Yoichi Shigaraki had been on the run from his older brother for a couple weeks now. He'd already had a couple close calls—a woman at the motel who'd recognized him, a train station full of All for One's minions guarding every exit. His older brother had people who owed him favors everywhere. All of Yoichi's credit cards were being tracked, and he'd nearly run out of cash. He'd decided to hitchhike out of town because his brother had guards on every transportation hub. The train station had been a very close call, and Yoichi had only escaped because his brother's people were afraid to injure him.
Realistically speaking, Yoichi had his hands full taking care of himself. His head felt fuzzy from lack of sleep and his throat ached because he'd run out of medicine. This was no moment to play hero. But when Yoichi heard someone scream, his head turned like a golden retriever toward a thrown frisbee.
Yoichi could have walked away. He could have called the police. Instead, he found his feet stepping into the narrow space between two shops, too small to be a proper alleyway.
Light flashed from the darkness between the buildings, an unnatural purple color. Other people on the street had stopped to stare, too. A man in a business suit reached for his phone. Suddenly Yoichi very much did not want the police to be called. They did not have a good track record when it came to metahumans.
Yoichi sprinted forward, hoping he could defuse the situation or warn the metapower user. He jumped over a black trash bag. This place reeked. A coughing fit halted Yoichi in his tracks. He tasted blood in the back of his throat. An empty milk carton crunched under his foot.
A figure in a heavy coat crouched down against the brick wall, groaning. Purple light glowed off the woman, illuminating her lined face and greasy salt-and-pepper hair. She rocked back and forth, caterwauling.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Yoichi asked.
"I can't control it." Her voice rose to a scream. "I can't control it! It wants to come out!"
"Look, I saw someone on the street call the police." Yoichi glanced over his shoulder, worried that the man might follow him. Concerned citizens did not have a great track record with metahumans, either. "It's not safe for you any longer. You need to get out of here. Follow me." Maybe he could take her to hide under the bridge where he'd been squatting.
She clutched her hair and rocked. "I…I…" The air around her hummed as the light blazed brighter.
Did Yoichi hear a siren in the distance? Was it coming closer? He flinched. They had to flee this place. Yoichi in particular definitely needed to run. His brother had agents among the police. There was also the risk of the police realizing his relation to All for One and treating him harshly. No one in the world would help All for One's brother. Yoichi was hated by his brother's enemies and hunted by his allies.
Would his disguise hold? Yoichi had dyed his hair black and wore contact lenses, but the police had started checking people's roots and he hadn't been able to dye recently. The hint of white alone might be enough to make him the next police brutality statistic even if they didn't recognize him.
"Please, we have to leave." Yoichi stepped forward. A voice in Yoichi's head said that he should never, ever approach a metahuman who looked like she couldn't control her powers. That voice sounded a lot like his older brother, so Yoichi ignored it. A true hero would be willing to take a risk in order to help someone in distress. Yoichi extended a hand. "Can I help you up? I can even carry you if need be. But we've gotta get out of here."
Wild, bloodshot eyes met his. The woman grabbed his hand. Purple light exploded from their grip.
The tingling ran up Yoichi's body like the worst ever case of pins-and-needles. He screamed, half in pain and half in shock. As he ripped his hand away, his skin glowed purple. He tried to step backward, but something had gone wrong with his legs. His heavy backpack slipped off his shoulders and dragged him down. He fell. As he struck the ground, his legs were shortening. His arms stuck out of their sleeves. White hair fell over his eyes, restored to its proper color. He wailed in pain as his contact lenses popped out, suddenly too big for his eyes.
Everything around Yoichi was too big. The trash back loomed like a hill. His backpack was now nearly as tall as him. The metahuman woman had turned into a giant. The light was dissipating. She sighed like someone setting down a huge burden, then ran past him.
Yoichi turned, planning to run too. But his body was falling out of his jeans and sweatshirt. His feet got stuck in too-large sneakers. He fell over with a cry, his face landing on a mixture of gum and rotting banana peel. Yoichi gagged at the smell. He scrambled to a sitting position, clutching the bottom of his shirt like a dress.
Yoichi's hands went up to his face, feeling pudgy cheeks and baby-soft flesh. Then he ran his hands all down his body, unwilling to believe the evidence of his own fingers. He had shrunk.
What kind of metapower had done this? And how long before it wore off? It must wear off…right?
This time, the sirens were unmistakably heading in his direction. Casting off his pants and shoes, Yoichi stood up. He needed his backpack. It had all his remaining belongings in the entire world. But it was too heavy for him to lift. Yoichi took out his wallet. Longingly, he stared down at his laptop, his favorite Captain Hero T-shirt, and the single comic book he'd taken along so he could reread the part where Captain Hero won. Then he turned and ran.
Yoichi planned to go back to the bridge. But the journey became infinitely longer on short legs. The pavement dug into his tender bare feet, staining his soles black. Yoichi felt the pressure of eyes on him. He had not yet seen his reflection but he must look strange wandering down the street in an oversized sweatshirt. Tugging up his hood, he hid his white hair. He hoped people were staring at him out of concern, not because they worked for his brother.
A yawn escaped Yoichi's lips. He'd already been tired but this strange transformation had made it even worse. He sat down on the curb. A strong urge gripped him to cry and scream for help. Yoichi had always been a bit of an easy crier, but it wasn't like him to expect anyone to help him. He was too used to handling all his problems on his own. But right now, he had a childish need for someone to comfort him.
…Had he turned into a child? Yoichi looked down at his stubby fingers and could draw no other conclusion, no matter how much he hoped to merely be short. How would he ever convince anyone to let him hitchhike if he was a child? How could he survive on the streets?
Yoichi sniffled. That single surrender unleashed a floodgate of tears. He could not stop sobbing. If this transformation was affecting his mind as well as his body, then he was in real trouble.
A shadow fell over him. A tall figured crouched down in front of him. Yoichi looked up, into a familiar crimson pair of eyes. Hisashi Shigaraki smirked. "You look like a mess, my foolish little brother. It turns out you can't look after yourself without me after all."
Dammit, one of the staring bystanders had probably belonged to All for One. There was no point in playing stupid. Hisashi had metapowers that could recognize his brother and even track him if he got too close. Yoichi leapt to his feet and ran.
Of course, Hisashi easily scooped him up and tucked him under one arm. Yoichi howled and kicked.
A couple walking down the street stopped and stared. Hisashi flashed them a charming grin. "My silly little brother ran away from home. He's such a gremlin." A large hand patted Yoichi's head.
Yoichi stopped struggling, because he didn't want to involve any innocent bystanders. They could never fight All for One even if they believed he was being kidnapped. He pouted.
With sympathetic murmurs and nods, the couple passed.
Yoichi made one last attempt to struggle when his brother shoved him into a waiting car. Hisashi easily restrained his arms in a hug. Hisashi sat down in the backseat with Yoichi in his lap and pulled the seatbelt over both of them. Easily, he stole Yoichi's wallet and tucked it into his own pocket. Hisashi muttered, "You reek. This suit is going to be a total loss."
"Good," Yoichi said, biting his brother's forearm. His teeth were too small to do much damage.
Hisashi put a hand on top of Yoichi's head to force him to look straight ahead. He ordered his driver, "Take us home. I have what I was looking for." Cold satisfaction saturated the air, making Yoichi shiver. Once again, tears stung his eyes, but he refused to cry in front of his brother so he stared straight ahead as the car started moving.
As Hisashi carried him into the mansion, Yoichi's heart clenched. He'd spent so long trying to escape this place that he'd memorized the location of every camera and alarm. Now he was trapped again and more helpless than ever.
Hisashi took Yoichi to the bathroom and started running water. Sitting Yoichi down on the edge of the bathtub, Hisashi scanned for injuries. Finding only small scrapes, his grin widened. "Just look at you, little brother. You're a mess! You didn't last two weeks without me!"
Yoichi hung his head, not meeting his brother's eyes. A tightness formed under his chest.
