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Changing Flame

"I...I'm...sorry," Recca murmured, emerald eyes looking at everything but at the man in front of him. However, even with his nervous gaze, his body was rigid, prepared for an attack at any moment.

"I don't need your sympathy," Kurei stated coldly, his wine colored eyes narrowed at his "brother," scrutinizing every anxious move the younger boy made.

"It's not sympathy!" Recca bunched up his fists, "Ouka, our old man, he told me that you were the real heir, and I was really the dark flame caster. So..." his eyes softened as he finally looked up at his older brother. "I really was the one who should've died that day 400 years ago."

Slowly, Kurei lifted the ever present white mask that he had worn ever since his face was burned. Recca's eyes widened slightly, but he held his ground.

"You should have died," he dropped his mask to the ground, making Recca loose focus for a moment, allowing Kurei that brief moment to grab his wrist, pulling him backward against a nearby wall. Another arm immediately pinned Recca's other wrist so that his hands were bound by a pair of undeniably strong arms.

"Yet, you didn't," Kurei continued, his face barely an inch away from Recca's face. He noticed smugly that alarm was starting to creep into those emerald eyes. Those eyes were just as expressive as ever.

Recca remained silent, looking up at Kurei with a defiant, yet wary expression. He remained pinned against the cold wall, but didn't struggle. For a moment, he thought Kurei would really finish him off except...he continued.

"However..." the scarred face loomed even closer, "I didn't want you to."

"What?!" Recca eyes widened until they resembled dinner plates, his mouth open slightly as he stared at his brother incredulously. Forgetting about remaining silent, he nearly hollered, "You do all these things to me! You try to take away Yanagi, nearly kill my friends in some fucking tournament, what the hell have you been doing all these years then?!"

"Watching you grow, making you stronger for what lied ahead," Kurei stated softly, his mouth ghosting over Recca's cheek, the same cheek where he inflicted a cut that would remain forever. Meanwhile, his pale finger lightly tracing Recca's calloused hands, marveling at the smooth, yet rough texture. To his silent delight, Recca shivered, but not out of fear.

"You hated me, you tried to kill me, my friends, so why...why..." Recca trailed off, confusion clear on his face.

"Because...with all that happened, I was...and still...your brother," Kurei said firmly, his wine colored eyes staring into Recca's, those eyes revealing the truth with those words. "Kaoru, he reminded me of you. Defiant, strong...yet, caring and innocent. He still thought of me as his "brother" even though I disowned him."

Recca was startled at the comment comparing him to Kaoru. For some reason, his chest felt like an elephant had trampled over it. He finally turned away, his voice sounding weak, even to his ears, "I'm not stupid Kaoru!"

"No...you're not," Kurei absently agreed, his hand, the one that had been idling tracking Recca's hand, now traveled further until it reached Recca's face. A pale finger trailed down a soft cheek until it finally stopped at a band aid.

"Ah!" Before Recca could protest, Kurei tore the band aid off, revealing the scar that had been placed upon him 400 years ago.

"W-what the fuck are you doing?!" Recca hollered in panic, his eyes dilated as he watched a pale finger began delicately tracing his scar.

"I did this," Kurei stated as he continued to trace the scar with his thumb, the rest of his hand was still cradling Recca's head. His face loomed closer until his lips almost touched the scar, his breathing caressing against soft, tan skin. "I didn't miss you on accident."

Green eyes widened further, his pulse quickened as he fought the blush that was appearing on his face, "Why?"

"Because," gently, Kurei brushed his lips against the scar before raising his head, staring into Recca's shocked eyes, "Those eyes of your made me stop." He continued as Recca blinked confusedly at him, "They were too...trusting..."

"Now..." the older of the two moved away, his hands releasing Recca's, "All I see now in them are scorn and anger."

Gracefully picking up the mask he had dropped, Kurei turned away, "Your friends are probably looking for you." He side glanced at Recca, "You should return to them. By now, one of your pea brained teammates has thought that I've killed you by now."

Recca's arms dropped down to his sides as Kurei began walking away, his mind frozen at the words that bombarded him.

'I didn't miss you by accident.'

'Those eyes were too trusting.'

"Nii..."

'All I see now in them now are scorn and anger.'

"-San..."

Kurei turned around, his scarred face showing shock on it, true, undeniable shock, at hearing the title uttered from the younger flame caster's lips.

Before Recca knew it, he had tackled an unsuspecting Kurei to the ground. He found his head was buried against Kurei's leather incased chest, his own arms pinning his brother's arms.

The mask was now lying back down in the dust, completely forgotten by the two brothers.

Recca, thankful that Kurei probably couldn't see the blush on his face, kept his arms pinned firmly against Kurei as payback. "Since Mori Kouran's dead, you don't have anywhere else to live, right?"

Kurei, who laid still beneath Recca, breathed out a barely audible yes, his mind still in a semi-shocked state at what happened.

"So...stay with..."

"With?" Kurei looked down at his younger brother, purple eyes staring at the top of Recca's head as if he was seeing through the younger one.

"With me...and 'kaa-san, of course," Recca stated hurriedly, his blush deepened before he quickly jumped off of the still Kurei. "You can decide whether or not to accept later. I gotta go."

Recca was about to sprint out of the vicinity if it wasn't for the fact a pair of strong arms hadn't wrapped around his waist and shoulders, keeping him in place. "Eh?"

"I think...I would like to accept your offer," Kurei stated softly, his head resting lightly on top of Recca's head, his grip tightening against the smaller brother. "That is, if your offer is still up for grabs."

"Ah..." Recca managed to relax his body slightly as he re-taught himself how to breathe, before replying, "Yeah, it is...nii-san..."

To Recca's relief, he could feel a small smile on Kurei's lips as the older kept his hold on the younger. He couldn't help but smile himself as he realized that this was their first hug.

It probably wouldn't be their last.