Warning for bullying and cursing

Chapter One – Red Drop

Light was rare beyond the aurora of the Rose Morning Star. The eternal night was preferred in these recent centuries, leaving plants to crumble and earth to decay. Only the hardiest and gentlest creatures survived here. It was only fitting.

In the only place of light a woman remained trapped in a cage, confined in a cold starkness that followed logic and pain, the wisdom of being an elder. Or a kind of it. Behind her visor, the angel opened her eyes and looked towards the solitary window to allow darkness to enter this room. She knew better than to try anything here. He would feel it, in his experiments. Her mouth etched into a sorrowful frown. How could he have fallen so far, so quickly? Perhaps… perhaps she could save him, heal him. The three of them were meant to be friends, were they not? They were meant to be bonded beyond breaking, to support God's will.

What did that say about God's will, if they fractured like this… no. No. She shook her head. They could get through this, they could stop these plans.

… But what if they couldn't?

She looked out that solitary window and before her eyes, something streaked over the night sky. Ah… the stars were falling. Yet her eyes caught sight of one, one streaking slowly, growing no closer, as if merely observing.

The idea came to her then, and the room glittered with the intensity of it. She set to work.

"I'm home for break, I told you, I can't come over right now."

Yutaka managed to turn to the side to dodge his brother's rapid footsteps, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Could have hit me, you know," he said as he covered the mouthpiece of the phone. His brother, shorter than he thought most people at the age of nine, merely glared at him. The glare would have been effective if his eyes weren't wobbling with tears. Yutaka merely lifted a single eyebrow, silently encouraging him to do something. Of course, he never would because Himi Tomoki would rather everyone else do the hard work instead of him.

He couldn't be too pissed though, the kid was nine. Didn't make him any less annoying, but it did make him a nice test subject for his friend in child psychology. He probably ought to ask him.

"Come on, Yuta!" Sasaki's voice was almost whinier than Tomoki himself, who was busy looking away at the floor and pulling on his shoes with way too much intensity. "Just come back! Your parents won't miss ya."

Ain't that the truth. "They would. They'd think I was dead or something." Tomoki flinched as he spoke. Yutaka rolled his eyes. Freaking wuss kid. "I've got better things to do than sit back and watch you try to beat the record of consumed sake cups anyway."

"But you promised to help for the next mixer!" There was a scraping sound from a distant area of the earpiece, like she had just scuffed her heels. He almost laughed. It would have been cute from anyone else but he knew she did it on purpose, the brat.

With her, brat was affectionate.

"I'm going," he heard Tomoki say under his breath as he shoved the door open.

"Take care," Yutaka called back without really meaning it. The kid was nine. Even he didn't get into stupid shit at nine. But Tomoki probably did. He had heard stray things while getting a glass of water, his parents murmuring about bullying boys and scraps from band-aids left on the bathroom floor. People probably just got tired of him, that was all.

He went back to the phone. "Sasaki, I'm not taking three trains just to do this mixer. I'll work on stuff for the next one, like I said I would. So just be patient. Seriously, you guys will be fine."

She was quiet for three seconds, just long enough for her to come up with a counter argument. "But all the boys Ringo picks are jerks." She didn't whine this time, not really, but she had a tone that was specific to her and her behavior. "They're always handsy and it feels weird."

Yutaka's eye visibly twitched, even though no one could see it. No one except Tomoki, who edged out the door like he had seen the devil from Christian mythology. "That's a sign you shouldn't go, Saki-chan." He stressed the honorific and almost imagined her twitch.

She groaned. "I guess." Then she perked up. "So why can't you come back up here, huh? Your brother being a pain again?"

"He always is." He sighed. "Mom and dad think he's being bullied and won't tell them. I'm supposed to find out."

"He's nine." The girl made a noise of discontent. "You can be a real asshole at nine."

"Language."

"Whatever. It's true."

Yeah, it was true. He had been a right wound-up little snot at nine. Of course at the time, Tomoki had been nearly born and already dominating their parents like the black hole he was. Of course he had acted out. But he had never managed to tick off anybody he hadn't given back whatever they dished out. They learned to be wary of him. Tomoki? They just knocked him over, it was pretty pitiful. At least, he was assuming that was what it was.

"Still." Yutaka sighs. "He's a brat, you know."

"He's your brother. I expect nothing less."

"Oi." He snorted. "All right, fine you got me."

"He can't be that bad, Yuta."

"They literally buy him everything. He hasn't had to pay back anything."