"How did this happen? You must have gotten too close to someone using a metapower." Hisashi laughed. "I warned you to stay away from people who couldn't control their metapowers, but you were always too curious and too helpful. I told you not to play hero. Now see how you ended up."
The smugness in Hisashi's tone was unbearable. Especially because Yoichi knew his older brother was right. He'd basically done this to himself, making an entirely avoidable mistake because he didn't want to listen to his brother's advice. Shame, humiliation, and fear swirled together. Yoichi could no longer control the emotions wracking his frail body. He burst into tears.
The smug expression dropped off Hisashi's face. "Little brother?"
Yoichi howled louder.
"Shhh, shhh. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lectured you in your delicate state." Hisashi hugged Yoichi. "You're safe now."
"Not safe!" Yoichi wailed, pounding his small fists against his brother's back.
Hisashi's eyes widened. He drew back. "Little brother, do you know who I am? Do you still have your memories?"
Inspiration struck Yoichi so hard that he stopped crying. This was his big chance. His ability to escape while trapped in the body of a child was very, very limited, but he might have a shot if his older brother completely dropped his guard. If Yoichi pretended to be an amnesiac child, he might obtain more freedom. Surely even big brother wouldn't lock up a child in that creepy vault he'd been building in the basement. Yoichi shuddered at the memory. He'd been desperate to escape before the construction could be completed.
Hisashi frowned. "Are you scared? I won't hurt you, I promise. It's me, Hisashi."
Yoichi slapped Hisashi's chest. "Liar! My brother is only this tall." He held up his hand to measure. "You're a scary bad man who kidnapped me! I want my big brother! My real brother will beat you up."
Hisashi laughed long and hard. For a moment, this made Yoichi fear that he'd been caught. But this sounded like a happy laugh. Wiping away a tear of mirth, Hisashi said, "I remember the good old days when you used to say that all the time. I did beat anyone who hurt you, didn't I? Anyone except our parents…and I got them too, in the end." Something terrifying flashed across his face.
Yoichi crossed his arms. He intended to let himself be persuaded, but not easily. That would be suspicious. "You look like my big brother, but why are you giant?"
Hisashi said, "We both grew up. You got struck by a metapower that turned you back into a child."
Yoichi was a little surprised Hisashi had been honest about that part. He let it show on his face, as part of the act.
"Come here." Hisashi settled Yoichi on his lap and scrolled through his phone. "Here are pictures of you growing up." To Yoichi's complete lack of surprise, his brother had an entire album dedicated to him.
Yoichi pointed at a picture of his high school graduation. "I grew up handsome!"
"Yes, you did." Hisashi petted his little brother's head. "Great hair."
"Our parents aren't there," Yoichi said. Their parents did not generally show up in the pictures, except at some school events. Hisashi had almost entirely raised Yoichi by himself.
Hisashi's arm tightened around him. "They were bad, so they're not part of our family any longer."
Yoichi wasn't sure exactly how his past self would have reacted, but it would strain his acting ability to pretend to be upset about his parents. "I hope they went somewhere where they can get help. I'm glad they can't hurt us any longer."
Hisashi chuckled menacingly. "Oh, they're definitely in a place more fitting for them."
"Gosh, you grew up big." Yoichi looked up. "Why do you get to be taller?"
"I'm your older brother. I'll always be taller than you."
Yoichi humphed. He suspected a height metapower. It seemed unlikely that his brother had grown over eight feet tall naturally.
Hisashi stopped at a photo of Yoichi standing with his college Ultimate Frisbee team receiving a trophy. That was one of their last happy pictures, before the fighting started. "See, you're tall too, just not as tall as me."
"Let me feel your face," Yoichi demanded. Obligingly, Hisashi scrambled in front of Yoichi and lowered his head. Yoichi ran his fingers all over the contours as if memorizing each one. Finally, he said, "You really are my big brother." Yoichi took a deep breath. He knew exactly what to say to convince his brother that he had amnesia. He didn't like it one bit, but that was why it would work. Throwing his arms around his brother's neck, Yoichi cried, "Nii-nii!"
"You haven't called me that in years." Hisashi sounded a little dazed. Fiercely, he hugged his little brother back.
When Yoichi had been small, he'd called his brother "nii-nii" as a babytalk form of "nii-chan," the Japanese word for big brother. Nii-nii had been Yoichi's very first word, something his brother took great pride in. Hisashi had found his nickname adorable and been very disappointed when Yoichi stopped calling him that. But Yoichi had been too embarrassed to speak in babytalk by the time he hit middle school, no matter how his brother coaxed him.
Stroking Yoichi's hair, Hisashi asked, "What's the last thing that you remember?"
Yoichi stiffened. Clearly, his brother was trying to figure out how old he'd been deaged to. But Yoichi himself did not know. What if he gave the wrong age and a medical examination later betrayed him? Yoichi looked at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He looked tiny, being held by his giant of a brother. Perhaps he was about three and a half feet or a little over a hundred centimeters tall. Yoichi's shoulder length hair gave him a clue. As a child, he'd loved long hair. Rapunzel had been his favorite Disney movie. (The irony had not later escaped him when he'd ended up locked in his bedroom by his brother.) Yoichi had fought with his parents over every haircut until his brother had stepped in. Hisashi had promised to look after Yoichi's hair every day if they let it grow out with a certain menacing look in his eyes that even their parents feared.
Based on the pictures he'd just been shown, Yoichi's hair had grown to his shoulders by his fifth birthday. Yoichi said, "I remember blowing out five birthday candles. Then I woke up here."
"Yes, that was a good birthday. Especially because he was on a business trip and she was too busy playing sick to bother us." Menace quickly flashed across Hisashi's place, replaced by a smile. "Five years old, hmm? I'll make sure to order age-appropriate toys." Hisashi sent a few texts on his phone. "You have nothing to fear, little brother. I've become wealthy and powerful over the years. I'll look after you and protect you."
A shiver ran down Yoichi's spine, but he covered it up with a smile. "Nii-nii is the coolest! Will you still play with me even now you're a grown-up?"
"Of course I will," Hisashi cooed. His eyes shot to the bathtub, where water was about to spill over. He ran over and turned off the faucet, then unplugged the drain to let some out.
Yoichi eyed the door with longing, but he knew he wouldn't get far. He would have to plan his escape carefully. Yoichi still lived in hope that this de-aging wore off, because if not, he would need to figure out where a small child could flee. He doubted he had many options.
Hisashi tested the water temperature with his hand. "Nice and warm. Come over here."
Yoichi flinched upon realizing that his brother expected to bathe him. But realistically, he had no choice. He let Hisashi strip off his oversized shirt and settle him into the tub.
Gently, Hisashi splashed water over Yoichi's hair, then rubbed in shampoo. "Close your eyes, little brother. I'll get tearless baby shampoo for next time."
"Mmm-hmm." Yoichi had to admit the warm water felt good. His muscles relaxed. He didn't need his brother's help, but it did make him feel safer—ugh, what was he thinking?
"Sit back," Hisashi ordered, then scrubbed at the dirt stains on the bottoms of Yoichi's feet. He clucked his tongue, seeing tiny cuts. "Does the water sting?"
"I'm okay," Yoichi said.
"Are you having any trouble breathing?"
Yoichi paused, considering. At the moment, his lungs worked perfectly fine. He did not feel unusually tired. His breathing difficulties hadn't developed until around age six. The doctors said that he had metapower-related cellular degeneration, which often didn't develop in children until they were old enough to start using their metapowers. Not that Yoichi had ever gotten a power, alas. "I'm fine, nii-nii."
Hisashi nodded. "As expected, but I'll keep some medicine on hand just in case. Close your eyes again." He washed the shampoo out of Yoichi's hair.
Someone knocked on the door.
Hisashi went to open the door. Yoichi pressed his small body against the edge of the bathtub, embarrassed to have anyone else see him nude despite his young age. But Hisashi's employee merely handed him some clothing and a first aid kit through the cracked door. All for One's people certainly worked fast, leaping into action at their master's text. Big brother had always attracted devotees.
