A/N: For those of you reading the manga and not past chapter: 108, Spoilers for you all, so if you don't want to know, just back away slowly, read chapter 108, and come back soon.

5: Changed Chili Powder and Black Rice

I Promise

The breeze outside the window is kicking up brief, swirling clouds of sand, tapping the glass lightly but not drawing the attention of the boy who watches from within the warm room. The young child isn't interested in the sand, but rather the empty cobble street, lit by the dim street lamps. He's bouncing up and down impatiently, scrutinizing every movement in the evening light.

As the clock behind him begins chiming loudly, a figure emerges down the street, walking hurriedly in the direction of the young boy who grins happily and leaps from the windowsill, rushing to the front door. As he pulls back the large, black panel of wood, the second taller figure enters, passing over the threshold and slowly shutting the door behind him.

He pulls off his long coat, smiling at the beaming child below him who's bobbing in anticipation.

Two, long-fingered hands grab the young boy under his arms and sweep him into the air, allowing him to feel the momentary rush of air, almost like he's flying, before securing him firmly onto the shoulders of the figure the hands belong to. The once airborne child laughs joyfully and leans over the head of his mighty stead, asking, "Where were you today, brother?"

"Father wanted me to attend to some things in the Academy, same as any other day," the older boy replies, patting his sibling gently on the leg. "I spent a lot of time in front of mirrors."

The younger child grows curious, standing on the older teens shoulders and, using the teen's head as something level to hold on to, leans down until his own face is upside down in front of his brother's. "Tell me about it."

"You have no need of such knowledge," the older boy laughs, bending forward and shaking his young brother off and onto the plush couch below them. "You'll attend the academy soon enough and learn about plenty of things."

"But nothing you're being taught by father." The little boy, now lying on the couch looks disappointed and his downcast eyes stare at his bare feet and stout toes. "Father will never teach me anything about what it's like."

The brother who has just returned from Death Weapon Meister Academy looks surprised for a moment, and then sympathetic as he sits down beside his little sibling. "Hey, listen." He places a hand over his brother's head, softly ruffling his hair before running one through his own black and white bangs. "It's tough work, alright? You'll learn when you begin trying to create a Death Scythe of your own. It may not be what I've been taught to do, but…"

"You'll get all the fun." The younger child knows he's being difficult, but he doesn't care as he crosses his arms in front of his chest and pouts. "Father will always come to you to talk about all the more important things. I'll be a regular student with normal studies and missions, and maybe father will neglect me entirely. One day, I might even…"

The older brother grows worried when his brother doesn't finish and instead goes into an unnerving silence, sniffing briefly. "One day you'll what?" he urges.

His younger brother looks up at him, eyes narrowed and tearful. "I'll fear you, just like everyone else does."

"What are you talking about?" the teenager scoffs, rubbing his sibling's shoulder affectionately. "The people at school aren't scared of me."

"Yes, they are," the little boy whispers, covering his mouth with his short fingers. "They don't think you could ever be like them, because of what you are."

Because of what I am. The teenager is quiet, pondering what his brother said and is about to reply, 'You're just the same,' but doesn't want to upset the child further. So instead, he smiles and carefully brushes the little boy's bangs from his face. "I'm your brother, and don't you ever forget it, okay? It doesn't matter what other people think of me, alright? Look at the way I'm smiling, hm? Could another being like myself, one with such a cold, soulless job be able to smile like this?"

The young child looks up slowly, and his sorrowful expression slowly breaks into a grateful, accepting smile. "No."

"There, you see?" The older teen sits back against the couch, pulling his long fingers from his sibling's hair. "We're brothers, making us a team. It doesn't matter if you're just a regular student and I'm Death. Dad'll always care for you just as much as he'll care for me. I'll be Death, meaning you'll have to make the best Death Scythe ever for me. Then, we'll really be a team no one can hate. We'll show everyone at school we can be just like them."

The younger brother starts to look more and more excited by his brother's words. He smiles broadly and nods his head in determination, "I'll create the best Death Scythes ever!"

"That's it." The older brother grins happily, before continuing, "We'll lower ourselves to the regular levels of a human, just to show them we aren't as scary as we appear. We're not heartless, and our souls aren't made of ice."

The young child nods once, his happiness wavering for just a second as he's reminded he's the same creature as his brother, but then realizes with a newfound joy that he's the same as his brother.

"And I promise you," the older teen adds, his voice dropping into a more sincere, heartfelt tone, "I'll never give you a reason to fear me."

"Promise?" the young brother insists, jabbing his index finger into his brother's face. The older sibling draws back slowly and lifts his own hand, extending his pointer finger and wrapping it around his brother's, a different kind of pinky promise. Smiling, he replies, "Yeah, I promise."

-/-\-|-/-\-

Now, the younger brother stares into the cold, red eyes of his most despised enemy and incidentally, older brother. Kid feels only a fraction of his soul lose a layer of it's ice, just as it had in the 'memory' from earlier when he realized he was just the same as his brother. He feels a longing growing deep within him, one he'd never admit to anyone. Slowly, he asks Asura one short phrase capable of unearthing a torrent of regret:

"Is that the way it could have been?"

-/-\-|-/-\-

A/N: I wasn't particularly surprised when it was revealed Asura is Kid's brother. It was more of an, 'Ah… that makes sense,' moment.

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