Chapter Five:

Yoichi had been waiting for his brother to arrive for the past hour and only getting angrier.

When Hisashi opened their bedroom door, Yoichi sat on the armchair with his knees pulled up to his chest. He glared with burning intensity. "How dare you lie to me, brother?"

Hisashi jumped. "Yoichi! I thought you'd be in bed by now."

"Answer the question," Yoichi growled, clutching a handful of incriminating papers close to his chest.

Hisashi winced. Taking off his jacket, he tossed it onto the bed. "I know you've always idealized vigilantes as heroes from your comic books, but they've simply become too troublesome. It's an urgent situation so I had to act right away. I planned to explain the matter to you…later."

"Now you're keeping secrets about our business too?!" Yoichi shrieked.

"Too?" Hisashi flinched. "What did you mean? I haven't been lying to you about anything else—not that I lied, it was only a temporary omission until I figured out a way to handle the situation without upsetting you too much. We always tell each other everything."

"Yet you didn't tell me about this." Yoichi threw the papers at his brother's face.

Hisashi failed to catch them in time. There was an awkward moment when he scrambled around the room snatching up fallen papers. It drained the dramatic tension slightly, but Yoichi was content to wait, staring over his knees with a burning fury. His anger had become a heady force, threatening to erupt out from under his skin.

Upon reading the first lines, Hisashi paled. "How dare Garaki let you have this?"

"So that's your first reaction," Yoichi said coldly. "Wishing you'd covered it up better."

Hisashi rubbed his forehead. "…I was planning to tell you."

"You had years to tell me, brother. Try again. I know when you're lying to me. I know you like I know myself." Yoichi clenched his knees tighter to his chest, curling into himself. "Or at least I thought I did."

"It was an accident. I never meant to take your power. It wasn't even doing you any good—you can't use the power to give metapowers when you started with none. I never would have taken anything from you that you needed." Pleadingly, Hisashi reached out toward his twin.

Yoichi batted the hand away, hard enough to leave a bruise. Glowering over his knees, he demanded, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It took a while to figure out what had been your original power. I was planning to return it to you, but—"

"But it turned out to be a tad too useful. You only ever planned to let me have a useless power, one that would keep me subordinate to you." Yoichi bit out each word from between his teeth.

"But I realized it would be too dangerous for you to have a power! The government would target you. You know how dangerous it's been for me, how many different nations have tried to kidnap me. My ability is too coveted."

"Our ability, you mean. You always said I had to take guards with me everywhere and keep my identity a secret because the government would target me as your brother. Now you pretend that I'm safe as long as I don't have a power? At least keep your lies straight."

"They would! Both can be true!" Hisashi grabbed his hair, looking ready to rip it out in frustration. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his body. Dropping to his knees before his twin brother, his gaze become imploring. "Yoichi, please. I'm sorry about the accident when we were children. I'm sorry for lying to you. I love you as I love myself. What can I do to make us right again?"

Yoichi spat out, "I want half of your metapowers."

Hisashi recoiled. "That's impossible. Your body would never survive that many powers at once! Even Gigantomachia's upper limit is seven."

"I'd be prepared to try," Yoichi said coldly. He'd never seriously expected his brother to accept. Childishly, he'd deliberately offered an impossible deal out of refusal to be appeased. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. "All for One is half my power. I'm entitled to half of it."

"I would certainly not be prepared to risk your life!" Hisashi leapt to his feet, waving his hands. "You have no idea how hard I've been trying to find a power that might settle harmlessly in your weak body. I know you've always been jealous of me, but it's not my fault that you can't handle metapowers."

"According to the documents, you and the doctor speculated about if you'd harmed by body by taking my power," Yoichi growled. "So my ill health might be your fault, actually."

Those words landed like knife in the gut. Hisashi rocked backward. "That…was only a speculation."

Yoichi sneered. "If you won't give me half your powers, then I ought to have free rights to give away half to anyone I please. The power to give belongs to me, not you! I should be able to use it! Maybe I could build people loyal to me instead of you." Of course, Yoichi had no one he wanted to give his brother's metapowers away to currently, but he was angry.

Hisashi loomed over his twin, his pallor transforming into red-cheeked fury. "You don't know what you're asking of me. I need powers, it hurts me just to give away one, I could never survive losing half my hoard. You've never been able to understand my urges no matter how hard I tried to explain them."

