A/N: I actually had this idea for a while, mostly because for all intents and purposes, Reizo's POV has been all you guys have really seen. So, I decided to change things up a bit here. Reiji is, interesting to write, that's for sure.

Alright, so this chapter has two scenes. The first one is set shortly before the Duel in the previous chapter, "Drugs and Demons", while the second one is set a week before the disastrous Reiji/Reizo vs. Masaki Duel in Code-V: Rebirth. Also, headcanons abound about Reira. Just so you guys know ahead of time.

Enjoy~!


Brothers

Reiji didn't like his little brother.

He'd come to that conclusion a while ago, ever since Reizo had taken to spending hours in his room folding cranes and said that he learned from his little sister "Nunna". That was all his brother cared about in those days, that and all the other things from the "other world" he insisted he remembered. Reizo didn't care about how much pain and stress he was causing their mother, stuff she had enough to deal with now that their father had left them.

He was perfectly happy with that. One less distraction meant he could throw himself into his studies, which he certainly needed since he was supposed to take up his father's position as CEO of the Leo Corporation as soon as he turned thirteen. He could do it, he was his mother's son and she believed in him.

But… deep down, he really didn't want that responsibility. He wished he could be a normal six-year-old, still learning how to add and subtract—not learning the basics of algebra already. He wished his brother didn't have those absolutely wrong memories. He wished his father hadn't left them. He wished his mother hadn't had to change in response, going from a kind and patient mother to a cool and collected businesswoman—except in her moments of privacy, where she showed just how badly Leo leaving had affected her.

Unfortunately, life did not always go the way Reiji wanted it. That was one lesson he unwillingly but quickly took to heart. Plans could fall to unknown variables. And while there was nothing wrong with trusting people, he could never know exactly what other people were thinking and, by extent, whether or not they would end up betraying him.

Reiji closed his notebook; he was finally done with his homework. Time for bed at last. The six-year-old rubbed his eyes and looked out his window. He could see lightning in the distance, shortly followed by rumbles of thunder. The first thunderstorm of the year.

Only a few minutes after he curled up under his covers did the storm get close enough to illuminate his bedroom. The rain also fell harder than it had been, not that it bothered Reiji. He was already almost asleep…

Someone knocked on his door. It was a light sound, barely audible above the rain, but he definitely heard it, and it would be rude to ignore the person regardless of how late it was. Reiji reached for his glasses and let out a huge yawn just before he opened the door.

…Reiji was not expecting to find his little brother, holding one of his blankets by his mouth, the lower edges of it just dragging alongside him. Reizo stared up at him with fearful eyes. "I can't sleep," Reizo said, his voice wavering slightly.

He had no idea how to handle this. His brother had never come to him for anything before. And especially not scared to the point of tears. What was he supposed to do? Say something? Invite his brother inside? Send him to Mother?

The brightest streak of lightning so far flashed outside, almost simultaneously followed by the explosive rumble of thunder. Reizo muffled a shriek behind his blanket and promptly buried his head into Reiji's chest. The elder boy stood there, unmoving for a good moment or so, before hesitantly deciding to pull the younger one into a hug.

He's… scared of the storm? But he's never been scared of them before… right?

Surely Reiji knew that much about his brother. Unless… whatever Dr. Ishikuma was doing with Reizo was actually helping, at long last? Would he even recognize Reizo as Reizo by the end of his treatment?

Another flash of lightning and another crack of thunder made Reizo tremble in Reiji's arms, and any thoughts of the future slipped away from Reiji's mind. What mattered right now wasn't that, right now his brother was scared out of his mind and he couldn't let that happen.

"Reizo, the lightning isn't anything to be afraid of," Reiji said in a low but calming voice. "There's a bunch of particles up in the clouds. When they rub together, they make this thing called a negative charge. Negative charges are attracted to the positive charges all over the ground—or in other clouds—and when they meet in the middle, that's lightning. And the thunder? That's just the sound the lightning makes when it heats up the air around it. It can't do anything to you in here."

Reizo sniffed, tilting his head up. "R-Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Reiji replied. His brother had calmed down enough, so he let go and started over to his bookshelf, looking through them. "I have a book on this somewhere if you'd like to see it."

"Um… no, I don't need it," Reizo said, shaking his head. Turning around, he dried his eyes on his blanket, before starting back to his own room. "…Thanks, Reiji."

The elder boy pursed his lips and adjusted his glasses. He wasn't sure he'd ever held a conversation as long as this one without Reizo talking about the other world. It was… different. Nice, even. "Any… any time, Reizo. Isn't that what big brothers do?"

Reizo faltered for a moment. "Yeah… that's what they do…" he said, eyes shut. "They're supposed to—to…" He stopped, shaking his head. "…G-Good night, Reiji."

