บท 12: Chapter Twelve: Bonds of Fire and Shadow
Kaito leaned back in his seat as the private jet descended into the glittering cityscape of Tokyo. The city's endless lights reflected his thoughts—a chaotic, tangled mess he couldn't ignore. He wasn't just here for his grandfather's summons. The call had reopened old wounds, especially with Renji, his twin brother.
Unlike Kaito, who possessed unrivaled Esper powers, Renji had always struggled to carve his place. His minor fire ability, barely more than a spark compared to Kaito's overwhelming strength, had bred resentment between them since childhood.
The Arrival
The Kaneshiro estate loomed ahead, its traditional architecture starkly juxtaposed against the neon-lit Tokyo skyline. Kaito exited the sleek black car and was greeted by a line of bowing enforcers, their gazes wary yet respectful. Inside, the air was thick with tension. Renji was already there, his back stiff and posture rigid as he stood beside their ailing grandfather.
"Kaito," Renji said, his tone cold and clipped. "I see you've finally decided to grace us with your presence."
"Nice to see you too, Ren," Kaito replied, his smirk deliberately taunting.
Masaru Kaneshiro, their grandfather and the feared head of the Yakuza, cut through their exchange with a gravelly command. "Enough. Both of you, sit."
As Kaito took his place across from Renji, the tension between them was palpable. It wasn't just rivalry—it was years of unspoken bitterness.
A History of Resentment
Growing up, Kaito had always been the prodigy. His psychic abilities made him a phenomenon, earning him both admiration and fear. Renji, with his limited fire ability, had been relegated to the shadows, overshadowed by his twin at every turn.
"You've always been the golden child," Renji said bitterly when they were alone later that evening. They stood in the estate's courtyard, the moonlight casting long shadows between them.
"And you've always been the one sulking about it," Kaito shot back, his arms crossed.
Renji's eyes flared, a flicker of flame dancing at his fingertips before dying out. "You don't get it. You've never had to work for anything. Grandfather chose you before you even arrived tonight. I'm just here to watch you take what should've been mine."
"Is that what you think?" Kaito's smirk faded, his voice dropping. "That I didn't work for this? I've fought for everything I have, Ren. The difference is I didn't let envy chain me down."
Renji's fists clenched, but he said nothing. The bitterness in his eyes spoke volumes.
A Reunion in Tokyo
The next day, Kaito slipped away from the suffocating atmosphere of the Kaneshiro estate. He wandered the streets of Tokyo, finding solace in the chaos of the city. It wasn't long before he arrived at a dilapidated warehouse—the old hangout of his former gang.
Inside, familiar faces greeted him with a mix of surprise and excitement.
"Kaito!" Yuto, a wiry man with a mischievous grin, called out. "Back from the dead, huh?"
"Figured I'd stop by," Kaito replied, his smirk returning as he exchanged handshakes and backslaps with the crew.
The gang had been his family during his rebellious years—a motley group of misfits who'd carved their own corner of the Tokyo underworld. Seeing them again was like stepping back in time.
"You still stirring up trouble?" Hana, a fiery-haired woman with a piercing gaze, asked as she lit a cigarette.
"Always," Kaito said with a chuckle.
The reunion was short-lived, though. As they caught up, Kaito's phone buzzed with a message from the estate: Masaru had called for him.
The Challenge Begins
Back at the Kaneshiro estate, Kaito found Renji in the training hall, flames flickering weakly around him as he practiced against a wooden dummy.
"You're trying too hard," Kaito said, leaning against the doorframe.
Renji whipped around, his face a mask of anger. "What do you want?"
"Grandfather wants us both," Kaito said, ignoring the venom in Renji's tone. "But I'll tell you something, Ren. If you keep focusing on what I have instead of what you can do, you'll never win."
Renji glared at him, his flames flaring brighter for a moment before fading. "You think you're so wise, don't you?"
"No," Kaito replied. "I just know what it's like to fight for something. Maybe you should figure that out, too."
The Bond That Remains
As much as they clashed, Kaito couldn't deny the bond he still felt with Renji. They were twins, after all—two halves of the same whole. And despite the resentment and jealousy that divided them, a part of Kaito still hoped they could find common ground.
But with the test for leadership looming, reconciliation seemed further away than ever.
(Author's note sorry for the late chapter)
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