"Because I'm not metahuman? Except it turns out I am metahuman so you'll have to stop using that excuse to dismiss me. I'm as meta as you." Yoichi had always hated it when Hisashi insisted that people with mutations didn't fall into the same category as metahumans, because if felt like his brother was calling him less important. It was true: both that people with only odd hair colors didn't suffer as much discrimination and that Yoichi was less important to their organization than his powerful twin. But truth didn't make it hurt any less. A single tear trickled down his cheek. "I thought if I became your double, then I could stand at your side."

"And you do—you're my other half." Hisashi reached out to brush the tear away.

Yoichi shoved his twin's hand again with even more force, this time scratching the back and scoring a thin line of blood. "No, I'm your shadow! You pretend to let me have say in our decisions, then go behind my back whenever we disagree. You want to use me but you don't want to share the power." If only Yoichi had a metapower, maybe his twin would treat him like an equal…but he didn't and that was Hisashi's own fault. "How many more things are you lying to me about? What's going on with the vigilantes?"

Nursing his hand, Hisashi looked weary. "I didn't lie. I was going to explain the situation to you. The vigilantes took in some of the government's traitors after they fled my attack. My authority won't be complete if I don't eliminate the last remnants of the Special Power Military Team."

"Since when did you need to kill all of them? We talked about this!" Yoichi's research suggested some of the members had been prisoners drafted, so he'd asked his brother to spare those. Hisashi had grumbled a bit about metapowers he wanted before agreeing to give them a chance.

Soothingly, Hisashi said, "I gave them a chance to join me as we discussed, and they turned me down."

"Did you really give them a chance? Or did you simply massacre them all and take their powers?" Yoichi glared. He could not tell if his twin was lying to him, and that unnerved him. He'd used to be able to tell. Except apparently Hisashi had been lying about Yoichi's metapower for years, so perhaps he'd never been as skilled at detecting lies as he'd believed. Perhaps they'd never been as close as he'd believed.

"Those traitors sold themselves to the military." Hisashi's gaze burned. "I can never make peace with those who loathe their own kind so much. The types with internalized prejudice against their own kind see me as an irredeemable abomination. They'll always be a threat as long as they're free. You saw the government's plans for what they wanted to do to me if they caught me alive. They want me to ensure that only the right people have powers. For that, they would have maimed me and thrown me down a dark hole forever. They had to be stopped by any means in order for us to be safe." Hisashi made it sound logical. "Perhaps we can compromise, what if I only took the survivors' metapowers instead of their lives? The self-hating government dogs don't even want their abilities."

Remembering what the military would have done to his twin, Yoichi's heart softened. But… "This isn't adding up." Yoichi glared. "If the survivors were loyal to the government, then they would have returned to the military instead of fleeing to the vigilantes. The people who ran from the military at the first chance are no threat to you. You're still lying to me."

Calculation flickered across Hisashi's face. It was only a brief moment before he resumed his tragic expression, but Yoichi saw it and knew his twin was trying to figure out how much deception he could get away with. Hisashi knelt down again. He smiled. In twin language, Hisashi said, "You know I can't lie to you in our special language. The truth is that—"

"Don't you dare treat me like a fool!" Yoichi screamed. "How can I trust anything you say? You lie until you believe it yourself. You told everyone that I'm your younger brother! My name literally means First Son!"

Hisashi rubbed his forehead. "I can't believe you're bringing up something so petty at an important moment like this. That was a joke."

"No, it wasn't! You seriously made Garaki believe you're the older brother because you can't even let me have such a small thing!" The tears were freely pouring down Yoichi's cheeks now. "Such a tiny difference…being born less than an hour sooner…and you had to take even that away from me. I never cared about birth order, we're the same age. I care that you consider me too weak to call your older brother!"

"It's easier for me to say that I'm the older brother since I'm the face of our family business," Hisashi said, completely missing the point as usual. "You're weaker, but it doesn't matter, because my strength is your strength."

Yoichi wept harder. Between sobs, he choked out, "I thought that was true, before. I made an offer to the vigilante leader because I thought I had the authority to make good on it. But it turns out I can't keep my promise. You've made a liar out of me. Worse, you made me into a joke. I swanned around acting like your second-in-command when I'm just your puppet. I don't want to be your body double any longer."