"Yikes."

"Hates me too." The last words were meant to be an afterthought. They really were. But it bothered him. He was just trying to help the kid before he hurt everyone around him and himself. Because completely spoiled people did that in the worst way and if it was his own sibling then everything would be put on him for not being a good enough brother. But he had to be harsh about it. No one listened if you were just nice to them.

"He doesn't like that you're right, that's all. Anyway, go stalk the kid before he breaks an elbow."

Yutaka made a face. "I'm not stalking him."

"Uh-huh."

It totally wasn't stalking if it was your brother, right?

No it probably was, darn it Sasaki.

Yutaka pretended that it wasn't, pretended that all was fine and dandy and that he was being a better brother than he felt like because he had to be. Following your brother wasn't very hard when he tended to wear an orange hat the size of a stoplight and like the top of a mushroom. Even when he was running for his life (which he seemed to be, because those two boys were close to ignoring streetlights to get at him. Either his brother did something bad, which was possible, or these kids were vehement and stupid.

… Wait no, at nine it was usually both.

Growth spurts were a wonderful thing. It made it twice as easy to keep up with them and still stay out of sight. A couple people looked, but apparently connected the dots pretty fast base on the hair. He hadn't heard any police officers at any rate.

They made it all the way to… a park. Really? Where anyone could see you and call you out. Yutaka wanted to sigh, but there was a loud sobbing cry.

Yutaka put a hand to his face, resisting the urge to react that that gut tug of 'how dare those brats hurt my brother?' because that was just asking for some problems. (And it wasn't like he really liked Tomoki anyway, siblings were just supposed to look after each other. That was it.) He went over at the next sob, however, because if they were actually punching the kid, there had to be some problems.

"Give it back!" he heard now. He chewed on his lip a little too hard. Yutaka made himself breathe for a moment.

"Come on, get it yourself, you're a big boy, right?"

That thud was way too loud for some kid antics. Yutaka gave up on any pretense of chill and crossed the last bit of distance, seeing his brother crumpled under a tree with two boys towering over him with those shit-eating grins that had always made Himi Yutaka see red at Tomoki's age. Didn't help to see those swelling bruises on his brother's cheek, or the slight drip of red from the left nostril.

They didn't seem to notice him, even though he hadn't really been trying to hide. Tomoki however, peeked red rimmed eyes open and the teal gaze widened and looked away. Shame. Guilt.

Two could play at that. Yutaka swallowed his own and spoke instead, voice stern. "Hard to imagine one kid taking down two thugs." he looked to the smaller one, who had something white clutched in one fist. Huh. Smart. Keep Tomoki from calling for help. Cept it was stupid because all it would take is one button on speed dial.

The two kids turned, blinking and then coiling up. "Come on, Nii-san. We're just having some fun."

"Are ya now?" Yutaka beamed at the first. He had to pick on some ten-year-olds now, whee. Didn't that make a fellow feel like a heel? "Those bruises don't look fun."

"Well, he won't play along," grumbled the second.

Yutaka's gaze flicked to his brother once more, who lowered his head, as if in shame. "I..."

"Then it's not playing and it's not fun," Yutaka interrupted, keeping his hands in his pockets. "If all you're doing is making people cry and they're not having fun, then, well, it's not right, is it? It's just you, being a d- bully." Hoo boy, damn Mitsuko and her American colloquialisms.

Before either kid could try and counter older-kid logic, however, all four of their cell-phones went off at the same time. Yutaka glanced at his and almost smirked to see Tomoki take initiative and snatch his own.

"Do you want to play?" blinked leisurely on his screen with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

A/N: Woohoo, finally, a Frontier fic from me that has a designated end! Eventually. Also one not focused on the twins, hah. No offense you two. Anyway, Yutaka always interested me, especially since he didn't even have a name in the Japanese version. What must it have been like, being in university and having to grow up with Tomoki around after years of being the only child? It kind of made me curious. And well, here's what's happening. I hope this goes long and far. Please leave a review! They help me out as a writer so much!

Challenges: Chapter Set Boot Camp (58), AU Diversity prompt picture (alternate timeline!AU), Season Rewrite prompt - ill-informed, what if challengeEpic Masterclass (Frontier list) Remix Tapes, Diversity Writing (Digimon Anime/Manga) M3, Random Character is Your Hero Competition Redux (With Yutaka as my character!), Valentine's Advent 2016, New Years Mini Advent 2017, and Golden Week Mini Advent 2016.