Hisashi lifted Yoichi out of the tub and toweled him off, then dressed him in red cotton pajamas. Carefully, Hisashi applied Band-Aids to Yoichi's feet before putting on the socks. Then Hisashi picked up Yoichi and cradled him to his chest.
"I can walk, big brother!" Yoichi squirmed. It wouldn't be suspicious to protest—he'd been eager for independence even as a child.
Hisashi kept a firm hold on his little brother. "Call me nii-nii. Not until your feet heal."
Yoichi groaned. His very small injuries would be used as an excuse to keep him from walking for a good long time. What a pain.
Hisashi carried Yoichi into his bedroom. "I don't have a child's room prepared, so you'll be sleeping with me."
Ugh, yet another excuse for big brother to be clingy. Oh well, Yoichi hadn't seriously planned to try to escape on the first night.
Tucking Yoichi under the covers, Hisashi curled up next to him. "Would you like a lullaby?"
Yoichi nodded, because it would be suspicious not to.
Hisashi launched into the Spiderman theme song. He'd used that to coax Yoichi to sleep many times as a baby. Maybe it was habit, maybe Yoichi was tired from his long day. Either way, he fell asleep immediately.
Yoichi woke up alone in the big bed. He immediately felt his face and arms. He was still a child, unfortunately. It didn't even seem like he'd grown the tiniest bit bigger. Yoichi had been hoping it might happen gradually so that he'd have time to plot an escape. (What if it didn't happen at all? Did Yoichi have any chance of finding a strange woman he'd met once on the street? He'd barely even seen her face in the dim light. He did not know if he'd recognize her again.)
Hisashi asked, "Are you hungry?"
Yoichi startled. Hisashi sat in a chair on the other side of the room, looking straight at him. Had big brother been watching him sleep? Had he noticed anything off about Yoichi inspecting his own body? Setting aside his uneasiness, Yoichi forced a smile and chirped, "Yes!"
Hisashi went to a drawer and pulled out children's clothing. "Look what I got you." He held up a shirt with the demon king's picture on front.
Yoichi stiffened. Was this a test? As a child, Yoichi had collected any Captain Hero merchandise. He probably would have worn a demon king T-shirt even if he'd preferred Captain Hero. It had never bothered Yoichi that his brother's favorite character was the demon king, not until Hisashi had started role-playing world domination in real life. As an adult, Yoichi fully recognized the calculated insult. He also knew he'd have no choice but to swallow it if he wanted to maintain his mask.
To cover up his angry face, Yoichi said, "I'm old enough to dress myself."
"Are you?" Hisashi laughed. "You're a big boy, hmm? Let's see if you can resist the demon king!" Hisashi pounced and tickled Yoichi.
Yoichi wailed and thrashed his arms, unable to speak over the giggles.
Hisashi blew a raspberry into Yoichi's bellybutton. "Surrender now!"
Gasping for air, Yoichi cried, "Nii-nii, stop! I give up!"
Chuckling, Hisashi mussed up Yoichi's hair. "Arms up!" First, Hisashi dressed Yoichi in the demon king shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Then he carried Yoichi to the bathroom to brush his hair and wash his face. Finally, Hisashi carried Yoichi downstairs and set him in a high chair in front of the dining room table. It appeared big brother was deadly in earnest about carrying Yoichi around everywhere. Also, wasn't Yoichi a bit old for a high chair even in his current state?
Yoichi's stomach growled. He hadn't eaten much while living on the streets, needing to save his cash.
Hisashi said, "I thought about making pancakes or waffles, but it looks like you're too hungry to wait."
"I want pancakes!" Yoichi cried, pouting. His own reaction surprised him. True, it was entirely in-character for a five-year-old Yoichi who'd loved his brother's pancakes on the weekend. But Yoichi hadn't even thought of that. He'd replied reflexively. This transformation had definitely influenced his mind.
"Aw, I can't say no to that cute face." Hisashi tweaked his nose. "I'll get the chef to make pancakes, and you can have some fruit to tide you over. A growing boy needs nutrients, after all."
Hisashi came back with a cup of chopped strawberries. He forked one and brought it up to Yoichi's mouth. "The train goes choo-choo! Open wide!"
Yoichi glared. "Nii-nii, I'm a whole five years old. I wanna feed myself."
Hisashi shot the fork into Yoichi's open mouth as he spoke. In his hunger, Yoichi swallowed by reflex. Hisashi said, "It's been so long since you were this small. Indulge me, please."
"In-what?" Yoichi demanded, faking ignorance of the word.
Hisashi quirked an eyebrow. "If you let me feed you, then I'll give you a Rapunzel doll."
Five-year-old Yoichi would not have refused that offer, and adult Yoichi knew he wouldn't win this battle anyway. "Okay, but it had better come with at least two outfits."
Hisashi cooed, "I'll make sure there's a tower for your doll to live in, my little prince."
Yoichi restrained a shiver. Although the Disney movie would always have a special place in his heart and had helped him identify some early warning signs concerning his brother, the Rapunzel tale had lost shine for him since he'd experience the equivalent of the tower for himself.
Clapping his hands together, Yoichi cried, "Thank you!"
"Anything for my adorable little brother," Hisashi said, holding up a sippy cup. "Open your mouth."
Yoichi was in hell.
His bad mood abated slightly when the pancakes arrived. It had been too long since Yoichi had gotten to enjoy hot food, and his brother had even ordered his absolute favorite banana pancakes with chocolate chips. The chef placed down the plate, then quickly left. Chocolate chips formed a smiley face looking up at Yoichi.
Hisashi cut a bit with the fork and held it up. "Say ahhhhhh!"
Yoichi swallowed, savoring the delicious fluffiness. "You should eat too, big brother. Nii-nii."
Hisashi smiled. "Aw, how sweet of you to be concerned about me. I already ate breakfast before you woke up." Hisashi picked up a napkin and dabbed a crumb off Yoichi's face. "Slow down. We're in no rush. I took the day off work to spend time with you and settle you into your new home."
Oh, joy. Yoichi kept the sarcastic thought from showing on his face with great effort.
After breakfast, Hisashi once again lifted Yoichi up. His arms were so big he could carry Yoichi in the crook of his elbow like a baby. Pointing at the paintings in the hallway, Yoichi cried, "So much gold!" He gasped at a bust of his brother's head. "Nii-nii looks cool."
Yoichi had been trying to flatter his brother into complacency, and it worked. Hisashi laughed and kissed Yoichi's hair. "Your big brother has done well for himself since growing up."
And how many people have you hurt to obtain your money? Yoichi waved his little hands. "Whoa whoa! We get to live in a mansion. That's awesome."
Hisashi preened. "That's right. You'll always be safe and happy here. Everything is going to be different from now on. You'll never need to hide in the closet or under your bed late at night when you hear our father come home. I became rich and powerful so I could protect you."
You'll protect me from everyone except yourself. Yoichi hid his face in his brother's shoulder to conceal his expression.
With his foot, Hisashi pushed open the door to the living room. Yoichi pretended to be shocked and excited at the big-screen TV.
On the long leather couch, Hisashi settled Yoichi on his lap. He switched on the television. "I've asked my employees to find copies of your old favorite cartoons, which are no longer airing. In the meantime, I picked out one I think you'll like."
Yoichi nearly rolled his eyes. Ugh, he was way too old for kiddie cartoons but he would have to sit through this anyway. At least he was forcing his brother to watch children's shows and suffer too. Come to think of it, why was Hisashi still here? Probably because he was too clingy after the last escape attempt to let Yoichi even watch TV alone.
A new Teen Titans adaptation started playing. Yoichi perked up and sat up straighter. He loved superhero shows, even if this one was aimed at a younger crowd. By the end, he was giggling and clapping his hands. Every reaction from Yoichi made Hisashi smile.
"Did you have fun, baby brother?" Hisashi asked, tickling under Yoichi's chin.