Hisashi's hands hovered as if he wanted to embrace his twin and wipe away his tears, but he did not attempt an unwanted touch again. Carefully, he asked, "Do you want me to agree to let you quit or try to talk you out of it?"

There was the million-dollar question. Yoichi didn't know. If Hisashi had demanded Yoichi continue to be his double, then it would have been infuriating to have his twin once again telling him what to do and keeping him in the shadows. If Hisashi had said Yoichi didn't need to do it any longer, then Yoichi would have felt useless. Either way, Yoichi wanted an excuse to rage at his twin. If Hisashi had wanted this conversation to go well, then he would have needed to make different choices starting years ago. It was too late for words to fix this right now. Perhaps with a little distance, Yoichi could calm down.

With hoarse honesty, Yoichi said, "All I want is for you to get the hell away from me."

Hisashi's face collapsed. The total blankness in his eyes resembled a coma patient they'd once seen, a metahuman protestor beaten by the police beyond any recovery. His hands shook. Speaking in twin language again, Hisashi said, "Let me share your feelings. Then we'll have the same will again. You're me and I'm you." He held out his hand.

Sneering, Yoichi said, "Knock that off, we're not babies any longer." He pushed past his twin, storming out of the room. He went to his office down the hallway and locked the door. Once alone, he wanted to cry, but no more tears would come out. Instead he turned the sofa into a pullout bed and tried to sleep.

It was the first time Yoichi had slept apart from his brother since they'd been separated at the hospital as children. He didn't sleep a wink.

Hisashi was already in a bad mood when he went to meet his informant at a café, and that only turned worse when the meeting became an ambush.

One moment, Hisashi was sipping a cup of tea. The next moment, a projectile flew toward his neck. He easily caught it in the air, then lowered it to the table with a touch of power. A tranquilizer dart. The military still wanted to take him alive. That meant they wanted his ability. (They were also still underestimating him, an error he would make them pay for.)

His heat vision identified snipers in the distance, gathered at the rooftop on a building down the street. Hisashi smashed through the partly-open window and ran after them. Springs gave speed and strength to his feet. More darts came after him, and he caught them up in a swirling hurricane. He ran up the side of the building.

The soldiers were already trying to run, although they'd foolishly attempted to pack up their guns first.

Smiling widely, Hisashi said, "You're just in time to help me work out some aggression." Though he didn't need a gesture for his metapower, he raised his finger dramatically and pointed. The closest man's head exploded, sending blood, brains, and bone fragments across his comrades. The screams were quite satisfying. Wind rose up around Hisashi, redirecting any bodily fluids away from his expensive suit. He smiled.

Creating a shimmering wall around the roof, Hisashi made a game of it. Who could he point at first? Who would try to flee and who would futilely attack him? It made no difference, because in seconds every enemy on the rooftop was dead. Hisashi strolled down the side of the building, untouched by the violence. He left the bodies as a warning to their masters.

If Yoichi was here, would he be upset at the arguably unnecessary violence against those who could no longer win? Or would he believe Hisashi about what these people had intended to do to him? Hisashi knew if he'd been taken alive, then the military would have used him to take and give metapowers at their will. The papers he'd found in the laboratory he'd destroyed had proposed lobotomizing him. It would have been a fate worse than death, turned into a shell of a person.

In the past, Yoichi had always been on Hisashi's side. He could be more merciful, but he'd never blamed Hisashi for doing whatever was necessary to protect himself. But last night, Yoichi had refused to believe Hisashi about the very real threat. It deeply stung. When had they stopped believing each other unconditionally? Was one stupid lie from their childhood really enough to break them apart?

There were more lies, in all fairness. Hisashi had yet to explain to Yoichi the grand direction of All for One's plans. A long time ago, Hisashi had realized that he and his twin would never be safe as long as the current government existed. Those in power wanted his ability too badly. It would be the same no matter who had power. Hisashi would have to overthrow the government and take over Japan. He knew that his more delicate twin would not see a dictatorship as in accordance with his ideals. But Hisashi believed that Japan would collapse on its own, and then everyone, including Yoichi, would be begging him to take power.

When Hisashi pushed open the door to the café, no one reacted to his return or to the broken window. He owned this place and everyone inside. He texted his informant a terse order to call. Then he collapsed back into his chair with a sigh.

