I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and its black
Why can't I feel
My skin should crack and peel
I want the fire back.

Mars is a planet of war and blood.

Not much is known about the red planet and some of the knowledge we have is basic. It's red, it's dusty, there's craters, and not much more to say. Oh, and there's also an icy, water part to it.

Akasei was the embodiment of anger and fiery energy. He burned those close to him, fought back against his father, treated Akaza with respect, and loved being with his mother. Though he was young, he still relied on her loving guidance and steadfast love to get him through the day.

So, when he heard his oldest sister planning to kill her, it made him a bit frightened.

He overheard her master plan before burning the garden to the ground. She was planning to frame him for the event after all. What made him more worried was that she in turn was going to burn the last flower bud that contained their unborn final sibling. She was going to murder their sibling.

Even in his feral state of mind, he knew that was going too far.

So, before she could burn it down, he ran down to the garden and plucked the last bud to save his baby sibling. He had to do this for the sake of their future. Something about him screamed to be protective. He raced down the hallways of the mansion, going to the one person who can help him.

"AKAZA!"

"ARGH!"

The red-haired demon child blinked when he saw his mentor nearly jumped out of his skin. Then again, he wasn't bothered much. Akasei would break into his room around nighttime, always snuggling next to him or kicking him awake. It was just how they communicated. Akaza respected strength, Akasei respected power. They were two peas in a pod.

"Kid, if this is another one of your late-night challenges..." Akaza started to say before seeing the distress in the young demon's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Akasei did his best to explain how his sister was planning a coup d'état and wanted to kill their mother. Akaza's eyes widened when he saw the last flower bud in his hands and connected the dots to the burning of the garden earlier.

"So...Hotaru is really going to do this huh? After all her mother did to save her life and ours..." He punched the wall, gritting his teeth. "How could she, to her own mother even!"

Akasei growled, clutching his sibling close to his chest. She had even wanted to kill an unborn child! How can one be so cruel to want to do something like that? He didn't quite understand why, being a small child and all. He was still struggling with his basic studies and human communication. He grunted, tugging on Akaza's pants to signal that they should do something.

"Hmm...the best thing to do now is to relocate the flower bud and make sure Hotaru doesn't find out that we know her plans." Akaza bit his lip as he knew what he had to do. "As much as I would hate to admit it, we may need to ask help from him."

A confused grunt came out of the child's mouth as he cocked his head to the side. Who was this person that could make even his teacher flinch?

"Akasei-nii! Welcome! Welcome!"

A warm feeling enveloped him as his favorite sister brought him in for a hug. Oh, how she made him feel so special with her hugs and planting kisses on his forehead. Fuyuka was always so tender and loving to him.

Oh? There also appeared to be something in her arms. Lunch perhaps? Maybe she wouldn't mind if he snuck a taste of whatever was in her arms.

SMACK!

Akasei shrieked, going backwards as he held his now redden nose. What the heck was in that bundle and why did it attack him? Growling, Akasei went to rip it apart or melt it when Fuyuka held it over her head.

"Akasei no! This is just Inosuke's way of protecting me! Please don't hurt him, he's just a baby human!"

Said baby human was giving him a stink eye. Lightning appeared to shoot between their eyes as both the human baby and demon child thought the same thing.

She's my sister! Back off jerk!

Douma merely laughed at their interaction before turning back to the more annoyed Akaza. "So...the eldest child is planning on killing my beautiful queen? Oh, this certainly won't do. Are we going to tell Muzan about this?"

"That is the plan. However, she was also planning to kill the last child in the flower buds." Akaza opened his hand to reveal the frail yellow bud. "Akasei saved him before the garden was burned down. However, we cannot keep it there for obvious reasons."

"My goodness! You actually trust me to take care of the Demon Queen's flower baby!" Douma practically grinned glee at the frustration on Upper Three's face. "Well, I did do a great job with Fuyu-hime, so, of course, I'll watch the flower child!"

Another smack was heard followed by another shriek of pain from Akasei. Now the fiery demon was throwing a full-blown tantrum on the floor as Inosuke blew raspberries at him. The floor itself was starting to bubble and boil from the heat radiating off his body. Fuyuka was now scolding both boys to behave as she tried to cool off some of the floor with her ice powers.

"I better get that woman to come to get her child before I consume him." Douma grinned, but there was a crack in his usual fake smile. "I wouldn't want my mansion to burn down due to your protégé's temper."

It wouldn't be long before Kotoha came running in with a frantic look on her face. She was surprised to see part of the room half burnt, a child sitting in a tub of ice water, and her baby giving a cold stare from Fuyuka's arms at the other boy. She gave a hasty bow to Douma before going over to his child.

"Is everything alright? I hope Inosuke wasn't hurt much."

"Oh not to worry Kotoha! I think Inosuke is going to grow up to be a fine warrior!" Fuyuka handed her the baby boy. "He beat my brother twice now."

"He did? He what!" The stunned woman stared down at her child and over to a snarling Akasei. "I do apologize for Inosuke. He has become quite attached to the young mistress as of lately."

"Baby...bad..." Akasei gritted out, glaring at the baby. "Bad...baby..."

Douma gave Akaza one more reassuring grin. "Trust me, the flower is in good hands here."

"I'm inclined to disagree."

It was the calm before the storm.

