WARRIOR OF LOVE

The little boy tightened his grip around the straps of his backpack, eyes glued to the sidewalk.

He was deep in thought.

With every step, Junpei kicked a small pebble along his path. He paid no mind to the voices of other children around him, happily chatting away about the latest episode of their favorite cartoons or what game they would play during recess.

To Junpei, this pebble was the only friend he needed…

Right?

He kicked once, taking another step to reconnect. He kicked twice and—a miscalculation.

The pebble said farewell, kicked down into the road.

Junpei stood on his toes, trying to find it but to no avail. He would be alone on this trip.

The roar of a motorcycle’s engine caught the boy’s attention, and he turned around to see who was behind him.

His eyes widened.

"Yuuki onii-chan!" Junpei cheered, rushing over to his brother.

Yuuki, seated on the motorcycle, embraced his little brother in a big bear hug. He kissed him on his cheek before putting him down, ruffling his hair.

"You’re off to school, right?" asked Yuuki, to which Junpei nodded in affirmation.

"Mhm, I got class today."

"Hm…" Yuuki feigned confusion, appearing to be in deep thought. Without hesitation, he picked his younger brother up and seated him right in front of him, giving him a full view of the motorcycle’s controls.

He took off his helmet and placed it on Junpei’s head, kicking the vehicle into action.

"Nah, not today. We've got some catching up to do. What do you say? Our little secret!" The older brother winked at the younger. Junpei smiled brightly, a baby tooth proudly missing.

With the wind blowing through Yuuki’s hair, the two set off to the entertainment sector of Rokudou City.

As they rode along the countless raised bridges overlooking the cityscape, Junpei looked up at his brother. He gave the older boy a poke against the chin.

"Yuuki?"

"Yeah, Jun-chan?"

"Why were you gone?" the boy posed a question that silenced Yuuki. The rider sighed, readjusting his grip against the handles.

"I had some errands to do for Kouren, and-"

"Masahi said you had to do something for school." accused the boy. Yuuki kept his eyes focused on the road.

"Yeah… It was that too, Kouren and I were doing something for my school." Was all Yuuki could muster.

Junpei, however, went quiet. He nodded, accepting what Yuuki had just told him.

***

Flashing lights, colorful floors, and the omnipresent cacophony of arcade games… Their first stop was a little place dubbed as the Action Arcade.

Junpei and Yuuki stood by a light gun game. The little boy held the toy gun high, shakily aiming.

Shoot!

He fired away, emptying the virtual magazine into the digital monsters.

One hit. Two hits. Three? No, he missed…

Yuuki stood by, watching intently as the youngster tried his best. Alas, by the end of the game, the machine had only printed out two tickets.

"Enough for some chewing gum, right?" Yuuki tried to cheer the boy up, patting his shoulder. Junpei, however, lowered the gun and frowned. He puffed his cheeks out.

"I guess so. It’s gonna take forever…" pouted the rascal. Yuuki eyed the game carefully, before putting in another token. He crouched behind his brother and placed his hands on his own, helping him aim the gun.

The game fired up, initiating its countdown.

"Now, follow my lead, aim right here…" Yuuki moved their hands over to a specific corner of the machine. Junpei looked up at his brother, about to question him, but Yuuki pointed him downwards.

Three…

Two…

One…

Shoot!

The two fired away and much to Junpei’s shock, shot an enemy repeatedly.

Yuuki had broken the game.

They fired away for a solid five minutes and racked up as many points as they could.

Before long, the timer ran out and the game was called. A new record.

Yuuki smiled proudly as he watched the machine whirr, pouring out ticket after ticket into Junpei’s grasp. The young boy was amazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Woooow… So many…" he grabbed as many of the tickets as he could before the machine inevitably ran out. Yuuki laughed, ruffling his hair.

"This is why you trust your old man, right? C’mon, let’s go get you your prize!" Yuuki grabbed the younger boy’s hand and led him to the prize corner.

***

Junpei and Yuuki stepped out into the sunlight, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. The mall’s courtyard was bustling and full of life, with street vendors dotting the scenery all around them.

Junpei held a brand new plush of Kagami Rider close and proudly wore his mask. The visor was a bright gold in the shape of angular moth wings, with two moth antennae sticking out from the top of the forehead.

"Hey Jun-chan, wait here for me, okay? I’ll only take a minute." Yuuki reassured the boy, and Junpei agreed, continuing to play with his plushie by the arcade’s entrance.

A minute had passed and Yuuki still wasn’t back. He was beginning to get restless.

Junpei stood on his toes trying to scout out his brother, before he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Aah!" the boy yelled, clutching his plush.

It was Yuuki, smiling at his younger brother. He handed him a silver and gold balloon in the shape of a moth, clasping his hands together and apologizing.

"Sorry for the scare! I hope you like it." Yuuki beamed.

Junpei held the balloon and marveled at it. It was wonderful.

***

"J-jun-chan, wait up!" Yuuki fumbled after his brother, barely holding onto his balance. A woman was beside him, holding him by his left arm.

"Come on, onii-chan! Keep up!" The boy whistled away, not paying heed to Yuuki’s struggles.

The two went ice skating, despite Yuuki’s reluctance.

Yuuki’s balance shook as he grabbed at the woman’s arm for balance, frantically kicking up the ice beneath him with his skates. She couldn’t help but laugh at this display.

