-Crossfire-

Shadow. I feel him coming, feel his shadow, and look up, tracking his hatred, his fear, his pain, condensed into that small, improbably strong form. I see, see without seeing, him walking closer. He doesn't need to walk fast; he's got all the time in the world. His strength is my strength. His strength is the anger, and the fury, and the pain this mockery of life has left him with.

How do I see him, I ask myself, looking at the wall, through the wall to where a part of me can feel him. It doesn't make sense. A lot of things don't make sense any more.

"How do I see him, little brother?"

Hah. For once, I actually surprised him, at least a little. His head whips around, and he stares at me with that funny expression.

"You see him because what he is now is your power."

Of course... of course. His rage, his hatred, his pain; those are his, those are mine. The darkness is mine, and what is mine is... his? Now I'm confused, and I don't have to like it. What is he? What is he that I somehow know he can take my fury and make it his? What's happening to me?

"Do you remember when we played in the park together?"

And what's that about? Of course I remember, I remember everything - everything we lost. Didn't he notice?

"Of course I remember, but in case you hadn't noticed, little brother, that park is now a wasteland, just like everything else!"

But of course he knows that. And that last shred of me that still holds me to my word asks me why he asked me that, even though the rest of me doesn't care. He is my equal, my opposite, my counterpart. He sees, while my vision is clouded, and he's kept it that way, and I've let him, and some part of me is still holding on to that promise... some part of me fast sinking beneath my rising fury.

Shadow rounds the corner as Amy's voice cuts the air. I don't listen, don't need to, watch him instead. He's not even limping, stronger than he looks, stronger than he thinks, more pain in his past than a single shot. Scars beneath his fur flash in my eyes like cracks that radiate the hatred I saw in him, and though the light doesn't actually show them to me through that black and red fur, I could trace every one. My head turns to follow him as he passes us by without even a glance.

"I wait for Amy," little brother says to me, and I nod, accepting his knowledge of what is. But for once, he didn't say anything about me...

"And me, little brother?"

"You follow your own path now," he answers. "It is close to the end of my vision, and they must decide what end that will be. We will both be there."

The end of his vision? That's not what I wanted to hear, almost disconcerting to hear little brother say he can't see, say there's something he doesn't know, doubly so after him guiding us both for so long. Not what I say, though, never what I say, not since so long ago...

"Huh, knew I'd see the day you failed."

He nods, and looks up at me with a strange expression. Takes me a moment to realise why it's strange – it's a child's expression, nothing like I've seen on him since that day of destruction, the day we both grew up.

"Be careful, okay?"

And he hugs me, something else he hasn't done since then, and if he were anyone else or it were any other time I'd have shoved him off and swatted him, but this one time I let him, because he can't see much further than here, because I know something's coming too, because just for a moment a part of us both that's fast getting buried has got control. I put my left arm around him, ruffle the fur between his ears with my right hand.

"I will." I know he doesn't mean about fighting, know he's talking about my choices, and for the first time for a long time he's not telling me what's best, just asking me, for him. And that's why I'll try...

Then I let him go, and he lets me go, and I turn away and follow Shadow, running to catch up with him. I don't look back, but I know what I'd see if I did, little brother looking after me... watching me go...