Gazing at the empty box, a flashback materialized in Koroki’s mind.
A small Koroki was seen crying on his patio for some unknown reason. His eyes were filled with water. He tried to hold it in, but the tears couldn’t stop from falling down his cheeks.
He suddenly felt gentle, warm hands on his shoulders, hands that felt very familiar to Koroki.
“Koroki, dear. What happened?” they asked.
Koroki turned his head to the familiar figure, an adult woman with a sincere and concerned expression.
Koroki sniffled. "I… I wanted to play with the kids in the neighborhood, but no one wanted to play with me. They would be scared of me and call me names. They would run away from me like I’m… some sort of monster.”
The woman comforted Koroki, wiping the tears off his face. “Oh honey, you’re not a monster. Listen, it’s ok to cry. Everyone cries. I also cry sometimes. Being able to cry just means that you’re human.”
Koroki continued to sob.
“Um... hold on.” She slowly removed her hands from Koroki, turned around, and ran back inside the house. Waiting for her, Koroki could hear plastic being fidgeted with like a present was being unwrapped.
___
The woman walked out of the hose, hiding something behind her back. “I got something for you.” She pulled out a double-sticked popsicle.
Koroki inspected the treat, smelling it, “Wh…What is that?”
He has never seen anything like it. It wasn’t something people in his area ate.
“I think it’s called a popsicle. Someone was giving them out earlier. I heard it tastes like a banana. Do you want some?”
Koroki nodded. Holding the end of the two sticks, she split the popsicle in half.
The young Koroki’s eyes lightened up with amazement as if he were watching a magician perform in front of his eyes.
He grabbed one of the wooden sticks. He carefully examined the popsicle, making sure he liked its appearance. Most kids like to examine their food before they eat it. If it looked nasty, they probably wouldn’t eat it. It could be something poisonous or worse- kill them.
Looking closely, he found it appetizing and they both decided to take a huge bite. As they chewed on the popsicle, they could feel the coldness on their teeth.
“Ah, it’s cold!” they both exclaimed, surprised by the icy sensation.
The woman giggled at Koroki and her synchronized response.
After a few moments of having a mini blizzard inside their mouths, the coldness faded, and they could finally savor the banana-flavored treat.
Koroki was astounded by the taste, his eyes filled with joy. “Mmm, it’s so good. Thanks... Mom!”
His mother grinned softly. Her eyes closed as she giggled. “You’re welcome, dear. Now we’re both happy!”
Koroki paused with the bitten popsicle in hand, and looked at his giggly mom, puzzled. “Huh? Why are you happy?”
Her giggles continued to get louder, leaving Koroki more confused.
“Wait, what’s funny? Why are you laughing?”
He felt like he missed some extremely funny joke and was left out. His embarrassed, confused expression gradually turned into an annoyed expression.
The mother’s giggles slowed down. “Ha-ha, because of you.”
“Huh?”
Her words did not make the situation any better. They only made Koroki more confused. Maybe it was a joke that a kid like him wouldn’t understand.
“Haha.” Her laughter continued. After some time, she stopped laughing.
“Look, Koroki, the reason I’m happy now is… because you stopped crying.”
“...?”
“After I gave you the popsicle, you cheered up. And seeing you happy makes me happy.”
Her explanation slowly started making sense to Koroki.
He watched as his mother held both sticks in each hand, visually illustrating her point. “You see, we’re like these popsicle sticks. This popsicle is special. It’s not meant to be eaten alone. It’s meant for two people.”
Using the sticks to demonstrate, she continued to explain. “One person can eat it by themself, but that would leave the other person upset. Kind of like how the kids play games together.”
Koroki nodded, starting to grasp the concept.
“However, if you split the popsicle into two, then both people would be happy. The same goes for humans. When we hide our emotions, it eventually hurts us. Sometimes, emotions shouldn’t be kept hidden. When you keep your emotions to yourself, those who want to help you can’t. But, if you allow yourself to share your pain with others, both you and everyone else will feel better.”
