ahead of him.
Not much was really different with dad either...he felt like talking to him just tired him out. He'd tell them his grades were fine, his friends were nice, and that was that To be honest...he didn't really like being around the other kids...They were all so starstruck. He made up a friend so Kaito didn't worry too much about him He would stay around the streets dueling or just walking around by himself Late at night he'd call and say he was sleeping over at his friends house They trusted him of course...or maybe Kaito was just too busy with Chris...dad trusted Kaito completely with Haruto, so it didn't matter much where he was as long as Kaito was content
"HARUTO! HARUTO!"
"Hey, Haruto!"
Chris and Kaito's voices soon began to fade away
They were looking somewhere else. Maybe they expected him to be curled up in a little ball somewhere-
"Ahhh...my head hurts..." he cursed to himself silently. He couldn't stop. He couldn't stop them. All the liquid escaping his eyes just made his temples pound in a deep, hollow melody
"K-Kaito...I...my brother...I guess...I'm just hurting him more by doing this...ughh..."
I should...but I really don't want to go back to those eyes
Those worried eyes
I want to hurt...
Shaking his head Haruto began attempting to clean his face. It was strange...after all the business with the Barian world, having his soul basically torn right out of his body, he didn't cry like he used to When he was younger, he cringed remembering how easily he cried out for Kaito, and how Kaito would be there without a moment's hesitation...But from that time...that time where he was alone waiting for Kaito to come back safe...he just wept silently.
It all held inside, twisting what remained of his heart Now he felt as if that time had returned That time...so foreign...such a dream...that gripped him. Still took hold of him at his weakest moments-which he hated to admit were becoming more and more frequent
"Well if it isn't that Tenjou kid that always hangs around here at night...heh"
A gruff, deep voice arose from behind him. Of all the things to be thankful for, of all the things in the worldHaruto was grateful he had stopped cryingHe turned to him
But there wasn't a "him"
There was a "them"
At least three, no the fourth was hidden behind the towering figure of the first man to speak
"Well, if you haven't figured it out by now kid, we don't settle all our problems by dueling in these parts." another grinned malevolently, advancing on him
"Hold on, what if his older brother shows up with that talking garbage can?"
"Fuck, you think I'm stupid? I saw him running with that chick he always hangs out with the other way" the other confirmed, grinning down at Haruto with fire in his eyes
Haruto held the other mans gaze, but couldn't help but let a course grin stretch across his face at the man calling Chris a girl
Perhaps it wasn't the best time for something like this, but Haruto couldn't help it. He felt no fear. What was fear? What the hell was there to fear in this life?
Death?
Being beaten? Humiliated, or having his family tortured in front of him?
Nothing. No, that was child's play.
He'd been through all of it, seen all of it, and hell, he felt it course through his veins at full force These men-these boys. It didn't matter what physical stance they had over him. It would have scared his brother into a grave stupor, but didn't faze him
"Well, what are you waiting for?" the young boy challenged, standing straight up, but hardly reaching their rib cages