"Akiyama-san, just take deep breaths! I’m with you." The woman, a trainer, reassured him, yet all it took was one misplaced step for the boy to come crashing down on his rear.

Thud!

He slid gently off to the side before grinding to a halt, sitting up. Yuuki rubbed his back, letting out a groan.

"Akiyama-san, are you alright?" The trainer crouched by his side, to which Yuuki shook his head.

"I’m fine, but at least the view here is quite lovely." Yuuki winked, looking into the woman’s icy blue eyes. She scoffed, pushing him back down as she giggled.

"You’re lucky you’re cute, y’know. C’mon, get up!" She motioned the boy to follow her and skated away, clearly showing off as she gracefully twirled.

He couldn’t help but crack a smile, sitting up again. Junpei skated over, stopping right in front of the boy. He blocked the view of the woman.

"Onii-chan, c’mon! Get up!" Junpei ordered, stomping his foot onto the ice. He grabbed at his brother’s arm and tried to pull. No dice.

"Alright, alright, I’ll get up!" promised Yuuki, slowly stumbling back up onto his feet. He told Junpei to go on and that he needed a second to recollect himself.

Junpei nodded and skated away, meeting up with the woman. She reached out and grabbed his hand, with the two skating in unison.

Yuuki leaned against the rink’s wall, supporting himself.

"Look at them go…" he whispered to himself, a warm smile spreading across his face.

He was happy.

***

Cotton candy was Junpei’s favorite treat and the two happily snacked on jumbo-sized portions as they walked along the sidewalk. Junpei would point to a bookstore and dash in, getting his hands over all the shounen manga he could.

Naturally, he would pick the Kagami Rider 4koma set…

Yuuki grabbed some for himself as well.

Manga wasn’t enough for the young lad as he begged his brother to ride on the merry-go-round. Yuuki relented and took his brother over to the attraction.

They didn’t leave until Junpei gave the go ahead.

All the while, Junpei would strike poses during the rides. Yuuki laughed at the sheer silliness on display.

Next was the toy emporium. Yuuki, ever so foolishly, pushed a shopping cart along with him.

His eyes widened at the sheer number of toys he picked out. Action figures, plushies, model sets, even some toy weapons-

Normally, Yuuki would have said no.

But how could he?

He snuck in a more complex model kit for himself. Couldn't hurt, right?

***

Finally, their journey ended at a small café near the toy emporium. The two sat down in one of the many open seats. The day was hot, but they were at least in the shade.

A waiter approached them and Yuuki ordered.

"Two cheeseburgers and two colas, please." Yuuki folded the menu and handed it to the waiter, who graciously accepted it.

"Extra fries please!" Junpei pleaded, to which the waiter chuckled and walked away.

Yuuki leaned back in his seat and sighed. What a day…

Before long, their food arrived. Two steaming hot cheeseburgers topped with fresh veggies on toasted sesame seed buns. Junpei’s plate had extra fries.

Yuuki paid immediately, handing the waiter a generous tip before the two were left alone to eat.

Grinning, Yuuki leaned over and grabbed a fry off of his younger brother’s plate. The boy pouted, but Yuuki simply waved the fry in the air.

"No sir, this is the Yuuki tax. Only fair." he winked, biting into the French fry.

"So mean…" Junpei frowned, grabbing onto his burger. He took as big of a bite as he could, happily munching away. "Yum…"

"No talking when you’re eating, young man."

"You’re just like Masahi onii-chan!" the boy accused through bites, before swallowing.

Yuuki laughed, taking a bite from his burger. This was nice… Maybe some extra mayo would have gone a long way.

He swallowed his bite and washed it down with a sip of soda. Pushing the plate off to the side, Yuuki looked at Junpei as he ate.

"Did you have a good day, Jun-chan?" Yuuki asked, awaiting a response.

The boy only nodded, too focused on the burger.

"That’s good… I’m very glad-"

"Onii-chan? Why are your eyes green?" Yuuki’s eyes widened at that question. Junpei stopped eating and looked up at him. "Why?"

Yuuki fumbled with his words, cursing himself for forgetting such an important detail.

"I- uh… Your big brother wanted to try something different. Contacts. Do you think they look nice?" Yuuki lied through his teeth, holding his breath.

Junpei thought for a second, giving a half-hearted nod. He took another bite and followed up his question as he chewed.

"Yuuki?"

"Yeah, Jun-chan?" Yuuki swallowed his fears, biting his lip.

"You’re not going anywhere, right?" the boy asked, his voice quivering at every word spoken. "You won’t, right?"

Yuuki went silent. He recalled the promise he had given to his younger brother the night before.

Had it really been only one day? It felt like an eternity.

He feigned a smile and patted the younger boy on the head, brushing his hair off to the side.

"Yeah, don’t worry. I won’t go anywhere anymore, I promise." Yuuki vowed.

***

The wind rushed through Yuuki’s hair as he rode back home. It was just about time for Junpei’s class to be dismissed.

He had a lot to answer for.

Junpei held on tight, trying to enjoy the rush of speed as they rode on. His mind, however, was occupied by just a single thought.

Why were his brother’s eyes different?

Weren’t they brown?

Yuuki says there’s nothing to worry about…

Maybe…

"I liked them better before…" the boy muttered to himself. Yuuki’s heart raced upon hearing those words, but he pretended not to hear.

It was better this way.