Chapter Two:

THE SECOND DEATH:

When Hisashi invited him home over his mid-semester break, Yoichi agreed without hesitation. He hoped this would be his chance to repair his stilted relationship with his older brother.

Yoichi knew that Hisashi was still upset about him moving out. Machia had told him all about how the Lord was gloomy and picking at his food. For such a muscular man, his bodyguard had potent puppy eyes. Yoichi sourly wondered if his older brother had put Machia up to the guilt trip. Maybe, maybe not. Big brother always had inspired an extreme degree of loyalty in his followers.

Yoichi's guilt only worsened because he'd been thriving at college. He'd made friends with all the students in his dorm. He loved Ultimate Frisbee. Even his new restaurant job, though often difficult, had been a fascinating way to meet many new people. The bodyguards following him around were certainly conversation starters. He'd never realized before how much of his free time had been monopolized by his older brother. Hisashi's pointed lack of phone calls had no doubt been intended as a punishment, but Yoichi had enjoyed the break.

Still, Yoichi definitely didn't want to remain estranged from his only family member forever. He gladly accepted the invitation and resolved not to argue with his brother no matter how he was provoked.

Hisashi greeted him at the door with a big smile. "Yoichi, I'm so happy to see you. How has college been?"

"I aced all my midsemester exams. It's a relief to have them over." Yoichi braced himself for his brother to say something sarcastic about how he'd have more time to study if he didn't have to work.

Instead, Hisashi said, "So I heard. As a reward, I had your car washed and cleaned." He pointed at the Prius sitting in the driveway. "Cleaned of any bugs as well, if you'll take it back." His smile was a tad rueful.

This was the closest Yoichi could ever imagine getting to an apology from his brother. His spirits soared. "Thank you so much, big brother!"

Wonder of wonders, Hisashi's amiable mood continued for the rest of the vacation. He didn't hover too much or ask nosy questions. He didn't even try to hug Yoichi against his will, settling for the occasional head pat. It was a miracle.

On the last Saturday before Yoichi had to return to school, Hisashi prepared an enormous feast of all his favorite foods.

"Thank you so much," Yoichi said, taking a katsudon, several fried shrimp, and a heaping of gyudon. There was so much food, he didn't even know where to start.

"I wanted to give you a proper sendoff, though I can't say I feel like celebrating you leaving." Hisashi sighed.

Yoichi felt uncomfortable. He tried to laugh it off. "Ha-ha, I have mixed feelings about returning to homework and exams too. But at least all my classes have been interesting."

"Which one is your favorite?" Hisashi asked.

"Introduction to Political Science, by a long shot. Our professor has been bringing in current event articles for us to discuss at the start of every class. It's depressing how many students argue in favor of restrictions on 'dangerous' metahumans. But I've debated several of them into changing their minds."

"Charismatic, just like your older brother." Hisashi smiled.

"Your recent demonstrations went so peacefully and smoothly, nearly my entire class spoke positively of them." Yoichi knew his older brother liked compliments, and sure enough, Hisashi basked. "A lot of my fellow students also are fans of the metahuman vigilantes."

Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "Those troublemakers are just making it worse for people with metapowers who want to live peaceful lives. They're an excuse for the government to place more restrictions on us."

"Really? They sounded cool," Yoichi said. "A friend told me that a bunch of vigilantes have banded together into an organization that's helped pacify several riots. They have a website where people can place requests for help. His grandmother had several important family heirlooms stolen from her home by a thief who could walk through walls. She asked the vigilantes for help, and they returned her belongings within a week."

"Of course you think vigilantes are cool, with your love of comic book heroes." Hisashi snorted. "Reality isn't so pretty. Several of my businesses have been attacked by so-called vigilantes."

"Surely they're not all like that—"

"And the same vigilante organization you speak of was responsible. They're nothing but frauds pretending to be heroes. Sure, they'll do a few charitable deeds to maintain a good image so people won't notice when they harass law-abiding businessmen. If they actually wanted to make the world better, they'd join my political movement instead of working against me."

"I'm sorry, big brother. I had no idea." Yoichi's shoulders sagged with disappointment. He'd been so enthralled by the notion of real-life heroes. This came as a huge letdown. "If they're your enemies, of course they're my enemies, too."

"That's right. Make sure you tell your friends that those vigilantes are just making it worse for other metahumans." Hisashi held up a bowl. "Would you like some more calamari?"

It looked delicious, but Yoichi was already full. "I shouldn't."