Hisashi hadn't been able to sleep at all since his younger brother had callously abandoned him for a sofa bed, but fortunately he had a metapower that let him go several days without sleeping. At least Yoichi hadn't been able to sleep either. Hisashi knew this because he had cameras secretly installed in his brother's office. This was a necessary precaution for his fragile twin's safety. It made Hisashi feel safer to be able to check up on Yoichi at any point in the day. The twins always shared all their memories and experiences so Hisashi saw no possible reason why Yoichi would object to him obtaining the information a bit early.

Minutes passed with no phone call. The lack of response from his informant suggested death rather than betrayal. If the government could, they would have at least tried to lure him into another trap by returning his message. Hisashi sent out several more texts launching an investigation into the disappearance. Then he looked through his contacts for who else might have information on the vigilante movements besides his government spy. Perhaps one of the few holdouts that hadn't joined the main group?

Hisashi knew the vigilantes had given their new group a name: Sunrise. And he knew their leader was called Gear-something. (He had the name written down somewhere if he checked his phone.) But otherwise he knew astonishingly little. The vigilantes were an insular and closed-mouthed lot.

Usually Hisashi let Yoichi handle most of his information gathering, but his twin had an affection for that pack of troublesome vigilantes. For that reason, Hisashi thought it better to eliminate them subtly and behind his brother's back. Partly he wanted them gone because of the former government agents being protected by the vigilantes. Hisashi did not forget or forgive, and he would not spare anyone connected to a plan to enslave him. Plus he still wanted those delicious metapowers.

Partly, the vigilantes needed to fall before they became a threat to his plan to take over Japan. Previously the vigilantes had been more focused on protecting metahumans from the authorities and dealing with less organized and more randomly violent criminals. (As opposed to Hisashi, who was violent with a purpose.) But Hisashi knew that after the government fell, the vigilantes would become his main rivals to restore order. He needed to get rid of them first, not the least because he didn't want his twin to see any alternatives besides taking power themselves.

It simply didn't make any sense, that Yoichi would diverge from Hisashi's perspective over fragile comic book ideals and a bunch of strangers. Why was Yoichi acting so strange lately? Why couldn't he accept his wiser twin's guidance as usual? Hisashi had barely even considered his current conflict with the vigilantes worth lying about, he just hadn't wanted to hurt his brother. Then the secrecy had backfired on him. To avoid further disconnect with Yoichi, it would be better to handle this subtly.

Hisashi would have to arrange for it to look like the military destroyed the vigilantes. It would be negative publicity for the government, since the vigilantes had public support from the cowering insects who relied on others for protection. Then Yoichi would hate the military again, and the twins would once again be of the same mind.

Hisashi texted Dr. Garaki, laying out the first step of the plan. It would be better to settle this as quickly as possible. From Hisashi's perspective, it had been truly shocking that sharing feelings with his twin had failed to reconcile them for the first time ever. How could Yoichi have rejected their usual way of becoming one? However, Hisashi still firmly believed that this was only temporary. Yoichi would come around. It was as inevitable as the sun rising or the tide coming in. They'd never stayed angry at each other for very long. It hurt them both too much. One of them would give in to the other's perspective, usually Yoichi because he was weaker. Hisashi was simply hastening the process a bit by arranging for a mutual enemy.

Scrolling on his phone, Hisashi checked his camera feed. Currently Yoichi was still holed up in his office, sulking. Whistling, Hisashi went to the café counter to pick up some cream puffs. A treat would lure his twin out of his funk.

Yoichi didn't want to describe his behavior as sulking but he worried it wasn't far off. For three straight days, he'd remained in his office without leaving. He'd used the attached bathroom and gone without a shower. The last time Hisashi had come by to drop off a meal, he'd accused Yoichi of sulking.

In fact, Yoichi was thinking. The more he contemplated his career as All for One's righthand man, the more he realized he'd mostly done whatever his more powerful twin wanted. Hisashi would give way on small points but not the big issues. They'd never made decisions equally. Yoichi was afraid if he opened the door and let his brother in, then he'd immediately cave and once again do whatever Hisashi wanted.

For a long time, Yoichi had accepted everything Hisashi told him as undeniable truth. When they shared memories, Yoichi couldn't lie. It would have felt like betraying his own soul to even try. So he'd always assumed everything that Hisashi told him must be true. But it turned out Hisashi could lie about everything from life-or-death situations to stupid things like who was the older twin. Yoichi had an uncomfortable suspicion that his brother could lie so easily because Hisashi deceived even himself.