She began to glance at Koroki, smiling gently. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Those words seemed to touch his heart. The young Koroki maintained his silence and stared intently at his mother. Her gaze shifted towards the clear blue skies. Her smile remained, but her eyes gradually softened.
“Koroki…”
While speaking, the wind became stronger, drowning out her voice. Koroki can only remember seeing her lips moving. The words slipped from his memory.
After she finished speaking, Koroki vaguely remembered himself glancing away, staring at the far-distance sky, and muttered, “Ha, whatever you say, mother.”
After reliving his past, his eyes found themselves once again reverting to the box. Even with his half-hearted smile at the recollected memory, his eyes remained sad.
___
After Surata’s conversation with Ishio, Surata paced down the stairs, heading towards the front door. He walked past Koroki as he approached the door. Fixated on trying to find the right channel, Koroki heard Surata putting his shoes on while he was watching television.
“Hey, we ran out of popsicles.” Koroki reminded him, laying on the couch with my head resting on his hand. “Make sure to buy more!”
Surata replied with a nonchalant tone, “Yeah, yeah, I won’t forget.”
“Banana, please.”
Rolling his eyes, Surata responded, “Alright! I get it! Just buy it yourself!” With that settled, Surata slipped his shoes on and exited the house.
___
Moments after Surata left, Koroki heard a distant noise, unable to recognize the source.
“Koroki.” The mumbling was too low to hear with the television on.
Koroki lowered the volume of the television to hear the sound more clearly.
“Koroki!”
That word sent a shiver down Koroki’s spine. It felt like being caught red-handed by a strict parent, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong... well, at least he hoped not.
The last person he ever wants to upset suddenly yells his name, Ishio.
Knowing he didn’t do anything to annoy him, Koroki slowly headed upstairs.
“Why is he calling me? I was trying to find my favorite show to start.”
Upon arriving, Koroki unenthusiastically strolled inside Ishio’s room, stepping on the scattered crumbled paper and covering his yawn.
“You called me, Ishio?”
Ishio, wearing a gentle smile, kindly reminded him, “I thought I already told you, Koroki. Just call me Dad. Anyways, can you train Surata today?”
Koroki looked around the room, feeling a sense of unease. “What? Why can’t you do it? You don’t seem busy with anything important.”
“This is… important.”
“…”
The conversation didn’t seem to be going anywhere. This was starting to feel like a stalemate. Neither person wanted to train Surata. Ishio looked preoccupied, and Koroki lacked the energy to do it.
Koroki, disinterested in the idea, said, “Um… yeah…sorry, I can’t. I just remembered there’s a new episode of– “
Slam.
Before Koroki could finish his sentence, Ishio swiftly stood up, wearing the same kind smile, and punched Koroki in the head. The rumbling from Koroki face-planting the floor caused the room to shake slightly.
Watching it from afar, it looked like Ishio was going to kill Koroki with that powerful attack. That’s to be expected. If a strike like that had any murderous intent behind it, it could have seriously injured someone. Luckily, for Koroki, there wasn’t any.
Koroki struggled to get up after face-planting the floor. “Ouch… is this your way of showing tough love?” He kneeled on the floor, supporting himself with his arms.
This was always their relationship. Surata respected his father highly, while Koroki respected Ishio… differently.
Koroki knew that Ishio’s “tough love” for him was different from most parents, but it somehow felt like home. He could feel Ishio’s love from his fists, even if they annoyed him. His strikes would always catch Koroki off guard. Koroki would constantly receive a hit this hard… quite often. However, all those beatings made him a little more durable for any of Ishio’s future “love” attacks.
Ignoring Koroki’s comment, Ishio asked, “What were your plans, Koroki?”
Despite his twisted smile, he slowly lifted a clenched fist in the air, almost threatening Koroki.
Koroki didn’t want to take another hit. In a terrified tone, Koroki replied, “Umm, to help Surata train of course.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’m glad you want to help your brother out.” Ishio lowered his clenched fist, dispersing the threatening aura in the room. “While you’re at it, could you also help Surata with the groceries?”
