They Come To See it as Necessary

Inevitability. Sequenced conclusions concatenated together, like iron chains. Its strength, reliant more on the interlocking events rather than material composition or length. Regardless of intervention, always bound to happen, potency proportionate to its weakest link. If broken, more inevitabilities arise, independent from the parent. Relentless and inescapable.

Monday the 10th of April, 2017. Kei was in his final year at Metagawa High School. He was eating lunch in the courtyard, at the back of the school, sitting alone when Meya walked up to him and sat down. She had still adorned the pink highlights in her hair. Kei secretly enjoyed her company but was too concerned with other matters. He remained adamant about his course of action. But for a single moment, Meya was the locus of his thoughts.

"This is the first day back, and you're not going to sit with me, and Kanda at lunch, Kei?" Meya spoke, comprehending Kei's situation.

He expressed bewilderment; his eyes bolted to her face. He looked down at the table, and his textbooks were spread open. There was also a regular book on criminology, specifically about being a detective.

"Yesterday was Sunday, and you cam over with Kanda again," Kei said with a slight smile. "I couldn't find you two at lunch, so I decided to come back here and study." Kei said with confidence.

"Today's the first day of school, but if you want to study, then go on ahead! I wanted to tell you about Act Time! Risa and Abe found a sponsor! If things go well, then I could go to the Magaki University of Performing Arts! It means that I'll have to leave the city." Meya said, smiling, understand how Kei would feel. Meya tried reassuring him with her expressions, knowing she decided without his input or knowledge.

"Congratulations, Meya. When it's your first performance after you graduate, give me three tickets. I'll invite Kanda..." Kei's moderately happy face elapsed, becoming slightly upset. "I'll invite Rei too. He's out there somewhere."

"How close are you to becoming a detective? I heard that you need a degree or good qualifications to become one. Don't you need to do training as a police officer?" Meya said with her light-hearted playfulness.

"I'm already doing that. This is our third and last year in this school. I'm going to be seventeen soon, so I've already made plans. The officer that took me and Rei in that night gave me his number. I met with him last year, and he put in a request, and I got in!" Kei said with a smile to reciprocate the kindness Meya was showing him.

"Amazing! Have you worked in the field already? You know...because there's a lot going on in this town. Risa and Abe were telling me they wanted to leave because of how dangerous it's becoming here." Meya said with sparse concern.

"Well, you could say that. I've seen things here and there...there and here...to be honest, it's still playing in my mind. That night made me feel like an empty shell. I didn't know what to do. My life lost all meaning. I had nothing to give or to take. I'm fine now, so you don't have to worry about it!" The happiness on his face waned, but then he mustered up enough strength to smile once more.

A new group of girls approached their table. They were third years that Kei had seen during his time at Metagawa, but he had never spoken to them. Each one had highlights in their hair, similar to Meya. Their colours being green, orange, blue and violet.

"Meya! It's time for rehearsal again. Abe told me to get you." said the girl with green highlights.

"Oh yeah! These are our new recruits, Kei. They joined before the end of the second year." Meya said, standing up with excitement.

"Hello. I've never spoken to any of you, so hi." Kei responded with a smile, hiding his anxious, reluctant side.

"You're Kei Hirojima?" said the girl with the orange highlights.

"Yes, that is I. The one that is known as Kei..." He paused as the girls stood staring at him. "Kei Hirojima..." Kei looked down, speaking to himself, but was audible to the girls.

"Kei? I'll see you around, okay?" Meya spoke elatedly, trying to make Kei happy again.

"Let's go, Meya. Keeping Abe late is like a dormant volcano ready to explode." Said the girl with the blue highlights. Meya walked away with the four girls. Kei realised late since they were already walking away.

"Oh...Okay then..." said Kei, his feelings subduing his voice.

"What am I doing?" he thought to himself in frustration. He smacked his hands against the table.

"How long is it going to take? Why can't I do anything right now? I have to be patient...but how long will I remain petty? Why am I still going after my mother and father's killers? Why am I not just letting it go? Rei's gone...that's the truth, and I've been running away from it. There's no other path I can walk down. I chose it, but it's never the end until I think it is. The only thing that I can do is be a detective...that's what I'll do" All these thoughts, coupled with his emotions, made Kei hesitate. However, it was short-lived, as thoughts of his brother kept urging him, remaining ignorant to it.

Switching visages, Rei had an idea of where his brother was. He was training inside the Shibakawa Dojo of Taekwondo. Around the mountain and forest housing Seijiro Kirohishin's Dojo, all the other Dojos were there. They were in areas where modern-day people would never think to live.

Six months had passed since Rei first joined that Dojo. He was already an expert at the Taekwondo fighting style. With his capability, he could knock out a human with a single kick or punch. He could take on any student of any level and beat them with ease.

Within the Subterranean, the Elders decided to allow Rei to fight any opponent outside of his division, but only if they agreed to fight him. They disallowed Rei from using chosen Martial Arts at the discretion of his opponents. However, he was allowed to use Eternal Rule because it was born outside of Kendo.

He made copious amounts of money from the fights and brought it back to the Dojo, celebrating with everyone there. Inside of the Subterranean, he met with Seijiro, Nagai, Shinpei and his other students rarely. The Shibakawa Dojo of Taekwondo had more students than the Osumi Dojo of Karate, regarding the number of students that attended daily and the number of students that lived inside, or around, the Subterranean.

Inside of the Dojo, Rei was currently fighting Takashi Bizen. He ran towards Rei, attempting to perform a Tornado Kick. Rei dodged with ease, applying an absurd amount of psychological pressure, maintaining eye contact with him. At that moment, Rei found an opening and performed a Palm Heel Strike against Takashi, which stunned him. Then he immediately performed a Tornado Kick himself, which knocked Takashi off his feet and on the floor.

"Fascinating...Absolutely amazing..." Said Hiroaki Shibakawa with a blank look on his face. "I've seen it many times, and I know it myself, but you did it with ease. It's seamless like a river. There are no impurities...it's so clear..."

Rei ran up to Takashi, who smirked and took Rei's hand, and he stood up.

"You didn't go all out, did you?" said Takashi.

"No, I didn't! Otherwise, your head would come flying off, and so would my head. I'd be killed by all my Masters." Rei smiled cheekily, knowing that he would get away with it.

The story of the boy who lost everything continued. The story of the brothers who ran towards their individuality, taking on the world in whatever shape or form it took, discovering who they were, began differentiating themselves from the other, developing thoroughly.

Thus, Rei and Kei, who look exactly like each other, became two completely different people — and for that reason alone, they would clash in the future.