If Hisashi was a liar, then could Yoichi still believe in the justice of their cause? Yoichi had accepted his brother's word on everything: that peaceful methods were impossible and no deal could be struck with the government. That everyone they'd killed had been a threat to metahumans. That Hisashi needed to take metapowers like Yoichi needed food, and in any case he only took them from enemies or people better off without their powers. That they were making the world a better place even if they did it as villains.

Yoichi made up his mind. He was going to have his own way for once. After so many times giving in, his brother owed him this one. He would prevent violence from erupting with the vigilantes by once again pretending to be All for One. After all, he'd made a promise. Like the very first time, he would seek forgiveness rather than permission. If Hisashi didn't like it, then tough luck. This time it would be Yoichi's turn to determine their shared course of action.

If Hisashi could give in this time, if Yoichi could have a bit more control back, then perhaps they could reach an equilibrium again. But in order for that to happen, from now on Hisashi needed to tell Yoichi the truth, ugly or not. Or Yoichi would find out on his own.

Yoichi waited until his twin had retired to their bedroom before slipping out of his office. If he saw his twin's face, then he might find his will overwhelmed again. It had felt so good to be one person. That unconditional love and support had been like a drug. Without it, Yoichi had nothing. All of his friends were his twin's friends. He knew Garaki and Gigantomachia would serve Hisashi first. All of his power had been his twin's power.

Even so, Yoichi did not turn back. He hovered outside the bedroom door, listening for his twin's faint snores. Then he used his fingerprint to open the lock.

Yoichi crept past the bed where his brother slept. His heart beat so loudly, he feared it might give him away. Crouching down, he pulled out his brother's laptop from his bag. Then he tiptoed to the attached bathroom and locked the door.

Sitting on the toilet, Yoichi opened the laptop. Naturally, he knew his twin's password. They shared everything. Yoichi typed in: D3m0nK1ng%* and waited for the screen to load.

There was a second password that specifically locked Hisashi's email and a folder of files. Yoichi frowned. How dare Hisashi not tell him? It wasn't fair. Hisashi knew all of Yoichi's passwords.

If Hisashi had used a random alphanumeric password, then Yoichi was screwed. But Hisashi loved symbolism too much, and his confidence approached carelessness. All his passwords always had special meaning to him.

Closing his eyes, Yoichi tried to become his twin brother. What held the most importance to Hisashi? What would Hisashi sit and type every single time he wanted to check his email? Would it be a Captain Hero reference? Something about the Three Musketeers? A slogan for metahuman rights? No, Hisashi checked his email several times a day. It would be something more important than any of those. Yoichi needed to go deeper into his brother's heart.

Yoichi breathed in. Hisashi breathed out. Yoichi's fingers moved as if possessed, typing in Y0ichi3 and waiting…

Success! He was in! He'd been prepared to try a couple variations but the first one had worked. Yoichi smiled, not only because his attempt had worked but because of this proof that his twin thought of him every day. Hisashi loved him, and Yoichi could still understand his twin's mind. Perhaps they could still come to agreement.

The smile dropped off Yoichi's face as he looked through the emails and files.

Hisashi had been forcing metapowers on the children of powerful political opponents.

Hisashi had never intended to spare the metahumans working for the government, no matter what he'd told Yoichi.

Hisashi had been planning to wipe out the vigilantes and make it look like the government had done it.

Hisashi already had plans for ruling Japan, including global expansion.

Hisashi had cameras and trackers all over Yoichi's office and car.

Funnily enough, the last one broke Yoichi. He ought to be more upset about his twin playing out his demon king fantasies entirely too literally and trying for world domination. But the personal betrayal hurt the most. Yoichi had always known his twin was a bit of an ass. But Hisashi was supposed to be Yoichi's asshole. Why would Hisashi even need to invade Yoichi's privacy when Yoichi had always told him everything he wanted to know voluntarily? Was it projection? Because between the two of them, Hisashi was the untrustworthy liar.

They could not go back after this. Yoichi couldn't trust Hisashi unconditionally ever again.

This information made it clear that Hisashi would never agree to spare the vigilantes. But Yoichi still had a duty to carry out. With shaking hands, Yoichi typed up a message warning the vigilantes of the coming attack. Before hitting send, he added attachments with the relevant information. He owed them that much, for the false promise he'd made to their leader. It turned out Kaiji had been right all along about All for One's true intentions. Only Yoichi had been the fool, the pawn who believed he'd become a queen at the end of the chess board. But he'd only ever been his brother's chess piece. The painful realization wrenched a sob up from somewhere deep inside his chest.