Although he felt a little defeated by his child impulses, Yoichi said, "Very fun! Can we watch another episode?"
"Of course. Today is all about you."
Around noon, Hisashi carried Yoichi back to the dining room for grilled cheese. Once again, Yoichi got fed by hand. Afterward, Hisashi glanced at a message on his phone. "Your new playroom is ready."
"Yay!" Yoichi cheered with fake enthusiasm.
The playroom had been a former storage room in the mansion, based on Yoichi's adult memories. The blue walls had a new cat trim. A fluffy sea-green carpet covered the floor. The shelves were full of children's toys. A small white desk had art supplies. Someone must have worked overnight to prepare this so fast.
The round white table in the middle had a tower Barbie house. Not only was there a Rapunzel Barbie, there was also Flynn Rider and Mother Gothel.
Hisashi set Yoichi down next to the table. "How do you like it?"
Yoichi knew the reaction expected of him. "Thank you, nii-nii! You're the best!"
Hisashi sat down. "I'll play with you today."
This would be a challenge. Yoichi did not remember how children played with toys. But he had no choice but to power through it. "You can be Mother Gothel," Yoichi said, shoving the Barbie at his older brother with a tinge of malice behind the comparison.
Hisashi accepted with a smile. For lack of any better ideas, Yoichi started acting out the story of Rapunzel. It was going great until Hisashi decided that Mother Gothel was going to come home early and prevent Rapunzel from escaping with Flynn.
"That's not how the story goes!" Yoichi cried.
"It is now," Hisashi said with a wicked grin.
"Oh yeah? Well I say Rapunzel just learned Kung-Fu!" Yoichi attacked with a Barbie in both hands.
Laughing, Hisashi let himself be defeated, which was a bit unexpected. Yoichi's cheeks were flushed. He'd been having fun. When exactly had that happened? It had certainly helped make his act more convincing, but Yoichi had a bad feeling. It had been too easy for him to get into the childish game. What if Yoichi was getting worse over time instead of better? If he lapsed into the mindset of a child while in his brother's grasp…it didn't bear thinking about.
For dinner, Hisashi served katsudon from Yoichi's favorite restaurant. They watched another cartoon after eating. Then Hisashi gave his little brother a bath, dressed him in pajamas, brushed his teeth and hair, and carried him off to the bedroom.
"Here you go," Hisashi said, presenting Yoichi with a stuffed tiger.
"So soft." Yoichi clutched the toy close to his chest. The fur truly was incredibly fluffy.
"Good night." Hisashi tucked Yoichi into bed and kissed his forehead. "I'll join you soon. I have a few messages to answer first. I love you, little brother."
Despite the speed with which the playroom had been created, Yoichi still did not have his own bed. He suspected that meant it wouldn't be happening at all.
For some reason, Yoichi had more trouble sleeping when he was alone on the bed. Now wouldn't that just make his brother smug. He shifted on the mattress, clutching the tiger. It helped. Yoichi's thumb crept to his mouth before he stopped himself. He still had a bit of adult dignity left, dammit!
A very, very little bit.
The next morning, Yoichi woke up in his brother's smothering, possessive grip. He groaned and tried to wriggle free.
"A few more minutes," Hisashi mumbled, clutching his little brother's head to his chest. Just like how Yoichi was holding the stuffed tiger, Hisashi held Yoichi. The story of Yoichi's life—being his older brother's toy.
After breakfast, Hisashi said, "I have an exciting surprise. You can come to work with me today."
At least it beat playing with dolls. Yoichi suspected his older brother couldn't bear to let him out of his sight. Although it was annoying, maybe Yoichi would have the chance to pick up some valuable information about All for One's business.
Hisashi carried Yoichi upstairs—still refusing to let him walk—and took out a tiny light green silk suit. "You're going to look adorable in this," he cooed.
Yoichi groaned. He would have thought that the one benefit of being a child would be no more suits. "Nii-nii, do I have to?"
"You must look nice if you want to go to work with me." Without waiting for permission, Hisashi pounced and changed him. He added a grey bowtie as the finishing touch. "What a handsome little man!" he said as he combed Yoichi's hair, then slicked it back. "See?" He held up a handheld mirror.
Yoichi grunted.
"Is someone sulky? I know what will cheer you up!" Hisashi lifted Yoichi up onto his shoulders. "A ride!"
Whoa, the world looked so tall from up here. It was kinda cool—Yoichi slapped his own cheeks to stop himself from slipping into a child's mindset again.
All the ceilings in Hisashi's mansion had been custom-built to be extra high. Hisashi carried Yoichi downstairs to the waiting limousine. This time, Yoichi had his own child seat. He tried not to flinch as the straps fastened over his chest. It reminded him of the post-hunger strike days when his brother had strapped him into a wheelchair.
The car ride felt like it lasted forever. Eventually, the limousine pulled up to a massive skyscraper.
At the security checkpoint, the guard said, "No need to show your ID, boss. Aw, who is this adorable little cutie?" The guard made a silly face at Yoichi. "Is this your son? I didn't know you had a child."
"That's right," Hisashi said, even more smug than usual for some reason. "This is my boy, Yoichi."
Yoichi winced. Maybe they didn't look like brothers at the moment, but what was his idiot big brother thinking?
"That suit matches his eyes. How adorable," the guard said. "He looks a lot like you."
"Why, I agree!" Hisashi beamed.
Yoichi turned his head away. It was bad enough for his brother to see him sitting in a child's car seat, but he hated strangers seeing him like this. It was mortifying, even though he knew it wouldn't look odd to the guard at his current age. Yoichi was a little old for a car seat, but he was also small for age five.
"He's shy," the guard said as if that was a remarkable achievement. He made a funny face with his thumb on his nose.
In spite of himself, Yoichi giggled.
The guard gasped. "What an angel!"
"Whoa, you have excellent taste," Hisashi said.
As the car pulled away, Hisashi murmured, "I think the security staff are due for a raise. They clearly have keen eyes."
Once inside the building, Hisashi carried Yoichi to the elevator. "We look more like parent and child now. You should call me Dad!" He sounded as if he'd struck on a new and exciting revelation.
Hell would freeze over first. Yoichi stuck out his lower lip. "You're my brother."
"I've always acted as your father and mother as well as your brother. I'm everything to you, all the family you have in the world." Hisashi clucked Yoichi under the chin. "Come on, try it. Say Dad."
"Nii-nii is nii-nii," Yoichi said, hoping the nickname would satisfy the greed in his brother's eyes.
Hisashi sighed. "Maybe later."
Yoichi really didn't like how his brother said that, as if surrender was inevitable.
In his office, Hisashi once again settled Yoichi on his lap. Did big brother seriously expect a child to watch him work all day? Ugh, why was he being like this? How long would this possessiveness last? Surely eventually Hisashi would get tired of carrying Yoichi around everywhere like a lucky charm. If nothing else his legs would start falling asleep from the weight in his lap.
Hisashi gave Yoichi a fidget toy to play with while he worked, which apparently he thought was entertainment enough. Yoichi would have been bored out of his mind except he spent his time trying to memorize the details of his brother's cash flows without staring too obviously.
For lunch, Hisashi took Yoichi to the cafeteria. "What would you like to eat?"
"Pizza," Yoichi said. He hadn't had pizza in a while, and it was hard for any cafeteria to mess that up too much.
Hisashi sat Yoichi down at a table and once again fed him. Like a neat freak, Hisashi always cut up his pizza with a fork and knife. Yoichi's cheeks flushed upon realizing that the employees were staring. Yoichi didn't know if they were shocked that the boss had a kid or if everyone else saw this as age inappropriate too. Either way, Yoichi was mortified out of his mind.
"Please let me feed myself," Yoichi begged, squirming in his seat. "Please."
Hisashi only smiled and held up pizza on a fork. "Now now, can't you let your big brother have one little treat? Maybe I'll let you drink by yourself today if you call me Daddy. But only if you use a sippy cup."
