y'all, this fic has been around for a whole year. wtf?
anyways i love you guys, thank you so much!
Also a footnote: there is cursing in this fic and it is Ramadan, and i don't know if all of you who are fasting/celebrating (?) are okay with reading that.
"There really aren't many espers, are there?" Tome remarked, munching on potato chips as she and Mob watched the traffic. "All of these have walked by and not one has stood out," she leaned towards him, "You aren't tricking me, are you?"
"Oh my god. You HAVE to be kidding me. It can't just- they can't just leave us on that!"
The room flooded with complaints at the obvious cliffhanger, channeling the poor, poor readers of this extremely shitty fanfiction.
"There really haven't been any," Mob answered.
She hummed suspiciously.
"Hey, are you on a date here?"
They looked up at Teru approaching them.
"Who is this obviously special guy?" Tome whispered to Mob.
Is she implying I'm-?
Mob sweated. "Hanazawa-kun…"
"Sorry, this is an emergency," Teru turned to Tome, "I'm gonna borrow him for a bit."
"Okay, I'm just gonna say it: I LOVE their friendship."
She raised her hand as she let them, smiling dubiously. Hm?
"Someone's using my name and fighting?"
"Yeah, it's a student from Salt Middle School. You might know him."
They ran through the streets, reaching the corner of the alley.
"He's back there," Teru gestured, "You should go see for yourself."
Mob walked in. As he neared the sea of defeated delinquents, he recognized the standing culprit. He gasped, and his steps came to a halt.
He called out, "Ritsu… What are you doing?"
The theater was thick with tension and anticipation, people sitting on the edge of their seats.
The Older Brother Bows ~Destructive Intent~
Ritsu turned his head to the side to look back. "Nii-san… What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Ritsu," Mob countered.
Oh, that's his younger brother, Teru watched from the corner.
As did the indigo hooded stranger from the edge of a building. Someone just showed up.
"That guy..." One student said shakily, "Doesn't pass the vibe check."
Mob looked around, "Who are all of these people on the ground? Did you do this, Ritsu?"
Ritsu turned to him fully, but didn't say anything.
"Ritsu?"
He faced him. "Yes, I did this."
Guilt washed over Ritsu like a tidal wave.
Mob let out a bewildered noise.
Teru scratched at his cheek. I'm not so boorish as to watch siblings fight. He turned and left.
"Really? You really did this, Ritsu?"
"It's true."
Mob was staring down. He looked up, smiling at Ritsu, "It's not true. There's no way you would do this. I mean… seriously…"
"Nii-san," Ritsu cut him off, "I did this... I obtained psychic powers."
"Huh?"
His hair lifted as he activated his powers, bright purple and blue flowing around him in waves.
Some of the students covered their mouths, looking alarmed.
"Oh, god-" someone choked out, voice strangled.
'Wait, Ritsu!' Dimple tried to object from his mind, 'You're up against Shigeo!'
"Shut up, Dimple," Ritsu snapped back at him.
Ritsu's fingers tangled in his hair as he watched, face screwed up into a pained expression.
Tch! He's drunk with power. This is why I hate brats.
"Yeah, fuck you too, Dimple," one of the kids called.
Dimple darted out of Ritsu's head. I'm not gonna hang around for a battle I know he'll lose!
"Dimple?!" Mob blurted in surprise, staring after the ghost as it flew away from the area.
"That's fine. I've got the feel of it now..."
Ritsu's hair began floating again. "Nii-san, I've realized something very important."
"Ritsu, what's wrong?" Mob took a step towards him, "If something's bothering you…"
Ritsu threw his hands out, sending off a gust of energy that pushed Mob backwards.
Oh boy. Reigen winced, folding his fingers together and leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees.
Dust lifted off the ground as Mob caught himself. His eyes widened, "You really do have psychic powers…"
Ritsu stared back at him. I missed…
"Wow." Someone said dryly. "Wow."
Ritsu shrank in his seat, self-loathing resting on his shoulders like a sixty-pound weight.
"Congratulations!"
He started.
"You've wanted to use them for so long!" Mob continued excitedly, "Do you remember? When you were little, you used to cry your eyes out because you couldn't bend spoons. Who would've thought that now–"
Ritsu trembled. So happy... He was so happy for me! And I- I fucking blew him off-!
"That hadn't changed up until recently. Just listen, Nii-san."
Ritsu walked forward. "I've always wanted psychic powers. And I've always admired you, Nii-san."
Mob flushed, picking at his hair, "Aw, you're making me blush…"
The room was so silent that it was making everyone uncomfortable.
"But that was a big misunderstanding."