"This is your end-of-the-vacation celebration. You should enjoy yourself."

"Maybe just a few more bites." Yoichi let himself be persuaded.

"Make sure you save some room for the cake for dessert."

"You should have told me that earlier!" Yoichi glared in mock-anger.

Hisashi grinned. "You're too skinny. It's my duty as your older brother to fatten you up a little."

After eating until he was stuffed, Yoichi turned into bed for the night.

He woke up the next morning with a dreadful headache. At first, he thought he'd overeaten. Then he coughed up enough blood to ruin his sheets.

Hisashi ran into his room at the sounds of distress. He placed a hand on his younger brother's forehead. "I'll have my personal doctor here at once."

Yoichi had been doing so well lately. He'd started to get used to being able to breathe. He sagged back against the pillows, groaning.

"It's okay." Hisashi stroked his hair. "I'll take good care of you. I promise."

The tone soothed Yoichi. He remembered those same words from a million times during his childhood. Even during the worst days, such as when they'd become caught in a riot while homeless, Hisashi had always looked out for him. The promise coaxed him into a slumber.

Throughout the day, Yoichi tossed and turned with feverish dreams. His brother stayed at his bedside the entire time, occasionally handing him a glass of water or changing the wet cloth on his forehead.

By nightfall, Yoichi felt well enough to get up and get dressed.

Hisashi watched him as he packed the last of his belongings into his suitcase. "Shouldn't you stay at home for a few extra days at least? I worry so much about you. Your health has always been so fragile."

Yoichi seriously considered it. He knew that getting sick would have been even more unpleasant had he been on his own. What if he had another relapse? But he also knew his older brother well enough to guess that Hisashi would try to turn a few days into forever. Then Hisashi would only be more disappointed again after Yoichi inevitably left. It would be cruel to get his brother's hopes up. Better to stand firm so they both could get used to this natural separation. "I'd better get back to school. I'm feeling perfectly fine now." That was not completely true. "It's all thanks to your good caretaking." He softened his rejection with a compliment.

After a cafeteria dinner and a good night's sleep in his dorm room, Yoichi completely recovered from his bout of illness. He did not think anything of it at the time.

THE THIRD DEATH:

One moment, Yoichi was walking to his car after a late night shift the restaurant. The next, he felt pain in his side. He looked down to see blood.

But it doesn't hurt, he thought, then the pain hit. White-hot agony lanced his side. Through blurry eyes, he saw his two bodyguards leap into motion.

"How dare you harm Young Lord?" Howling in rage, Machia lunged after his attacker. The other guard threw up a glowing shield around him, a metahuman power. Dropping to his knees, he pressed his hands over Yoichi's bleeding side.

The always-silent bodyguard's sunglasses had slipped down, revealing wide, frightened grey eyes. This look of terror failed to reassure Yoichi. The bodyguard cried, "Please hold on, sir!"

Yoichi tried, but he still slipped away into blackness.

Yoichi woke up to smothering heat pressed against his back. He squirmed and groaned. His head hurt more than he would have thought possible without his skull cracking open, his stomach felt like it had been squeezed and twisted inside-out, and his throat ached with dryness. The weight leaning against him wasn't helping. He groaned in protest.

"It's okay. I'll keep you safe," his brother's voice murmured. A big hand caressed his head.

Yoichi cracked an eye open. "Big brother? What are you doing here?"

In a lofty tone, Hisashi said, "You sounded like you were having a nightmare, so I came to comfort you."

A likely story. Hisashi never could admit that he was the one who had trouble sleeping alone when he was anxious. "You're squashing me, big brother."

Obligingly, Hisashi got up, although not without one last head pat. "How are you feeling?"

Yoichi tried to answer, but only a cough emerged.

Hisashi handed him a cup from the nightstand. His older brother's eyes had large bags around them. His hair looked mussed. This was the first time in years Yoichi had seen his brother wearing sweatpants. The nervous energy coming off Hisashi made Yoichi wonder just how close to death he'd come while also bracing himself for some serious smothering.

"Thanks." Yoichi took a long sip of water. He was back in his old bedroom in his brother's mansion. It looked unchanged since he'd moved out. His same art class drawings hung on the walls. The open closet door revealed the clothes he hadn't been able to fit into his suitcase. His white desk looked neat and empty. Most of his comic books were still on the shelves.

Touching the bandage on his side, Yoichi asked, "What happened?"

