Black Hole Sun

Hattori looked almost shell-shocked as Raijin spoke and, for a moment, the man allowed himself to hope that his cousin would actually understand him. The Iga heir had always followed rules and been the perfect son while Raijin had done neither, in fact he’d raged against the idea of it, determined to not be a pawn in someone else’s chest board. But, any hope he had was shattered by the words that fell from the dark man’s mouth.

His golden gaze trailed after the man’s pacing frame, his own expression turning from vengeful to stoney. Now it was his turn to lock away his feelings behind the mask they’d been trained to wear, because if the other man wasn’t going to even acknowledge the hurt that he felt, or the hand that his own father had in the matter, then he didn’t need to bare himself out like he had been. Not for the first time, he found his chest aching for his brother.

“I didn’t intend on getting another chance from the beginning,” he said quietly, his jaw clenching. Even in his drunken, grief-stricken state, Raijin had known what he’d had planned meant for him. Death. He’d die, fighting for his brother and cousin’s honor, and take down the cursed villain in the process. He’d meet them in the afterlife and bare Hideki’s chained soul to them as reparation. But, as his uncle had held him pinned to the floor, his fangs cutting through the skin of his face like a butter life, he’d realized that he wouldn’t even be able to take him down with him. It would have been for nothing, and it had been then that his survival instincts had taken over. He didn’t even remember escaping from Iga, nor the next few days that followed as he’d stumbled away, half-heartedly fighting off his pursuers while half-dead before passing out for he didn’t know how long. Yeah, he’d fucked up, but at least he’d tried.

“Say what you want of me, Hattori, it’s nothing I haven’t heard from you before, or anything I haven’t already said to myself. I’m not asking for your understanding, I’m asking for you to fucking show you care for once in your life. We don’t get along, we never have, but one thing we do...did, have in common, was Take. Fucking cry, scream, something, because I cannot be the only one that bears this grief. It’s already torn me apart.”