In bed, Hisashi stirred. Yoichi leapt up, planning to turn off the bathroom light before his twin noticed. But he was too late. Hisashi called, "Yoichi?"

"Go away," Yoichi snarled. "I'm still not talking to you."

"But you came back." Confident possessiveness filled Hisashi's voice. "I knew you couldn't stay away much longer. You need me as much as I need you. Even more, since you're weaker. Time to end this silly fight."

"It's not silly!" Yoichi screamed. Even though his distant common sense thought that he should be more cautious about revealing what he knew, he was too angry. He wanted to make his twin understand the depths of how he'd been harmed. (Still trying to share his emotions, even now.) Yoichi flung open the door and threw the laptop at Hisashi's head.

Predictably, Hisashi caught it. He could deflect bullets, much less a slower, heavier object. But when Hisashi saw the files open on the screen, he made a pained face as if the laptop had split open his skull. "Oh, no. I never meant to let you see this. I'm sorry."

"That's what you're sorry for?" Yoichi shrieked. "You're sorry you got caught, not that you did it."

"Because I didn't want to hurt you," Hisashi said, sounding as if he believed his own logic. "I knew you'd be upset by some of the things I needed to do, so it made sense to handle it out of your sight."

"Needed to do?" Yoichi panted, gulping in huge gasps of air. He felt pain building under his chest. He feared it might be the warning sign of an attack, the first he'd had in years since he'd been getting regular medical treatment. "Look at this." He jabbed his finger at the file open on the screen in his brother's hands. "You didn't need to do this, Hisashi."

The last child Hisashi had secretly placed a power into had been the ten-year-old daughter of a general leading the Special Power project. He'd picked a very, very obvious power causing the recipient's skin and hair to change color based on their moods. Upon learning that his daughter was a metahuman, the general had beaten her to death.

"That wasn't what I'd intended," Hisashi said. Quickly, he closed the laptop and set it down. "I planned to strike a deal with him to remove the metapower in exchange for information."

"But that didn't stop you from blackmailing him instead for the information you wanted so badly!"

"The girl was already dead at that point. I might as well make it worth something." Hisashi didn't even sound guilty.

Yoichi had always known his brother had less empathy than most people, he'd just never had it shoved into his face to this extent. His hands clenched into fists. "She was just a kid. We also used to be kids, rejected by our parents. How could you?"

"How could you think that you could become a villain without committing evil deeds?" Hisashi asked, slightly mocking. "You were only able to stay naïve because I handled the worst of it for you. That's always been how it worked between us. Everything I do, I do to protect you."

"I didn't know that was the deal! You never told me!" Yoichi's chest heaved. He was sobbing now, though no tears came out. He was past the point of crying. "You knew I'd get upset about this, so that's why you hid it. We used to share everything. You broke us apart first."

Hisashi frowned. For the first time, real concern showed on his face. "Don't you think you're being dramatic? Let me show you why it was all necessary, then you'll understand." He reached out to touch his twin's cheek and initiate their sharing.

"No." Yoichi took a step backward. "I'm never letting you force your will on me again. From now on, I'm making my own choices."

Hisashi actually laughed out loud. "You can't do that," he said with the total certainty of a man stating that the earth orbited around the sun.

"This is all wrong." Yoichi had to take deep breaths before he could speak. "I can't accept your methods. There has to be a way to save Japan from a military dictatorship besides ruling it yourself. I need some time apart from you to think." If Yoichi stayed by his twin's side, then his thoughts would be influenced. He needed some time alone. For the first time in his entire life, he was going to form his own independent opinions.

"You're going back to your office to sulk again?" Hisashi clicked his tongue. "Let's talk first." He reached for his twin's face.

This time, Yoichi let his twin make contact. But he looked away, making it obvious he had no intention of sharing emotions.

Hisashi growled in exasperation. "Really, what do you want? Look into my eyes and show me. For you, my treasure, I would give you the world."

"I already told you. I want to get away from you." Yoichi went to his closet and started throwing his clothing into a backpack.

Hisashi rolled his eyes. "You'll never actually be able to do it. You're me, and I'm you. We've never been apart before. Neither of us could handle it. As soon as you try to walk out that door, your knees will collapse and you'll come crawling back to me."