In a fit of annoyance, Yoichi tipped the tray into his brother's lap. For a moment, his heart hammered, afraid he'd be caught faking it. He decided to lean all into the childishness as an excuse for his behavior. "I wanna feed myself! I wanna feed myself!" He pounded on the table.
Without his smile faltering, Hisashi cleaned off his jacket with a napkin. "Not if you're so clumsy you spill your food. This proves why you need me. Just for that, you won't get any cookie after lunch."
Yoichi moaned, defeated. He felt more annoyed about the cookie than he cared to admit. At least he'd left a nice tomato sauce stain on his brother's silk suit.
There was a smug look on Hisashi's face that confused Yoichi. Hisashi was clearly enjoying this, but why? Did he realize that he was embarrassing Yoichi? Could he be doing it on-purpose? Goosebumps rose on Yoichi's arms. What if big brother knew he'd kept his memories and was just screwing with him? That would be the absolute worst. Yoichi couldn't bear it if he'd gone through all the humiliation of pretending to be a child for nothing.
This required a test.
Hisashi left Yoichi alone in the office while he changed into a fresh suit. Yoichi saw the chance for payback. Standing on top of the chair, he stole a pen from his brother's holder. Then he opened up the filing cabinets and scribbled on every available piece of paper. He thought he'd have to make the drawings deliberately bad, but his childish fingers couldn't manage their old skill anyway.
For good measure, Yoichi found his brother's ink for stamps and smeared it all over his own suit. It was tempting to destroy the computer, but that might be too far. Yoichi didn't want to get caught faking his amnesia.
When Hisashi returned, Yoichi held up a paper with a cat drawn on top of the typeset. "Big brother, I made art! I'm going to be an artist when I grow up."
"Better than becoming a hero." Hisashi snorted. He knelt down and patted Yoichi's head. "That's a very cute cat."
Surely Hisashi would be angry if he knew Yoichi had done all of this to annoy him. This proved that Hisashi didn't know Yoichi was acting, right?
Hisashi lifted up Yoichi. "Time to get you home and changed out of that dirty suit. This was a long day for you, wasn't it? That's why you were cranky. I should remember that you're easily tired now. Next time I'll bring up a playpen and a bed for napping to my office."
Yoichi exhaled. His brother didn't know. He was fairly sure of it.
Back home, Hisashi gave Yoichi an early bath, washing the ink off his hands and face. Then Hisashi took Yoichi's cat drawing and several others and hung them on the fridge. "Thank you for the presents, little brother."
Yoichi hung his head. For some reason, he felt a combination of embarrassed and…guilty? Now that was just ridiculous. Yoichi had no reason to feel guilty for thwarting his brother's illegitimate business. He muttered, "But they're ugly drawings. The cat is lopsided."
"Don't say that." Hisashi tipped up Yoichi's chin. "Your cat is very cute. Just like you, my sweet little baby." Hisashi kissed his little brother's cheek.
A warm feeling spread under Yoichi's chest, making his cheeks turn red. He was confused at the effect of the praise on him. He liked it and wanted more. Even the stupid humiliating nickname made him feel warm inside.
This was not good. Late at night, Yoichi reminded himself over and over again that he was an adult and his older brother was evil.
Yoichi spent several days being carried around everywhere by his brother and handfed. Just when he was about to go insane, Hisashi was finally called away on a business trip. This was the moment Yoichi had been waiting for. He'd known All for One couldn't avoid business travel forever. His organization spanned Japan and he had many responsibilities.
Unfortunately, Hisashi had found a babysitter. Sweeping into the playroom, Hisashi said, "This is Machia. He'll be looking after you while I'm away."
Machia was a giant, hulking man with spiky brown hair. He burst into tears at the sight of Yoichi. "The baby lord is precious! I will protect him with my life."
Yoichi remembered Machia very well: his brother's bodyguard and one of his most trusted people. Yoichi had always reluctantly liked Machia. The puppylike man had no malice and treated Yoichi with secondhand reverence as his beloved lord's relative. But Yoichi also knew that Machia was very, very good at his job. Thanks to one of his several metapowers, Machia could track Yoichi by his scent for miles. During past escape attempts, Yoichi had used lavender scent bombs to thwart the bodyguard's keen nose. Machia would be every bit as alert and relentless as Hisashi. With Machia on babysitting duty, Yoichi would have no shot at escape. He had to at least try to get someone else instead.
Yoichi wailed, "He's scary! I don't like him!" He even squeezed a tear out of his eyes.
Machia looked stricken. "I've scared the baby lord! I deserve to die for my offense."
Yoichi felt guilty, but he kept up the temper-tantrum. "Scary! Please don't leave me with him!" He buried his face in his brother's pant leg.
"There's nothing to fear," Hisashi said, patting Yoichi's back. "You know I'd never leave you with anyone I didn't trust absolutely. Machia is my single most trusted bodyguard. He'll protect you almost as well as I would."
"Lord, I'm honored," Machia breathed.
Yoichi scrunched up his face and scowled. "The giant man looks like he might eat me."
Hisashi chuckled. "Come over here, Machia. Kneel down. Hand."
Machia crouched down and offered his hand.
"Promise that you'll protect my little brother."
"With my life, Lord!" Tears glistened in Machia's eyes.
"Shake on it." Hisashi put Yoichi's hand in Machia's giant one. "Now you two are friends."
Machia looked down at Yoichi's little palm in his with an awe approaching divine worship. "Baby lord is so tiny! So soft! So adorable!" Machia's tears flowed from his eyes. "Please, I will do anything to make you accept me. If you don't need my service, then I can die on the spot."
Yoichi's ploy had failed, and he wasn't getting out of this. There was no point in making Machia suffer any further. Yoichi scrunched up his nose. "Okay, you can be my friend."
"Such…an honor…" Machia fainted dead away. Yoichi wondered if he could use this. Maybe if he could make Machia faint with cuteness again, then he could escape!
Hisashi peppered Yoichi's face with kisses. "I hate to leave you. Machia promised to send me pictures every hour. Be good for him, okay? Make sure you eat all your dinner. I love you." Hisashi hugged Yoichi, then stood up. At the door, he turned around and came back to hug Yoichi again. "I'll be back in two days. Three days at the most. I promise. Anyone who keeps me away from you longer than that will die." Dark ugliness contorted Hisashi's face.
Partly to stay in-character and partly in hopes of sparing his brother's victims, Yoichi said, "You look scary, nii-nii. Don't be mad."
"Aw! I could never stay mad around you!" Hisashi glomped Yoichi and showered him with even more kisses.
Machia sat up and waved goodbye as Hisashi departed. Alas, he'd recovered too quickly from his faint for that to be a viable escape tactic.
Five minutes after Hisashi had left, Machia looked down at his phone. "Lord requests a picture of baby lord. Smile at the camera."
Yoichi groaned. It was going to be a long couple of days.
Spending time with Machia was unexpectedly nice. Machia let Yoichi feed himself after he insisted, as long as he used plastic cutlery. (Gods, how low Yoichi's aspirations had fallen.) Machia let Yoichi watch TV for as long as he wanted and could be easily talked into adult shows. Machia let Yoichi walk on his own as long as they held hands. It was fun playing with Machia, who clearly enjoyed it too and never tried to make the villains win. Around Machia, Yoichi never felt patronized. Possibly because Machia's maturity level matched his own physical age.
That evening, Yoichi wondered where he'd sleep. Would big brother let him sleep in the master bedroom alone? If so, Yoichi had evil plans for his brother's beloved suits.
Machia answered that question by leading Yoichi down the hallway to a new room. Machia's large hand engulfed Yoichi's as they walked. Pushing open the door, Machia gestured at a bright yellow room with a sun painted on the ceiling. "Here is baby lord's bed."
With a trembling finger, Yoichi pointed. "Is that a baby's crib?"
Machia beamed. "With nice high walls to protect the cute little lord."