“Yes, sir,” Koroki responded, his fear still visible in his eyes.
Koroki wasn’t scared when he was first brought in, so how does someone who arrived with murderous intent become this scared? Koroki can try to take a stance and fight back, but he would probably lose.
“Oh, thank you, Koroki. I always knew you were such a kind person,” Ishio sarcastically remarked, patting Koroki’s shoulders.
Mumbling under his breath, Koroki muttered, “Stupid old man.”
Hearing his words clearly, Ishio playfully replied, “Hmm? What did you say?”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Nothing, I’ll get ready!” Fearfully, Koroki flees the room.
___
As the sun began to set, Surata finally managed to grab groceries for dinner. He walked out of the store, mentally exhausted from what to buy.
“Wow, the line was so long!” While having his hands full of grocery bags, he checks the time on his watch.
“Oh no! It’s going to be night soon. I still haven’t trained enough for the day. I must get home soon.”
Surata tried to hurry home, realizing he couldn’t run to his full extent with the grocery bags constantly slapping his legs. So, he grabbed the groceries towards his chest.
While running, Surata stumbled upon a dark alley. He was in a rush, so running through the alley was probably his best bet.
As he took the shortcut through the empty, abandoned alley, he tripped on something, scattering his groceries and leaving a huge mess.
“Ouch. No, the groceries! I have to hurry and make dinner. Everyone is probably starving by now. And I don’t even want to know what Koroki’s gonna say.”
Surata quickly tried to pick up his groceries and noticed the melted ice cream on the ground. While trying to salvage what was left in the carton, his hands were suddenly stomped on. The weight of the boot was too heavy for Surata to move.
He slowly looked up to see that the person who was stepping on him was a grown man. The man had an evil smirk behind his expression. Behind the man were his two partners.
“Oh. I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there,” the man sarcastically said. The other men joined in laughing at Surata.
With the cockiness in their voices, this wasn’t their first time doing this. Surata began to understand the situation he had found himself in. These adults, with personalities that match their dirty appearances, surrounded Surata, blocking his every exit.
Their aura felt dark and powerful. If he hadn’t been blindsided, he would have had a better chance. But he knew he did not stand a chance with these thugs unless he used his true power—if he awakened it.
Struggling to look around, Surata gazes at their outfits. Small cross-shaped tattoos were exposed on their arms.
“No way!”
Surata’s shock leaked out as he nervously asked, “Are you guys from Ikari?”
With their raspy voice, the leader responded, “Huh? What’s it to you?”
The Ikari clan was one of the three most powerful clans in the world. They were known for their violence and involvement in the War of the Fallen. Some say they were the main reason the war started.
“So, what if we are?” the men continued.
Their eyes and tattoos lit up simultaneously and changed from their natural color to a bright red color. Surata felt the powerful aura emanating from them, leaving him almost paralyzed in fear.
“Did they just get stronger?” Surata's eyes flashed. “This must be… Noye. This is the same feeling I felt before… when I first met Koroki.”
This was a perfect time to fight back before things got ugly. Usually, in these situations, someone will come to help him, like in most stories. But, there was no sign of Prince Charming coming to save the day.
The leader pointed at Surata with a voice filled with authority, “Get him, guys!”
As the men were ready to jump Surata, the boot stomping on his hand loosened up, enough for him to react.
Koroki hastily used his legs and swept the men off their feet, causing them to lose their balance. Surata stood up and delivered multiple jabs to the three men. His quick thinking surprised the men.
Things were looking good for him since he caught them off guard. Surata’s punches were fast but lacked power. Unfortunately, he doesn’t put up much of a fight. With three people against him, it wasn’t long before they recuperated.
The men grabbed Surata’s arms, leaving Surata’s body exposed. Surata desperately tried to free himself, but the grip from the men was too tight. Annoyed by the surprise attack, the thug leader infused his Noye and a lethal punch at Surata. Surata’s body ached in pain as the leader’s fist connected with his ribs, sending a crushing pain through his body.