"Huh?"
"I couldn't handle my inferiority complex and fear towards you, so I was protecting myself by thinking it was admiration.
"I was scared of you. I never knew what you'd do if you got stressed out. We could never even have a fight as brothers… Because I have no way to protect myself from your powers."
Darkness slowly soaked the dull image of Mob.
Horror had begun to spread throughout the room, even Reigen feeling the effects.
Jesus, he thought dimly. This...
This is exactly the type of thing that would push him over the edge.
"So I did my best to not stress you out in any way. Now, that's just a humiliating past."
In his room, under the light of his desk lamp, Ritsu held a spoon, his hands shaking with frustration at his fruitless efforts.
"I tried so hard for so long, no matter how crazy it made me… And yet–"
He threw the utensil in his grip at the table at Mitsuura's facility.
"You never worked hard in your life, so why..?"
Ritsu felt a sudden surge of anger at himself. Never worked hard in his life?
How dare he say something like that? His brother- even if-
Even if he's never worked hard in his life, he's still a much better person than me.
His clenched fist trembled at his side before it loosened. "But now, I've obtained them. Now I don't have to be scared anymore."
Mob looked back at him, his expression barren as he listened.
Reigen's eyes narrowed.
"The delusional admiration is gone. Actually…"
Ritsu lifted his chin up with a dry gaze, "Now I've just lost all interest... The buddy-buddy brothers act ends now, Nii-san."
Many people peeked between their fingers, waiting for-
"Ritsu…" Mob's eyes gleamed as he smiled at his brother. "I can tell. That's a lie."
The entire theater froze.
"Face me, right now!" Ritsu yelled at him, his body moving with his frenzy, "Hit me with your powers!"
"But I guess it's true… I'm your brother, Ritsu."
Mob began walking towards him.
"Hey, Ritsu."
He stared into Ritsu's eyes as he passed by him.
"Half of that is true, right?"
Ritsu turned to him with wide eyes, to see him bowing before the crowd of delinquents.
"I'm terribly sorry that my little brother hurt you. Please still be friends with him from now on."
Huh?
Suddenly, pride welled up inside of Reigen. He began to smile despite himself, glancing to his student.
One of the delinquents pushed himself up. "What? You're his older brother?"
Mob recoiled, drops of sweat covering his face as he trembled, "Yes. I'm very sorry."
"You idiot!" The one spat, "You think that's enough to be forgiven?!"
"You need to grovel first!" added another.
"O-Okay…"
Hey… Stop.
It was a lie. Teru grinned wide. Kage- Mob knew it was, because he knows his brother.
Mob got on his knees, bowing his head.
Why, Nii-san?
"What are you doing?!" Ritsu yelled with fury.
Mob smiled up at him, "Ritsu… It's no use trying to get rid of me…"
Progress Towards Mob's Explosion: 7%.
When had his student become so mature? How had he missed it?
"Because we're brothers."
One of the teachers was crying, pulling a handkerchief out of his bag.
"Sorry, it's just-"
The woman next to him put a hand on his back, eyes watering. Many of the students were already emotional over the touching scene.
A phone stopped ringing as the call was picked up.
"Hello?"
"I'd like a status update. It's been ten minutes since you reported that you've found the target. What are you doing?"
The indigo hooded man shifted nonchalantly, "I'm just observ–"
"Are you an idiot? Hurry up and bring him here."
"All right," the man lowered his phone to hang up.
"Actually, just in case, send a photo. It'll be troublesome if you bring the wrong brat."
"Yeah, yeah…" he sighed, holding the device over the edge and snapping a picture. How dare he mock me? "There you go. It's sent."
Ritsu's image loaded up on a phone screen.
"Confirmed. There's no doubt that that's Kageyama Shigeo."
A man stood in the middle of the Mitsuura's lab, around him lay the bodies of several scientists.
Several people gasped, alarmed.
"Right?"
"It's just as the data from the Awakening Lab says," he clicks his tongue irritably, "What an exaggerated name. It's embarrassing to say."
The katana that had been standing at the side floated up, swung in the air and slid into its sheath in the man's hand.
"Listen up," he said into the phone, "Don't mess this up."
The espers from the lab sat tied up in the corner, and Mitsuura didn't move where he was sprawled on the floor.
"The more information we leak, the more annoying it'll be. Don't play around."
"Yeah, yeah," The hooded man ended the call, pocketing his phone. "Acting all high-and-mighty…" he muttered. A sharp grin formed under the shadow of his hood, "Now, then…"
"I hate them," someone muttered darkly. Agreements rose within the crowd.
The delinquents laughed loudly.