"Just watch me." Yoichi pushed past his twin to the bathroom. He shoveled a toothbrush, combs, and haircare products into his backpack. When he had no more room, he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder. He checked his pocket to make sure he had his wallet and his phone.

Hisashi stood in the doorway, scowling with his arms crossed. "I know you're bluffing to make me give you whatever you want. If you keep being this irritating, it only makes me not want to. You should give in while I'm still trying to compromise."

"If that's what you believe, then you don't know me as well as you thought." Yoichi couldn't resist one last jab. The stunned look on his twin's face made him soften. In spite of everything, Yoichi hugged his brother. "Once I'm living separately from you—" He wanted to promise that he'd return after getting space and then discuss a real compromise, but he didn't know how much time he would need or if a compromise would be possible. "I'll text every day to let you know how I'm doing. I love you." Yoichi could give that much.

Hisashi grabbed Yoichi by the shoulders and tried to force their eyes to meet.

That did it. "Screw you! You always have to have everything your way!" Yoichi shoved his brother. Hisashi fell backwards, looking shocked.

Yoichi stormed out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He felt guilty for hurting his twin. His stomach rolled from terror of being on his own. They'd never been apart mentally even when they'd had physical distance between them. What if Hisashi was right and Yoichi couldn't cut it on his own?

Yet even despite his guilt and fear, Yoichi felt excitement. For the first time, he would be making his own choices. He'd finally be the sole main character of his story. The thrill kept his feet moving even though he knew if he stopped to think then he might collapse like his brother had threatened.

The garage air felt chilly. The light flicked on automatically. Yoichi opened his car door and got in. He pressed the button to open the garage, then started the motor. As Yoichi drove out, his headlights illuminated the cobblestones. His stomach and head still hurt. It felt a bit too hot. He cracked the window to get a little fresh air. Seeing the gate ahead, Yoichi smiled very slightly.

"You're actually doing this," Hisashi said.

Yoichi jumped. He barely slammed on the brakes before he drove himself off the road. Hisashi sat in the passenger seat. His face resembled the stone mask of a furious demon.

"How did you get in here?" Yoichi demanded. "It must have been a metapower—I know you have a speed power—is the ability to move through solid objects a new one? Or did you use a concealment power on me? It was stealth, wasn't it? You were in the car all along. That's why the air felt hotter."

Hisashi didn't seem to hear. "I never would have believed you'd leave me if I hadn't watched it happen with my own eyes." There was something strange about his irises. They were glowing red, as usual when he activated his power, but this time the blazing crimson light had consumed the whites completely. "I don't understand! Why won't you just become one with me like we always do?"

"Because you betrayed my trust!"

"No, I didn't. Everything I do is for us, the same as always. This is who I am. I haven't changed. You're the one who changed." Hisashi spoke with chilling certainty.

For the first time in his entire life, Yoichi could not guess what his brother would do. It filled his blood with ice-cold terror. "Y-you can't stop me from leaving." He hadn't meant that to sound like a question.

Hisashi's white teeth flashed in the darkness. "Of course I can. You're me." A giant hand shot out and grabbed Yoichi's forehead, then the world went dark.

OMAKE TIME!

Omake: At Least the Vigilantes Have No Interest in Kidnapping All for One (Just Yoichi)

Hisashi: My cruel brother doesn't believe the government is out to kidnap me.

Yoichi: I believe it, I just don't think it justifies anything including child murder.

Hisashi: Survival doesn't justify anything? Nonsense.

Yoichi: And you're deflecting from how you lied to me about your intentions for the vigilantes, who have nothing to do with the government's kidnapping attempts.

Hisashi: I haven't even met the awful brother thieves yet and they're already ruining our relationship.

#

Omake: Cough Cough

Yoichi: I always tell my brother everything but he lies to me!

Hisashi: Yoichi, is there a reason why the American ambassador screamed at me on a public street for breaking his heart?

Yoichi: Almost…everything…look, there are some things it's normal for family not to share.

#

Omake: A Good Compromise Makes You Unhappy

Yoichi: I'd like to be two separate people.

Hisashi: I don't want that. Compromise: what if we stay incredibly codependent?

Yoichi: How is that a compromise when nothing changes?

Hisashi: I'm not absorbing you into my body like I wish I'd done when we were in the womb.