The lovely lavender crib had been decorated with stars and moons. The bars had been shaped to look like birch tree branches with red birds perched on them. And Machia hadn't been kidding about high walls. They reached far above Yoichi's short head, nearly to the ceiling. Once he was inside this crib, he would not be able to escape. This was ridiculous. He was five years old! He ought to at least have a bed! Even when Hisashi was faking normality, he couldn't stop his crazy possessiveness from shining through.
Digging in his heels, Yoichi protested. "What if I have to go to the bathroom at night?"
"If baby lord needs me, then I will wake up right away." Machia laid down a mat on the floor, presumably for him to sleep on.
"You don't have to sleep in my room. You should have a bed," Yoichi protested.
Machia straightened, his full height even taller than Hisashi and his spiky hair brushing the ceiling. His eyes gleamed and his chin stuck out. "It is my most profound honor to guard baby lord's sleep." He picked up Yoichi and lifted him over the bars, dropping him into the soft crib.
The crib was full of stuffed animals. A mobile hung overhead with different superhero characters dangling from it. Yoichi briefly considered trying to use the mobile to swing out of the crib, but it clearly wasn't strong enough to bear his weight. Even an adult would have trouble lifting him out of this cage without Machia's long arms. Machia's huge bulk spread across the floor, so that Yoichi would never make it to the door without stepping on him. Yoichi sighed. His escape plan had been sunk.
There was nothing left to do except curl up among the stuffed animals and go to sleep.
Or rather, try to go to sleep. Tonight, the darkness pressed close. Yoichi didn't want to admit it, but he felt nervous about sleeping alone. It must be Hisashi's fault for getting him used to co-sleeping since plenty of children had their own beds. Yoichi clutched his stuffed tiger close and pretended that he wasn't alone.
From Machia's soft breathing, he'd already fallen asleep. A small voice in the back of Yoichi's head complained that he hadn't gotten to hear "I love you" or a goodnight kiss from his big brother before going to bed. Just thinking about it made him want to cry. It was absolutely ridiculous, because adult Yoichi could stand a great deal less love from his older brother. But the child inside him was throwing a temper-tantrum and refusing to sleep. The small voice was desperately afraid his big brother had left forever and wouldn't come back.
Groaning, Yoichi piled several more stuffed animals over his head. He definitely didn't miss his brother. It was completely impossible. He sniffled.
Machia stood up in a flash. "Baby lord? What's wrong? Are you dying?"
"I'm fine," Yoichi snapped, refusing to look up.
"Are you lonely?" Machia asked, a tad too perceptively.
Yoichi rubbed his eyes. "I'm fine."
Machia's phone beeped as he dialed. He said, "Lord, he's not falling asleep—oh! Here you go." Machia held out his phone into Yoichi's face.
Hisashi appeared in a video, dressed in a suit. Yoichi expected his brother was going to be insufferable and brag about how his little brother couldn't sleep without him. Instead, Hisashi smiled gently. "I'm sorry, Yoichi. I lost track of time and forgot your goodnight kiss." He blew a kiss at the camera. "I love you."
Yoichi sniffled. "I love you too." He told himself that it was part of the act.
Hisashi smiled and hummed the Spiderman song.
Irritatingly, Yoichi fell asleep before his brother even finished.
Hisashi returned two days later. When the front door opened, Machia and Yoichi were in the living room. Machia roamed around on all fours, letting Yoichi ride on his back. Yoichi wondered if he could persuade big brother to play horsie. It might make up for a fraction of his humiliation during this ordeal.
Throwing open the door, Hisashi called, "I'm home!"
Machia's head shot up, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. "Lord!" he cried. Lifting Yoichi up in a piggy-back carry, he ran over. "I have protected the little brother," Machia declared, holding out Yoichi like a gift with two hands under his armpits.
"Awww, did you miss me?" Hisashi took Yoichi and hugged him so tightly he could barely breath. "I missed you a lot!"
Yoichi mumbled, "Machia took pictures every five minutes."
"They weren't the same as holding you." Hisashi kissed Yoichi's forehead and cheeks.
Alas, it looked like Yoichi's days of walking were over. Cradling Yoichi to his chest, Hisashi asked, "Did he behave?"
Machia beamed. "The baby lord was a perfect little angel."
"Good boy." Hisashi patted Yoichi's head. "I brought you gifts."
"Presents!" Yoichi cried. He knew faking enthusiasm was the right move, but that had just slipped out. He'd gotten entirely too used to hugs. They had even started to feel nice. The longer he stayed like this, the harder it was to remember why he had to escape. Yoichi did not look forward to living on the streets again, especially in the body of a child. He had to keep his mind together. He had to keep reminding himself that he was an adult.
After Machia left, Hisashi took Yoichi to the dining room. He settled Yoichi in the high chair and brought out a sippy cup full of milk. "I brought you back a dove cookie from Kamakura. Your good behavior deserves a reward."
Yoichi flushed, torn between humiliation and the childish part that sought his big brother's approval. Curse this weak five-year-old body and how it tormented him with strange feelings. "Thank you." Yoichi devoured the cookie, which tasted delicious.
"I have more gifts." Hisashi opened up his briefcase. "Here's the last volume of Captain Hero."
This required a big reaction, since Yoichi knew his young self would have been thrilled. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nii-nii is the best!"
Hisashi accepted his brother's kiss on the cheek. "And I brought you new clothing, of course. You're going to look adorable."
Why did Yoichi have a bad feeling?
Even though Yoichi's feet had long ago healed, Hisashi carried him up the stairs to the bedroom. Opening his briefcase, Hisashi pulled out a black cape and a fluffy white onesie with cat ears. "Would you rather be a demon king or a cat?"
Yoichi stared. "It's not Halloween, big brother."
"But I missed you! I want to spend time with you! This will be fun!" Hisashi dragged Yoichi over into his arms.
"Stop it! I said no!" Yoichi struggled.
Hisashi attacked Yoichi's sides, tickling him until he was breathless. When Yoichi finally collapsed, Hisashi started changing him. "Since you didn't pick, I'll do both."
Moments later, Yoichi glared at his image in the bedroom full-length mirror. The demon king's jet-black costume with a skull belt and shoulder pads dwarfed his tiny frame. Horns stuck out from his headband. This was intolerable humiliation!
"Smile for the camera!" Hisashi said.
Yoichi pouted.
"Smile or I'll tickle you again." Hisashi waggled his fingers.
Whenever Yoichi's will started to falter, big brother always found a way to remind him why he needed to escape.
Yoichi forced a couple smiles and even let his brother pose him. Next Hisashi forced him into the cat costume. Hisashi made a great fuss, cooing over how cute it looked and taking selfies with Yoichi in his lap. Then Hisashi pulled out an orange fox's costume from his briefcase.
There had never been a choice to begin with. Yoichi would be stuck going through all these costumes until his brother's current maniac mood had been satiated. When Hisashi got like this, there was no arguing with him.
Next, Hisashi dressed Yoichi up in a black one piece with the white outline of a skeleton. His face stuck out of the jaws on the hoodie. Then came a tiger costume. (Hisashi claimed he couldn't pick between tiger or house cat.) Then a bumblebee costume with translucent wings. Then a sailor uniform. Then a samurai with a blue yukata and a plastic sword. Yoichi hit his brother over the head with the sword but this was only deemed cute. Finally, Hisashi dressed his brother up in a mafia costume: a pinstripe suit with a fedora. Hisashi declared this to be so adorable that Yoichi was stuck wearing it for the rest of the day. Seriously, only big brother had the bad taste to think that fedoras were cool!
While Hisashi unpacked his suitcase, Yoichi sat down in the bedroom armchair to read the last volume of Captain Hero. Of course he already knew how it would end, but he also knew the ending would cheer him up a bit. He needed a reminder that heroes could win.
By the second chapter Yoichi had realized that the story was not going it should. He remembered the Demon King making one last offer to Captain Hero to join his side, but Captain Hero was supposed to immediately reject it, not lie sleepless at night thinking about it. When Captain Hero's friends betrayed him, Yoichi ripped the page in his shock. He flipped to the end to see Captain Hero joining the Demon King and destroying his former friends.
