Clash of Twins? The Lord of Chaos Rules

This article, , is a side-story entry set during Renascence Beginning and serves as the sequel to First Steps Into the Unknown, Exposition Into the Unknown and Sakae's Descent. Akira Hiroshi serves as the primary protagonist with Hotaru Hiroshi as the main antagonist.

The weather calmed Akira's racing heart.

Rain fell in diagonal sheets, lightning flashed overheard, and thunder roared for miles around. Yet Akira was not afraid. Stormy conditions had been a mainstay of his youth -- the exertion of his father's reiatsu affected the weather in such ways, and it had actually comforted him growing up. Akira had grown up in a time of war: his father's enemies had been known to hurt Kenji through his children, and anytime Akira saw a sudden thunderstorm appear as if from nowhere then he knew his father was close.

The reminder helped Akira -- the only thing that would have eased him more would have been his father's actual presence. If he where watching now though then his heart would have been torn in two. Because two of his children -- his twins! -- where badly at odds with one another. Hotaru stood with the blade of Tsukigami mere millimetres from Akira's throat! Akira's blade hadn't even been drawn from its sheath.

"What would you do, father?" He thought. "You always made everything look so simple. Your best friend Hollowfies and goes on a rampage? You throw away your defence and connect with him to pull him out of his rampage. When your friends where captured and experimented on you went to the ends of the earth and back to rescue them. When anyone threatened us you brought swift vengeance down on them. Having watched you all these years... I still don't know how to reason with my own brother."

"I told you not to interfere." Hotaru snapped. "I will not warn you again."

"Would you look at what your doing!?" Akira screamed. "It doesn't have to be this way, Hotaru. Think about the consequences! You can still turn around and walk away."

"Can I?" Hotaru asked. "What good would turning away do? Are you going to get us home?"

"Your method is madness!" Akira answered, his resolve hard despite the fact a blade was still millimetres from his throat. "We can find a way together, Hotaru, without bloodshed."

For a moment Akira actually thought he would get through to Hotaru. He could see his brother wrestling with the decision. And then Akira found himself falling to the floor. He tasted blood in his mouth and realised that Hotaru had punched him squarely in the jaw!

"You where always soft." Hotaru said. "I'm only going to tell you one more time, Akira. Back off."

And once again the gleaming point of Tsukigami was held to Akira's throat.

"Or what?" Akira asked as the light reflected off the tip. "You'll kill me? Like that girl from the Kidō Corps?"

Silence.

And that, Akira knew, was the crux of the matter. How resolved was Hotaru to see his goals through? Would he kill his own blood?

Akira slapped the blade aside and walked right into his brother's face.

"What now?" Akira asked.

Akira didn't know if his father was alive or dead. One thing was certain: if he had heard Hotaru's response, then he would likely have dropped dead from shame right then.

"... Let the Lord of Chaos rule."

"Let The Lord of Chaos rule? Have you any idea who you sound like!? No, brother. I won't let you destroy this world so we can return to ours. If you continue down this path... then I'll become the Morning Prince, just like our father did all those years ago, and I will stop you."

"You will try." Hotaru answered.

"And I'll succeed."

Throughout their childhood Hotaru had been the 'older twin'. Akira had never asserted himself in anything -- except of course when Kay was concerned, and Hotaru was being an ass towards her. This time Akira wasn't backing down... and Hotaru knew that.

"... Have it your way, brother."

Hotaru summoned his Hollow mask in a swift motion Akira barely followed and impaled him through the chest! Akira, to his credit, managed to don his own Hollow mask in the same moment. Before Akira's body had even hit the ground he vanished into an opening portal.

As he saw his brother vanish a single tear fell down Hotaru's cheek...

End.