Reiji echoed the farewell and closed his door. A small smile formed on his lips.

His little brother wasn't so bad after all.


Reiji wasn't sure how to feel about Reira.

The boy had cast off his identity in order to survive in his own country. Himika had heard about it, and as a result he was given the name Reira and adopted in order to mold him into a strong Duelist, an asset against Academia. He would be the perfect soldier… although, the thought of such a young boy being forced into battle—even if he had no will of his own—made Reiji sick. He wasn't even ten yet.

But, the sad reality was that they needed to form a strong enough defense before Academia inevitably invaded. The turmoil that the Xyz Dimension currently faced because they had been caught off-guard was proof enough.

Reiji let a weary sigh escape his lips as he rubbed his eyes. It was well past two in the morning, and combined with the fact that he'd pulled an all-nighter the day before in order to finish paperwork, he was beyond exhausted. But he had too much on his plate; analyzing the playstyles of the world's top Duelists to see which ones he should contact about potentially joining the Lancers, an important video conference with the heads of branches of LDS around the world about next year's budget, and—most importantly, in his opinion—overseeing the final steps in the creation of the dimensional transporter.

Almost. Just another week, and I'll be able to see my brother again. Even if—

A particularly loud crack of thunder broke the fifteen-year-old out of his thoughts. It'd been storming for about an hour now, and the sound of the rain had nearly lulled him to sleep more than just a few times. At least now he would be able to go to bed and get a few hours of rest.

…But, a few minutes later, just as he was about to open the door to his own room, he heard another loud crash of thunder… followed by someone screaming. A young voice. Reira. Regardless of how he felt about the boy, he couldn't leave Reira like that, just like all those years ago, he couldn't leave Reizo alone and crying during that storm.

Reira's room, adjacent to his, was already open a crack when Reiji went to open it. A night light by the closet cast shadows over the blankets thrown off of Reira's bed, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. However, Reiji knew exactly where Reira was—sounds of the boy crying were coming from underneath the bed. It… hurt to hear that. Crying was a sign of emotion—something that a boy with no will should similarly not have any of.

"Reira," he said, poking his head under the bed, although he doubted that Reira heard him.

The boy was shivering in the fetal position, hands pressing extremely hard over his ears in an attempt to block out the thunder. When another rumble sounded, he screamed again and curled tighter into a ball, muttering something in a language Reiji did not understand.

Understanding washed over Reiji's face. Reira thought the thunder was the sound of bombs going off nearby. Even without an identity, he would have no problem remembering that.

"Reira—"

The boy's eyes snapped open, wide with fear, and immediately he was screaming again, still in his native tongue—Reiji didn't need to understand it to know that he was telling him to go away, because he'd reached out to touch his youngest brother and now the boy was kicking at his hand.

"Reira. Reira. Reira, stop, it's just me. It's Reiji."

The boy with purplish-grey hair froze, blinking a few times as the terror started to fade. He lowered his hands from his ears. "Rei…ji…?"

"That's right, Reiji, your brother. Take my hand, Reira."

Reira hesitated, staring at Reiji's outstretched hand for a long moment before taking it. As soon as Reiji pulled him out from under the bed, he was crying again and clinging to his elder brother like a lifeline, and Reiji let him, opting to hold the boy just as tightly so that he knew he didn't have to be afraid.

"There, there, Reira. It's just a thunderstorm. You're safe inside. The lightning can't touch you here, and the thunder—it's a harmless sound," Reiji said quietly. "You're safe. I won't ever let anyone or anything hurt you, I promise."

That seemed to quiet the boy's nerves, and soon enough Reira was asleep almost peacefully. In a moment of weakness, Reiji didn't dare free himself from his grasp. He lifted the boy onto the bed and laid down alongside him, ignoring the stabbing guilt in his heart because he knew that promise could soon be broken, if he wasn't fast enough in getting Reizo out of the Xyz Dimension…

Strings.

Screaming.

Purple light.

Pain.

Reiji shook his head as he set his glasses aside. Now was the time for sleep, not worrying about the possible future.


A/N: So yeah. The whole idea of the younger sibling being terrified of a storm and the older one having to calm them down was partially based on my own experiences with my youngest sister. She's grown out of that stage, but I definitely remember her coming in at one o'clock in the morning and taking over most of my bed some nights because she couldn't sleep.

I feel so bad for all three of the Akaba boys, though. Reizo can't have a normal life because he's literally two different people, Reira's (at the moment) a mostly-emotionless shell with a bad case of PTSD, and Reiji has to shoulder so many problems he could work himself to death.

Thanks for reading! Hope you guys leave a review!