The Infinity Castle was unnaturally quiet as Hotaru made her way down the hall. Her usual smile was now colder than before as she balanced a tray of tea in her hands. One would assume nothing more from her actions other than that she was going to pay her mother a visit. However, what lay deeper was a burning hatred that coursed through her veins. She wanted this so badly, to get revenge against the woman who caused her so much pain.

"Hello sister, you are out late tonight."

Hotaru bit back an insult when she stopped in front of the calculative eyes of Rui. Of all her adoptive siblings, she had a close bond with him. It was as if he and her instantly clicked on topics involving spiders, poison, and other fun stuff. You could say that it was he who inspired her to seek out her tutor and better understand her abilities.

Now, there he stood, opposite of the hall with a curious look on his face.

"Hello brother." She swallowed the vile words that nearly popped out of her mouth. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in the halls tonight? Shouldn't you be with your other family?"

His eyes narrowed at her cautious words. "You are looking oddly suspicious tonight. Are you about to do something that you might regret?"

Had he figured it out? Should she have Kyojin attack him now? No...he would surely be able to subdue him in no time. Her hands nearly flinched at his words, but she caught herself quickly. The atmosphere was heavy as they both stared at each other without a single word for a moment.

"No." She finally spoke out, giving him a smile. "I am just going to have tea with mother. She has been so downhearted as of late with her garden being burned down."

"Yes...it was quite upsetting. I saw firsthand how much she loved that garden. It was her masterpiece and her pride and joy."

I loathe that place. That garden was a blight on the eyes and took her sight away from all that was important to her! That garden was a fancy prison, a coffin for her stupid corpse to rot away inside!

"I'm sure she'll find a way to regain that garden again. After all, she can make the Earth bend to her will." She took a tentative step forward, passing Rui a bit. "In the meantime, the best we can do is hope that she recovers from this tragedy and grow stronger."

"Hotaru..." His hand clamped down onto hers, nearly making her drop the tray. "What's in that tea of yours?"

"Oh...it's just a blend of flower petals that I gathered from the garden before it was torched. I thought making her a nice tea from it would-"

"You must think I am a fool to not smell a hint of nightshade in that blend."

Silence.

Hotaru huffed in annoyance, dropping the façade as she turned back to glare at him. "You are too smart for me brother. Almost a pity and a waste of perfect talent."

Rui gasped as he was caught off-guard by her sudden change in attitude. Her shadow rippled as Kyojin leaped out and pinned him against the wall. A hand clamped over his mouth, preventing him from screaming as she came forward with a smirk on her face.

"Don't worry brother, I'm not killing you just yet. I have a special place to keep you in while I do what needs to be done for the sake of my future." Her eyes darted at Kyojin. "Do it."

"Demon Secret Art: Hyperion Sun Prison."

Despite being a shadowy demon under Hotaru, Kyojin had a special ability that he learned from reading about Sun Breathing. Rui watched in horror as a miniature sun formed from his hands as he was sucked down inside a shadowy prison. The spider demon was stunned before a million points of light shot at him all at once. He screamed in pain as they were never-ending attacks. From above, he saw Hotaru smile down at him before sealing him away in the prison of light.

"What is this world coming to when even your own special brother is trying to interfere with your plans for revenge?" Hotaru shook her head as she continued her trek down the hall. "Give him five more minutes and make sure no one finds the hole. I am not stopping now before I am so close."

Kyojin bowed, making the shadows converge as it sealed his prison up. "What if other demons come for you mistress? What then?"

Hotaru scoffed, allowing her minion to jump back into her shadow. "I highly doubt it. Even if someone did, I will take drastic measures." Her right hand clenched as the nails grew longer and dripped with poison. "My mind is made up. Nothing will stop me from doing this."

As she turned the corner towards her mother's room, a feeling of giddiness overcame her. Just a few moments more and she was home free. Nothing would stop her now.

Except for the six-eyed demon that glared at her from in front of the door. Her eyes widened in shock as her heart started to pound. What was he...no...why was here in front of her door? Her hands clenched around the tray as she brought out her fake smile.

"Kokushibo! What a surprise!" She said with a voice like honey. "What are you-"

She had to slide downwards as crescent moons nearly sliced her to pieces. Her eyes glowed with fury as she realized what was going on.

"HOW DARE YOU! MOVE OUT OF MY WAY THIS INSTANT!"

There was no doubt that she was her father's child as she gave him a look of pure anger. To his credit, Kokushibo did not falter as he gripped the handle of his sword tightly.

"Leave. I wish not to harm you, but I will if I have to." His voice was firm, seeing as he felt hurt by the child he had grown to love as his own giving her such a vile expression.

Hotaru chuckled, placing the tray aside as she gave him the coldest stare she could muster. However, to his surprise, one of her eyes started glowing unnaturally purple and a ticking sound was heard around them. Kyojin exited her shadow and wrapped his arms around her shoulder as he snarled at her. Hotaru shot up in height, going from a little girl to a young woman. Her hair grew longer, her physique more pronounced, and poison coming off her hands. No longer was she a cute child, but a fierce woman of pure power. The aura radiating off her nearly made him flinch. What she said next made his blood run cold.

"What a coincidence...I feel the same way."

Tick. Tock.
There goes the clock.
The time is coming.
For the end of the line.

Forget me ever redeeming Hotaru, for now at least. I may change my mind. The next chapter is going to be a battle of strength and wits as Kokushibo faces Hotaru and Kyojin. What will happen to Rui? Will Akasei ever beat Inosuke? And what of the unborn child? So many things will be shown next time!

In the meantime, prepare for one heck of a battle!