"A sniper shot you from a distance. Fortunately, the blow didn't hit any internal organs and the shield stopped the second bullet. You could have died if not for my bodyguards," Hisashi said in a tone demanding gratitude.

Yoichi wanted to point out that he probably wouldn't have been in danger to begin with if not for his older brother, but that seemed petty, especially when he agreed with and admired Hisashi's metahuman rights movement. It was so easy to make his big brother happy with a little praise and admiration. Why be stingy toward his only relative? "Thank you, big brother."

Hisashi beamed. "Aren't you glad that I insisted you keep them around after you foolishly left my protection?"

Clearly his brother had no qualms about being petty. Yoichi still felt sick and achy all over. He wasn't interested in starting an argument with his brother, so he avoided the question. "Do you know why I was attacked?"

Hisashi hesitated. "I'm still investigating. Unfortunately, I have entirely too many enemies. The major organizations probably would have tried to take you hostage. A lone gunman out to kill you was almost certainly either someone who wanted personal revenge against me or an anti-metahuman fanatic. I'll find them soon enough. I've called in favors across the city."

Something in that ice-cold tone worried Yoichi. He frowned. "Then you'll turn the culprit over to the police."

"Of course," Hisashi said.

Yoichi narrowed his eyes. "Liar."

Hisashi gaped slightly. He threw up his hands. "How do you always know when I'm lying? Do I have a liar's tell? Please, little brother, it could be important for me to know. I rely heavily on my skill with words in my business."

"You mean you rely on your skills in deception." Yoichi snorted. "There's no tell. I just know."

"There must be some reason! You can't be so good if you're just guessing! No one else can see through me the way you can."

They'd had this conversation before, and Hisashi hadn't believed Yoichi in the past either. But it was the truth. The older Shigaraki brother was the perfect liar. He had not a single twitch of his nose or catch in his tone to give him away. But Yoichi knew his older brother the way only two people who'd grown up together could. He knew that Hisashi would want to take personal revenge on anyone who'd tried to kill his younger brother. Therefore, he'd known that Hisashi was lying.

Yoichi pointed at himself. "Big brother, I'm the one who got shot. I should be the one who decides on the proper punishment. And I want the shooter to stand and face trial."

"Oh, very well," Hisashi grumbled. "I'll try."

"I expect someone of your skill and resources to do more than try. Surely a powerful and important man like you can successfully deliver a criminal to the police and form a case against him in a legitimate fashion."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Hisashi waved a hand. "I'll send him to jail if it makes you happy."

His brother wasn't lying that time. Yoichi could tell. He smiled. "Thank you, big brother."

"For a moment, I thought I'd lost you," Hisashi whispered. Shadows filled his eyes. His hands clenched and unclenched.

"It's okay. I'm here." Yoichi pulled his older brother into a hug. He pretended not to notice how Hisashi trembled as he hugged back.

Hisashi remained a constant presence while Yoichi was recovering from his gunshot wound. He provided nourishing soups, he fussed over antibiotics being taken on schedule, and he helped his little brother change his bandages. He must be taking time off work.

Yoichi wanted to protest that none of this was necessary and his brother's time was too valuable, but Hisashi got such a kick out of caretaking that it would have been like denying him a treat. If anything, that was one of Hisashi's relatively better qualities, so Yoichi let him fuss.

Hisashi wasn't even as bad as Yoichi had feared. He was genuinely solicitous and hopped to get his little brother anything he asked for. Maybe he felt guilty about the attack even if he wouldn't admit it.

After Yoichi started to walk longer distances, Hisashi hired a masseuse and a physical therapist. Yoichi did not like to think about how much money this must be costing. He was in no position to turn it down. He'd been unable to get a work study job on campus since he'd changed his mind about accepting his brother's money last minute. Instead, he'd ended up working in fast food. It went without saying that he had no benefits and he'd lost his job the first time he'd been unable to report for work.

One morning, Yoichi got up, went through his usual routine of exercises, and knocked on the door to his brother's office. "Hisashi?" He did not try to enter—his big brother was extremely strict about the privacy of that particular room. Hypocritically so, given the number of times he'd invaded his younger brother's bedroom without knocking. But Yoichi understood since Hisashi kept important business and political information in his study.

"Just a moment," Hisashi called. Papers rustled in the room. Hisashi stepped into the hallway, taking care to lock the office door behind him. "What is it?"

Yoichi said, "I think it's time for me to return to school."