Yoichi burst into loud, noisy tears. It was all too much. It was bad enough that big brother had stuck him in a baby's crib and turned him into a dress-up doll. But now this? Yoichi's last bit of joy and hope from his former life had been taken away from him. It was so pointlessly cruel. And Yoichi felt betrayed, because he'd come to rely on his brother to protect him and look after him. His adult mind hated it, but his childish body craved that stability. Now both his adult self and his child self recoiled from this betrayal. Big brother had destroyed something important to both of them. Yoichi hadn't even done anything wrong, but he'd been punished. It wasn't fair. Yoichi rocked back and forth, sobbing.
"Little brother? What's wrong?" Hisashi stepped out of his closet. His eyes widened, taking in Yoichi's miserable state and the ripped comic book in his lap. "Oh dear, I didn't think you'd be this upset. I thought it was funny."
Yoichi wailed, "Captain Hero's friends would never try to kill him! That's not funny at all!"
Hisashi ran over and hugged Yoichi. "But at least Captain Hero is friends with the Demon King now. I thought about having Captain Hero die but my ghostwriter said that ending would be rather dark for children…"
Yoichi screamed and pushed against his brother's chest, trying to shove him off. "Big brother is a meanie! Go away!"
But Yoichi had no strength compared to an adult. Hisashi held him fast, rocking him and rubbing the back of his neck. "Shhh, shhh. Don't cry. What's wrong with letting the villain win for once?"
"That's not how the story goes!" Yoichi screamed. Belatedly, he realized what he'd let slip. He tried to cover up his future knowledge. "Heroes always win in superhero stories. The endings make people happy. This is not a happy ending."
Hisashi didn't seem to notice the mistake. "Yes, yes, I suppose this ending was a little too advanced for you. Maybe I'll show it to you again when you're older."
That was just like big brother, making everything into Yoichi's fault and refusing to accept any blame. "Say that you're sorry for once! Or go away!" Yoichi kept trying and failing to struggle out of his brother's smothering grasp. Hisashi held on tightly until Yoichi collapsed from exhaustion. His vocal cords parched, he could only hiccup helplessly.
Whether because of Yoichi's fit or because they'd been separated by the business trip, Hisashi became even more clingy. For dinner, Yoichi sat in his older brother's lap while Hisashi handfed him and made him drink milk from a bottle. After that, Hisashi carried Yoichi to the couch to watch a movie. He kept his little brother nestled between his arms while he checked messages with his other hand. Yoichi saw Hisashi texting someone to cancel his plans to buy several children's stories and rewrite their endings. It was all Yoichi could do to restrain his gasp of horror. It was bad enough that Hisashi would do this to Yoichi, but he planned to ruin countless other children's favorite shows? At least Captain Hero already had a proper ending that predated the fake one, but Hisashi would have seriously derailed those works of art and made countless children cry. Just to win a pointless argument. Why was big brother like this?
Yoichi was a seething mass of fury by the time his brother put him to bed. The goodnight kiss did not comfort him tonight. As soon as Hisashi's eyes closed, Yoichi tried to squirm out of his grip. But Hisashi held him tight all night long.
Even though adult Yoichi knew that he ought to pretend to forgive his brother, child Yoichi wasn't cooperating. Usually Yoichi found it easy to slip into his child instincts and let autopilot take over. But this time Yoichi could not conceal his irritation toward his brother. The more Yoichi pouted and sulked, the more tightly Hisashi clung. Yoichi was dragged absolutely everywhere with his brother. He sat in Hisashi's lap all day at work. Hisashi did not even let him go to the bathroom alone. When Yoichi got snappy, Hisashi became even more saccharine sweet. If Yoichi didn't smile at least once a day, then he got tickled until he laughed. Half a dozen new toys filled the playroom. Hisashi waved a new race car, zooming it around the track.
Yoichi did not have the willpower to resist forever. He gave in and played with his older brother again. Hisashi even did not put up too much of a fight about letting the villain lose. But a nagging discomfort lurked in the back of Yoichi's mind, knowing that his older brother might turn on him for some mysterious adult reason at any moment.
The edginess made Yoichi even more determined to escape. He'd slipped into complacency before. He'd been waiting for signs of his body growing older, but now that didn't look likely to happen at anything except the normal growth rate. Before, Yoichi had frequently drifted off to sleep when his older brother dragged him to work, but now he kept his eyes peeled like a hawk for any useful tidbit.
Because Yoichi was watching so closely, he saw his brother receive an email from one of his agents, saying he'd heard rumor of a woman with a de-aging ability. Immediately, Yoichi stiffened. He pretended to drop his book to justify it.
"My book…" Yoichi mumbled, stretching out his arms.
"Here you go," Hisashi said, bending down to pick up the book without letting his brother out of his lap.
Yoichi pretended to read, but his heart hammered. Why was big brother looking for the woman who'd de-aged him? Yoichi was absolutely certain his brother had no desire to turn him back. Hisashi might merely want to understand how the power worked, or he might have sinister intentions to claim it for himself. No matter what, this was Yoichi's one big chance at freedom.
That night, Yoichi waited for his older brother to fall asleep. He carefully squirmed out of his brother's hold, moving millimeter by millimeter to avoid waking the slumbering giant. Yoichi placed his stuffed tiger in his brother's arms as a placeholder. Then he slid over the side of the bed, landing on the carpet with a soft thump.
Yoichi froze. He glanced over his shoulder. There was no reaction from the dark lump behind him.
Hisashi's phone glowed on a wireless charger. Yoichi had memorized his brother's passcode from countless times watching in his lap. He unlocked the phone and opened email, planning to search for that fateful email. He needed to read the whole thing, since he'd only gotten a quick glimpse. Then he would look up the name and location of the agent who'd sent it.
Yoichi felt uneasy about disobeying his brother and scared of being alone. The child in him wanted to crawl back into bed and hug his stuffed tiger and his big brother. How could Yoichi possibly survive on his own? He hadn't lasted long even when he'd had an adult body. He needed his big brother. But that was only the metapower's side-effects talking. Once Yoichi was back to normal, then he'd be free of such childish feelings. Someone still needed to stop his brother.
As soon as Yoichi opened the email app, an alarm went off on the phone. Damn it. Yoichi set back down the phone, glancing at his brother.
Hisashi was sitting up in bed. He'd been watching the whole time. Eyes the color of fresh blood gleamed in the darkness.
Yoichi swallowed. "Nii-nii, I got bored and curious. I'm sorry."
"I feared you would do this." Hisashi's tone was gentle. His white teeth flashed like fangs. "I let you see that fake email on-purpose. I hoped you might stay with me voluntarily. You seemed happy with me. Weren't you happy?" Hisashi's voice rose. "Didn't I give you everything you wanted? This city is full of poor, starving children. The ones with strange hair and eye colors don't get treated well. Any of them would beg to be in your place. Yet you're still so ungrateful!"
Yoichi took a step backward. His feet tangled with the lamp cord. He trembled like a leaf in a storm, the remnants of his adult mind latching onto one word: "Fake?"
"Why would I possibly look for the de-aging power?" Hisashi asked mildly. His hand glowed purple. "When I had it all along?"
"You found her already…" Yoichi's shoulders tensed. He knew better than to underestimate his demon king brother. "No, you gave her that power, then took it back when you were done. You deliberately trapped me!" Hisashi must have found Yoichi, but instead of immediately taking him back home, he'd arranged an accident to rewind him into a child first. No wonder Hisashi had found Yoichi so easily on the street afterward. It had all been planned.
Hisashi sighed. "That doesn't change the fact that you ignored all my warnings and your own common sense to touch someone who seemed unable to control a metapower. I knew you'd never be able to resist a chance to help at your own detriment. You're foolish like that. Your silly heroism was your downfall, just like I always told you."