"The tables have turned!"
"White T Poison! If you don't want us the beat the crap out of your brother, get your face over here."
Mob gasped, lifting up his head, "Hold it. You shouldn't do that."
"Huuh?"
He got on his feet. "I don't want to see anyone else hurting people, or anyone else getting hurt."
Behind him, Ritsu looked away.
He can already tell he's fucked up, Reigen noted.
A delinquent grabbed him by his collar, "Who the hell do you think you are, small fry?!"
"Only the strongest can give orders."
"And the strongest will rule."
Just how pathetic are these people? Ritsu frowned.
The delinquent shook the stricken Mob in the air.
The strongest one here is…
"He could fuck you all up if he wanted to, so get off your high horse."
"Exactly!"
Above, the hooded man tipped over the edge of the building - catching hold of the back of Ritsu's uniform as he landed.
"You're exactly right."
"Who are you?!" Ritsu flung his arm, trying to use his psychic powers against the man.
His face got smashed on the cement.
"Ritsu!" Mob called, before getting thrown to the side.
"Who's that?"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"The strongest will rule," the man talked while kneading Ritsu's face into the crushed cement, "It's such an obvious thing that you forget about it."
One of the teachers cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, god."
"You guys figure that if you're strong at fighting, you can rule your school and turfs, right?" he chuckled, "That's cute. You should keep it up." He lifted Ritsu up by his hair, "But he's on a different level. You guys don't have a chance of beating him."
He tightened his grip on his scalp, making Ritsu choke on his own voice.
Reigen immediately disliked him, eyes narrowing further.
"So I'm going to remove him from the fighting grounds. You can continue squabbling in peace. I'll be taking him."
"Hold it!" A delinquent lunged forward, "He's our target!"
The man let Ritsu fall down, holding up his hand and sending the delinquent flying effortlessly.
"You're just and outsider!" another one rushed, but he too was kicked off.
"How dare you do that to our boss?!" and another one was about to give and attempt before he was held back with a "Hey, don't!"
They were also flung away.
"Oh, my... Is this really happening?" One teacher said. "The students are in danger and the schools and their parents have no idea!"
"T-Too strong…"
"That's not fair…"
The man laughed, "You thugs are such simple creatures…"
A hand grabbed his arm.
Mob's hair floated wildly in the glow of his powers, a deep shadow framing his eyes. His explosion counter shot up the double digits within a couple of seconds.
"My little brother…"
"Oh, FUCK-!"
Conversation began to start up again, frantic muttering filling the room.
The man punched him crashing into the wall.
"N-Nii-san…" Ritsu grunted through his pain, trying to pick himself up.
"Did I hit him too hard?" The man grabbed and dragged him forward before he could, "Well, if he dies, I'd say he was just unlucky."
"Bastard," Reigen muttered, glaring at him. His fingers, laced together, were gripping his hands hard enough to leave white imprints.
Normally, I wouldn't be worried, but that's a full-grown psychic. While he might not- in terms of psychic ability- be stronger than Mob, he is clearly stronger in physical strength.
He stopped between the crowd, glancing up at the largest guy that stood out, "Hey, you good-for-nothing." The teen flinched. "What's with that rebellious stare?"
"It's not! I was just looking…"
The man pointed down, "Grovel, and apologize to me."
"Huh?!"
"We're reviewing the scene you were playing out earlier - I know! All of you should grovel."
A moment passed without action.
"Will this make you a little more willing?" he sneered, "If you don't grovel, I'll kill all of you."
The teachers were speaking among themselves, one of them scribbling something down- a description.
"If we learn his name..."
The one across from the speaker nodded. "We could possibly track him down, but how could we get him in jail?"
"There are a lot of kids there- witnesses. We could ask them."
Then he was laughing hysterically in the center of the circle of bowed down delinquents, "What a great sight! It's a lesson for idiots who mistake youth and freedom. I've got one piece of advice for the rest of your rotten lives...
"Try to live your lives walking on the side of the road as much as possible, so you don't cause anyone else trouble."
He mocked a salute as he began walking off with Ritsu hanging from his hold, "See ya, brats!" and started to laugh once more.
The delinquents stood up, faces tight.
"Damn it!"
"What was that?"
They perked up as they noticed a figure standing at the other end of the alley.
"That's…"
Mob gritted his teeth, breathing shakily.
"RITSU!"
He's not at 100%, Reigen thought suddenly. He's actively using his psychic powers to attack this man.
His lips pressed into a line.
Good for him. Kick his ass, Mob.
With his scream, his power exploded around him in a burst, and the ground broke under his feet as he shot forward, blowing everything away.