Hisashi examined him. "There's no need to push yourself. I can hire private tutors to keep you caught up on your classes. A donation to the school should also ensure you have no difficulty taking your exams late."

Yoichi took a deep breath. "I'd also like to return to my dorm room."

Hisashi's face turned serious. "Is that wise? What if you're attacked again?"

"The man who shot me is rotting in jail—thank you for that—and I could still be shot walking around outside whether I live at home or not. Besides, that was a freak incident." The shooter had been ranting and raving at his trial. No one had been able to get a coherent motive out of him.

Hisashi met his younger brother's eyes. "Yoichi, I've been thinking a lot about what went wrong when you first started college. I was too overbearing. You're my only relative and my precious little brother. It's hard for me to see you as an adult. As a result, I tried too hard to control you. If you come back home, then this time I promise to cover your college tuition without any unnecessary rules. We can go back to how things used to be."

Yoichi bit his lip. This time, he couldn't tell if his older brother was lying or not. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Hisashi seemed like he believed what he was saying, but Yoichi was skeptical that he'd be able to keep his word. Hisashi generally got worse the more power he had over his little brother.

"We've been getting along much better lately, big brother." As his brother started to smile, Yoichi continued, "I think that's partly because I stopped living at home. A little distance was better for both of us." Cynically, Yoichi suspected that when his brother knew that he could stop coming over for dinner if faced with excessive smothering, it forced Hisashi to behave.

Hisashi scowled. "I've already agreed to give you what you wanted. You won. Why would you still continue to be stubborn? Can you not find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"No, no, it's not like that!" Yoichi waved his hands. He suspected emotional manipulation, but it was still working. He couldn't bear to be at odds with his beloved brother. "I'm not angry at you. I was never that angry to begin with—or at least, that wasn't the reason I had to leave."

Hisashi adopted the smooth tone that had made him the leader of a political movement. "If you no longer needed to work, then you could help me organize my current campaign against anti-metahuman laws. Perhaps you could even join the next protest."

The bait was tempting indeed. Yoichi had wanted to help his brother's cause for years, but he'd always been told it was too dangerous and he needed to focus on his schooling. Hisashi had once gone as far as to cancel a march on the capital because Yoichi had tried to join it. To make such an offer, perhaps his brother really had changed.

Eventually, Yoichi said, "I need some time to think about it. First, I should at least check up on my dorm room."

Hisashi nodded. "Take your time." There was a dark confidence in his voice.

Minutes later, Yoichi stared at the yellow tape around his dorm building. A pipe had exploded. He counted himself lucky his brother had already moved out his personal possessions weeks ago. The furniture had all belonged to the college.

With a resigned huff, Yoichi reached for his phone to tell Hisashi that he'd be moving back home after all.

Did my brother cause the pipe to break so I'd have to return home?

Yoichi shook off the strange thought. No matter how convenient this timing might be, the idea was ridiculous. Hisashi wasn'ta criminal. Well, sometimes his metahuman rights work put him on the wrong side of the law, but in that case the law itself was wrong. Yoichi knew that his brother grifted and found loopholes in rules, but he wouldn't outright sabotage a building. Constantly dealing with his brother's gilded tongue must have made Yoichi paranoid.

Perhaps things would be better this time. Hisashi had seemed to learn a lesson.

Yet Yoichi couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling that he'd ended up back where he'd started.

OMAKE TIME!

Hisashi: It's been two whole days since I last called my younger brother. He must miss me so much. This will teach him a lesson.

Yoichi: It's been two whole days since I last heard my brother's obnoxious voice. Sweet, sweet freedom! Time to go out and party!

Hisashi: Three days now. Surely that's long enough. I'll give him a call…HE DIDN'T PICK UP HIS PHONE! HE LEFT ALL MY TEXTS ON READ!

#This was the precise moment when Hisashi realized he needed to put on a nice façade when Yoichi came home from college #And, you know, poison him

Author's Note:

I plan to keep this story standalone from "Forgiveness is the Attribute of the Strong," so I won't get into how Yoichi's mother used to poison him. However, I do want to note that due to lack of medical treatment during his childhood, the poison left him with lifelong side effects, so his relapse wasn't immediately suspicious to him. But it sure was convenient how he got sick as soon as he visited home, wasn't it?

The shooting wasn't Hisashi. He finds it easier to justify forms of harm that don't draw blood. But that assassination attempt did accelerate Hisashi's plans to force Yoichi to return home.