The leader continued his array of attacks, like punching a punching bag and crushing Surata with each punch. Surata coughed up blood from each hit, his stomach turning purple.
“Are their attacks getting stronger?”
How can a powerless, normal person ever defeat someone with special abilities? It’s biologically impossible. After receiving multiple blows, the leader commanded, “Alright, let’s take him away.”
The companions agreed and took Surata away, knocking him unconscious and leaving behind the scattered groceries in the alley.
___
Time flew by, and Koroki calmly headed towards the grocery store. He strolled on the sidewalk with both hands crossed behind his head, expecting to find Surata there.
“Surata’s taking a long time just to get some groceries. There must be a huge sale or something.” Koroki smirked, “Hopefully, the sale includes my ice cream.”
Before arriving at the store, Koroki stepped on some yellow liquid near an alley. The sticky liquid ruined his clean black boots.
He followed the liquid trail into the alley until he discovered a spilled ice cream box and other groceries.
Koroki examined the scattered groceries, “Who leaves their groceries on the floor and doesn’t pick them up?”
Surrounding the bag, he noticed spots of somewhat fresh blood. He gazes at the blood and melted ice cream.
With that in mind, he stood over the bag, face-palming, realizing who the bag’s owner was.
“You have to be kidding me.”
___
Hours after the kidnapping, Surata slowly regained consciousness and found himself strapped to a chair in a cold, dark, unfamiliar building.
“Where am I?”
The lightbulb shining above him barely covered part of the building. There were no windows in sight. Without sunlight, he tried to look around the place. He noticed rusted railings, broken crates, and debris.
Surata realized that he was in an abandoned warehouse. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. He was in some trouble, as this was starting to feel like an interrogation scene. However, there doesn’t seem to be a good cop anywhere.
“Oh, he’s awake.” A voice muttered. Surata followed the voice and saw the three thugs from the alley. The thugs taunted Surata. “Why the surprised look, Surata?”
“Wait…Surata? How do you know my-”
“How do I know you?” The thug leader spoke up. “The real question is, how do we not know you… Surata Aoi?”
Surata's eyes widened. How did he know him?
The man continued. “You’re the son of the great Ishio Aoi, who controls this country. It would be rude if I didn’t know you. However, I didn’t expect to see the Aoi family stoop so low.”
With anger in his eyes, Surata asked, “What do you want from me?”
“Oh, that’s easy. We just want to use you as a bargaining chip. That way, we can get back to our normal lives.”
“A bargaining chip? I didn’t realize I’m that valuable.”
With their serious yet cocky smirks, Surata could tell that they are serious. But his country is the most peaceful, so what was he bargaining for?
One of the thugs asked his partners, “So, if we use this brat to negotiate with the police, then we can go back home?”
“Probably. A chance like this rarely happens. Now we can finally make it up to him. Too bad Arji got caught, though. Then we could have escaped together,” replied another.
“Arji?” Surata thought back to where he had heard that name.
Yuki, the Shikari, had earlier mentioned something about Arji’s friends. After a few moments, he managed to connect the dots. These guys were the same escapees from earlier. With that thought, Surata realized his situation had just gotten worse.
Out of nowhere, the thugs kicked Surata’s chair to the floor. They stood over him, laughing at his helplessness.
“The Aoi family is feared as one of the three great families in this country. But there’s been some rumors that you are still struggling to awaken your Noye. Usually, people your age would’ve unlocked it by now.”
Surata’s heart sank, looking defeated by the thug’s words.
The leader continued mocking him. “If the son of the great Ishio can’t control his power, then maybe your father isn’t as strong as people say he is. Maybe we can take him out and maybe take over this country!” As they laughed at Surata, they continuously stomped on him.
Surata entered deep thought, “He’s right. I should’ve been able to unlock my Noye by now. Everyone my age has already awakened theirs, so why can’t I? Is it because I haven’t trained hard enough? Or is it because… I’m just weak and powerless?”
The attacks stopped hurting Surata and they felt numb. “What can I do to get power? Why… why can’t I be as good as my father or as gifted as Koroki?”
Surata grinded his teeth out of frustration.