Yoichi's eyes overflowed with tears. This body cried too easily. His small fists shook. "If you knew how the power worked, then you knew all along that I had my memories." Hisashi would never have used a power on his beloved brother without testing it on someone expendable first. "Yet you still treated me like a baby! How could you?" It was horribly creepy. Hisashi had known full well that he'd been putting someone with the mind of an adult on his lap and handfeeding him. Who did that?
"I knew if I de-aged you personally, you'd never stop complaining about it, but perhaps if I saved you then you'd be properly grateful." Hisashi snorted. "I should have known better. You've never once considered all the sacrifices that I've made to look after you. No matter how I dote on you, you still want to run from me." An unholy light gleamed in his eyes. "You HATE me!"
Yoichi stepped backward again. His back hit the wall. He eyed the shadowy outline of the door, calculating distances. His chest heaved. "Big brother, wanting to grow up doesn't mean that I hate you. I could never hate you. But I can't live like this." Fear made him honest.
"You still want to leave me. That's worse than hating me." The shadows seemed to deepen around Hisashi's eyes. "WHY? Why do you always try to leave me?! No matter what I do for you, it's never ever enough! Why why WHY?"
Yoichi's shoulders shook. He stared at the looming shape in the darkness, terrified at any moment that tightly wound rage might unleash itself at him. "You wouldn't let me grow up. Even when I had an adult body, you refused to treat me like one. If you'd just given me a little independence, we could have been like normal brothers…Please…" Yoichi could no longer speak through his sobs.
"It was so much fun when you pretended not to have your memories. Then you had to act like you loved me again." Madness swirled in Hisashi's voice. "But that gave me an idea: wouldn't it be wonderful if you truly didn't remember anything? It could be our fresh start. That's where I went on my business trip, to find a metapower that could take away those pesky, rebellious thoughts of yours."
In a mad state of terror, Yoichi ran for the door.
Hisashi caught him easily. He grabbed his little brother's wrist and lifted him off the ground. Dangling in the air, Yoichi kicked and struggled. Tears poured down his face, blending with snot. His short little legs couldn't even reach an adult. Hisashi kept holding up his little brother by one arm until he collapsed from exhaustion, hiccupping and sobbing. Yoichi's wrist burned with pain. Normally big brother would not grip him so tightly, but this time no concern showed in those opaque eyes. Hisashi looked down at his little brother like a cat playing with a mouse on a string.
Hisashi shook Yoichi back in forth in the air. "I've done everything for you! I lovingly tend to your every need. I've devoted my life to protecting you. All I ever wanted in return is a little love and gratitude. Is that too much to ask, little brother? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!"
Yoichi wept, his terror summoning up fresh tears. Before, his tears had always calmed his older brother down. But this time they only seemed to make Hisashi even more angry. Grip tightening, Hisashi growled, "I'm no longer tolerating your foolish disobedience." Saliva flew from his lips. "You belong to me, little brother. I'll make it so that you always love me and can never leave me."
"Please," Yoichi begged, even knowing it would do no good. "Please don't take my mind away from me." He could not comprehend the horror of it. If he lost his memories, would he even still be the same person? Everything he'd become over his short life, the person he'd built himself into painstakingly by struggling against his grasping brother, would be gone.
Dilated pupils like a drug addict looked down on the sobbing child. There was not the tiniest trace of mercy to be found in that gaze. Hisashi hummed, the notes of the lullaby he'd used to put Yoichi to sleep every night since he'd been a baby. "Hush, hush. Everything will be all right. I know you'll keep trying to leave me as long as you remember, so I'll make your memories go away. You always complained about the high chair and the sippy cup, so how about you become a bit younger, hmm?"
"No, please, I'll never complain again, just please don't take even more from me," Yoichi babbled.
Hisashi continued as if he couldn't hear his brother. "I never got to properly enjoy the baby years the first time. I was too young to remember much of them. Yes, I like that idea. We can have a completely fresh start." Hisashi's smile stretched wider than should be humanly possible. Insanity bubbled up from his voice and seemed to crackle in the red sparks around his hands. Yawning, endless need had devoured his eyes into dark pits.
Yoichi had gone limp from fear. Air could no longer travel to his lungs. He could not tear his gaze away from his brother's eyes.
Hisashi brought them so close their noses nearly touched. Tenderly, Hisashi whispered, "I'll rewind you as many times as we need to get it right. Maybe someday you'll be well-behaved for long enough that I'll generously offer you another chance to join me. Or maybe I'll keep you like this forever. Thanks to my abilities, I have no intention of letting either of us die. You can be my cute little brother until the end of time. What could be more perfect than a child who never, ever grows up?"
Yoichi opened his mouth, but no scream emerged. His throat had given out. His entire arm felt numb.
Purple light rose off Hisashi's body. "I know when everything went wrong between us. When you grew up and stopped needing me. I'll never let that happen again."
The light consumed Yoichi's body. The tingling consumed not only his body but also ate into his brain. He might have screamed one last time. Then he knew no more.
When the light faded away, Hisashi held a baby with a patch of white hair in his arms. Immediately, Hisashi shifted his grip to support the baby's head. A pair of pajama bottoms fluttered to the floor, too large to fit. A shirt encompassed the baby like a blanket. He blinked and yawned.
Hisashi's gaze melted into chocolate-soft warmth. Rocking the baby in his arms, he whispered, "There, there. Daddy's got you."
He remembered nothing except warmth and gentle arms around him. His world consisted of yellow walls, crib bars, and the mobile of little demon kings floating overhead. His very special person came in periodically to feed him and change him. The moments when his special person held him were the best in the world. The special person was like the sun, radiating love and warmth down on him.
This tiny body felt wrong. He couldn't move properly and it was immensely frustrating. On some level, even though he could not remember, he knew this was not what he was supposed to be like. He often had big thoughts, but his little brain could not handle them. The big words slipped away like a wet rock sliding between his fingers to land back in the river of Lethe. It was so frustrating it often made him cry, but then his special person rocked him to sleep.
The special person took him to many new and exciting places with different colors, sounds and smells. If not for those trips, then he might have gone insane. Only his special person brought him joy and stimulation, so of course he loved that person. How could he not love the existence that fed him, bathed him, and kept him alive? His special person was his entire world.
Today, the special person bent over his crib, saying, "Dad. Da-da! Can you say Dad? Repeat after me: Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaad."
A big finger hovered over him. He reached up and grabbed it, giggling.
The special person said, "You're Yoichi." He pointed down. "I'm Dad." He pointed at himself. "Come on, I want my name to be your first word again, just like last time. Dad dad dad dad dad dad dad."
The special person was…dad. And he was Yoichi. He had understood a big thought! He laughed from joy. Stretching his lips, he tried to imitate the sound. "Da…da."
Laughing and whooping came from above the crib. Dad reached down and picked him up. Big hands cradled him. "You did it!" Soft kisses pressed against his mostly bald head. "I love you so much."
Yoichi loved his dad back, utterly and unconditionally.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: If Yoichi had Lasted Long Enough to Meet Second
Hisashi: Remember, all people with spikey hair are bad and scary.
Yoichi: …What about Gigantomachia?
Hisashi: There is exactly one exception!
Yoichi: Surely you can lie better than this. I'm going to pretend to believe you because I like it when Machia comes to babysit me. He's better at it than you.
Hisashi: As I suspected, spikey hair is my mortal enemy…
#
Omake: If Yoichi had Lasted Long Enough to be in the Bank Vault
Hisashi: All children live in bank vaults. This is completely normal and very safe.
Yoichi: This has just gotten pathetic.
Author's Note: RIP Yoichi. Better luck next AU. For this story, I challenged myself to make All for One even worse than usual. We plumbed the depths of his derangement, and those depths were very deep. This might be Yoichi's cruelest fate yet. He lost his very identity. And without One for All's existence, All for One will never be defeated, so Yoichi gets to spend eternity never getting older than puberty.
This is a One for All October prize for Ilentari. It got way too long but that's because it's such a great prompt. Thank you to Gentrychild and McFaneLy for brainstorming ideas with me.