He grabbed the front of the man's shirt and slammed him into the ground with all his rage. As the breath was knocked out of the man, Ritsu was let go off and flew up with the impact. Mob glanced at him, and his moment of distraction was all the man needed to kick him off and catch Ritsu back.
Mob's shoes scraped the ground as he stood yet undefeated.
"You, too, brat?"
"N-Nii-san…" Ritsu rasped.
The man frowned "I wasn't told about a psychic brother."
"Let go of my brother…" Mob warned, "or else…"
"Shit has gotten real," a student commented shakily, but most of the crowd was silent, resigning themselves to bite their nails and watch how this went down.
Ritsu fell when the man charged forward, elbowing then kicking Mob in the guts. Mob slid back a few steps but otherwise stayed unbothered.
"Oh, so you've put up a barrier?"
Light flashed through the bubble surrounding Mob.
I'm not supposed to use these powers against others, he thought, then looked up.
But this is different!
Reigen nodded solemnly.
A flare of psychic energy shot through the cement ground but didn't break the man's own barrier.
"Don't underestimate me, brat," the man spat.
Mob suddenly perked up. I remember now! He's the adult esper I saw before…
"There are ways to deal with little esper brats like you." The man took off his jacket and threw it aside. He held his hands above his head before bringing them down with a red glow seething from them. Purple and red energy slithered around his arms.
"Telekinetic Helix!"
He's attacking again. Mob shifted his stance. I don't want to become an adult like him.
The simple, almost innocent thought struck a deep chord within the watchers. The room quieted.
Reigen's mouth twisted.
"Cry."
The man shot off, then reappeared right in front of Mob and punched him hard in the face. Mob reeled back with the impact.
Huh?
He was grabbed by the hair, and sent flying with a kick in his middle. Blood sloshed off his nose as he felt the last bit of air escape from his lungs.
The man looked up at him with a mocking grin, "You're so light. You fly up really well."
Tears and blood spilled out of Mob's face, and wind whished against his ears in the air.
It hurts… I can't exhale… or inhale…
My stomach is hot…
Both Reigen and Ritsu outwardly looked furious at the man. Teru's eyes razored into him.
His body hit the ground and bounced off harshly. Turning to his side, he grabbed at his chest, hacking and choking painfully.
Reigen had begun to sweat, gritting his teeth and fighting back the concern.
The man stepped up to him, "You surprised? My powers rip through your barrier like an excavator."
"Nii-san!" Ritsu tried to drag himself forward, but failed miserably.
Nii-san was right. It was a lie. How? How did he know? How could he see what I couldn't?
How ironic is it that he can see right through me, but doesn't understand himself at all?
"Stand up," the man picked Mob up, drawing his arm back, "You're going to protect your little brother, right?"
Mob put up his barrier again, but the man's fist broke right through it. After the punch, he was kicked in the face.
The delinquents watched in terror.
"Oh, crap."
"He's hitting him way too much."
"You can't be serious…"
"He's gonna die!"
"Seriously?"
Nii-san?
The man struck him again, and again…
"S-Stop…" Ritsu cried, tears welling up in his eyes.
...and again, and again, and again…
"Please, stop!"
...and again, and Mob was plummed at the wall, choking as he bounced off limply.
Ritsu gasped.
He pulled his knees to his chest, eyes burning as tears began to flow down his face. Mob had an arm around his little brother's shoulders in an instant, quietly reassuring him that it was fine, he was okay, it wasn't his fault...
The man didn't even Mob fall down, slamming him back and mashing him into the wall.
"Stop!" Ritsu sprung up and threw himself at the man, pulling him back, "Just take me! That's what you wanted, right?"
Reigen felt oddly emotional watching this. From his seat, he could see that several students were crying.
Mob's arm tightened around Ritsu's shoulders. The latter buried his face into his brother's uniform.
The man pushed him off and turned to him, "That's a wise decision," he laughed, grinning wickedly, "but I'm an asshole."
Everyone in the room agreed with the statement. The man was on the recieving end of many icy, venomous glares.
The only thing Ritsu could do in his state was glare up at him tearfully.
"I don't like that look on your face… That hostile little face!" the man punched him, sending him down.
He didn't get back up.
74-75-76-77-78-79-80-81-82-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90.
Wicked grins began to twist people's faces.
"Hey, you."
Mob stood behind the man, his slumped form a sketchy mess.
"This is the first time this has happened."
91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98.
"Yes," someone breathed. "YES."
He looked up.
"Can you feel it?"
His hair spiked off his scalp, flowing ferociously. His eyes were sharp and burned red.
"My animosity?"
100%.