“But all Koroki does is just sit around. I mean, I don’t know what happened to him before I met him. He doesn’t like to talk about his past much, I don’t even think Father knows about him either. Why did Father take in Koroki? Just who is Koroki?”
While enduring the beatdown, Surata hoped that this living hell would somehow end. Surata was about to accept his defeat. Just when all hope in Surata’s eyes was lost, he heard a loud noise in the distance.
Clang.
Surata overheard the noises of men screaming from another room.
“What was that noise?” the leader asked. “One of you, go check it out.”
Suddenly, the large metal door blasted open. Large bursts of wind flowed into the vast building.
This wasn’t the kind of thing Surata was expecting, but this could create an opening for him. Maybe hope wasn’t completely lost. If only he could somehow untie himself from those ropes, he could maybe have a heroic comeback.
Standing at the metal door's entrance, a shadowy figure slowly appeared. The sunlight from the huge doorway shined on the figure’s back, temporarily blinding the thugs. “Who is that? Who are you?” one of the thugs screamed.
The mysterious figure began speaking in a serious, monotone voice.
“So, here’s a question. Why are three lowly thugs bullying a poor kid?”
Before they had the chance to get a closer look at the figure’s face, the shadow swiftly moved behind them.
“Does it really take three grown adults just to beat up a kid? Talk about horrible people.” the figure taunted.
The figure’s speed alone stunned the thugs, causing the other two thugs to collapse beside the shadow. The leader remained standing, trying to keep his composure. The other thugs shortly stood up, trying to confront the figure.
The figure had a male teenage figure with Cherry-pink wavy hair, wearing a white jacket with some markings on it. In his hand, he wielded only a pink scabbard.
The leader of the group chuckled, “I didn’t expect that, kid. You’ve got some nerve.
Surata contemplated if he heard that right. “A kid? Why is there a kid here?”
The leader smirked, “But adding one more kid isn’t going to make a difference. What’s one more kid going to d-”
Without finishing his sentence, the thugs trembled with fear, feeling the enormous aura the person had. His aura felt much stronger than the men's. The thugs gazed at the kid’s dark, soulless eyes. His intense eyes sent a chill down their spine.
On the floor, Surata leaned his head to stare at the kid, wondering what was going to happen to him. With no way to defend himself, he hoped the mysterious person would ignore him and let him live. Trying to compensate for his position, Surata took a closer look at the kid.
“Wait a minute…Koroki!?”
The kid, Koroki, stood there, cracking his neck with his hand, “You guys talk way too much. I didn’t know thugs talked this much. Anyways, since you guys keep talking, I’ll just make this quick!”
The leader's anger grew, veins popping from his neck, “Teach this kid a lesson!”
The thug’s eyes and tattoos simultaneously began to glow bright red. Their aura grew bigger and more powerful.
The thugs slowly extended their hands toward their tattoos, sinking into them like they were reaching inside a pond.
Surata was at a loss for words. “What are they doing? I’ve never seen this?”
Since this was a peaceful country, Surata never got the chance to see these abilities. The only other time he had ever seen something like this was during that downtown attack. Despite being in a dire situation, he couldn’t stop his excitement.
The thugs’ hands slowly emerge from their tattoos, each one pulling out a unique weapon. Their aura exponentially intensified, resonating from their weapon.
“Oh, so you guys can use Noye? Then I can enjoy this even more!” Koroki exclaimed. He quickly glanced at the thug’s tattoos. He took his scabbard and assumed a fighting stance, focused.
The thugs laughed at Koroki. “Haha. Hey, kid, where’s your weapon? Don’t think you can fight us with just a scabbard.”
“Don’t worry, this is my weapon. I don’t use a sword, just my scabbard. Besides, this is all I really need to beat you guys.”
“Oh, yeah? Get him!”
Unfazed by the disadvantage, Koroki began brawling with the thugs.
Surata was left to watch the fight on his side. He couldn’t watch the fight well but could hear their weapons clanging.
The thugs desperately tried to attack Koroki. Koroki would block their powerful attacks with his weapon and calmly ducked and jumped over their attacks. After dodging, he would deliver a brute swing with his scabbard towards the thugs’ core. With their attack infused with their Noye, their weapons could never touch Koroki. Each strike was swiftly countered by Koroki, then repelled back at them.
The frustrated thugs were irritated as they were effortlessly beaten up by Koroki, breathing heavily and holding their sore stomachs. Their weapons couldn’t reach him. It’s only a single kid—how were they struggling so much?
Throughout the fight, the leader noticed that Koroki was managing this fight with his dull, soulless eyes. There wasn’t a hint of glow in his eyes. Was he not using Noye? Maybe he was seeing things. He quickly scouted around Koroki’s body but couldn’t find Koroki’s marking anywhere.
“Hey kid, how are you this strong without your Noye? Where’s your marking? Have you ever unlocked your Noye?” the leader confusingly asked.
“Huh? Why do you care?” Koroki replied with no sympathy in his voice.
Seeing how this fight was heading, the thugs knew they didn’t stand a chance. They quickly tried to escape the fight and linger in the distance, dragging themselves away. “We will remember this!”
Koroki lets them go, seeing them in their pathetic state. “Ha, idiots will always be idiots.”
Looking back at Surata, Koroki couldn’t hold his laughter. “So, what the hell happened to you? How did you lose to them?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” The embarrassment from this was too overwhelming for Surata. He knew he could have done something but didn’t. Koroki scavenged around the area to find something sharp enough to break the rope.
“Thanks, Koroki!” Surata exclaimed with a grateful grin. “Sorry about your ice cream.”
As annoyed as Koroki was about his spilt ice cream, he instead helped Surata. “It’s fine. You can always get more. But seriously, how did you let those guys do that to you? They were so weak.”
“They were weak?” Surata asked himself in disbelief.
Seeing how battered Surata was, Koroki decided to help walk him home, putting Surata’s arm around his neck.
Even though Koroki was extremely easy and laid-back at home, he didn’t mind helping Surata out, especially when he was in trouble. He may have looked uninterested on the outside, but Surata knew how kind-hearted Koroki was.
___
As they headed back home, Koroki's flashback from earlier resurfaced. This time, the flashback reverted to Koroki’s mom continuing her conversation with him. Because he saved Surata, Koroki finally remembered his mother’s words.
“Hey, Koroki. Can you promise me something?” his mother gently asked.
“What is it, Mom?”
His mom gazed at the clear sky. “I’m sure you’ll make some friends in the future. Maybe those friends could be your new family. But when you do find them, promise me something.”
“Yeah, mom?”
She turned her attention to Koroki, with her words filled with sincerity. “Make sure… to protect them.”
As the flashbacks faded away, the young Koroki silently replied, smiling, “OK, Mom. I promise.”
___
Koroki came back to reality, a faint smile sweeping from his face. Feeling in a good mood, Koroki offered, “Hey, since your dad is busy, I’ll help you train today. The sun is still up, so we have some time.”
“Did Father force you again, Koroki?”
“Yeah, but we should still train. And by we, I mean you.”
Surata playfully whined, “Hey! The last time you trained me, you were just sleeping outside and randomly waking up to scream at me.”
“At least I was doing my job.”
“You’re too lazy. That’s why you’ll never get a girlfriend,” teased Surata.
“Huh, what’s that supposed to mean?”
They both laughed at each other’s banter as they continued their journey home. Thinking back to when they first met, Surata believed that it was nearly impossible for him and Koroki to ever get along. But now, maybe it isn’t so bad after all. Maybe this is what having a brother is like. Surata smiled at the thought of Koroki being a brother. Though he’s a pain sometimes, he still loves him.
“Alright, Surata. I’ll train with you. I promise.”
Surata’s eyes grow bigger, surprised that Koroki will put his energy into something for once. Surata chuckled and replied, “I’ll hold you to that.”
The two boys strolled into the distance, ready to start their training to become stronger. But their time will come sooner than they expect when their strength will be put to the test.
___