Chapter Text
One of the few memories I possess of my childhood is my brother dancing around the living room with me, singing a catchy song with a good beat about a flying firebird who loves music. To this day I find myself humming this song at random times; it was our favorite after all.
My name is Tsubasa Hiragi. I was born on December 24th in japan, along with my older twin brother, Itsuki. I am a third-year student at Ayanagi academy, a special elite school for the gifted. I am the head of the Kao council and will graduate at the top of my class. Eventually, I will inherent my rightful role as the head director of the academy.
I am a phoenix.
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My mom always told me I was a very dramatic child and I could not help myself from agreeing. For instance, I am sure that me and my dramatic flair are the main reasons as to why I lost my twin brother, Tsubasa.
It was just a normal day, the sun was high in the sky and so were we, flying as fast as the wind could carry us and as far as our mother allowed us to go. she always made sure to remind us how dangerous it will be if any humans saw a pair of 7 years olds with wings flying above them, so we had to stay away from the city. The wind blew my hair back and my eyes closed naturally as I took a deep breath. This is where I belong, I figured, high in the sky where no one can find me but my brother. I released a chuckle of joy and spun around; my wings battering on their own and spinning with me. I could sense my flying partner looking at me so I turned around to face him with a smile.
"Can you do it Tsubasa?" I challenged and he smiled back at me, his wings pushing him higher.
"No problem!" he said happily and spun around as well, ending in a perfect pose, his arms straightly paralleled to his open wings, his face shining with satisfaction.
"Wanna try it together?" I asked and he nodded enthusiastically. But as we both turned to perform the trick, our mother's voice rang out, calling us down to the ground, immediately. I could hear Tsubasa's huff of annoyance as he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the house before I could protest like I planned to.
Landing was something I had yet to master at that point in time so I fell on my butt in front of our gate, causing Tsubasa to laugh and offer me a helping hand. "It’s okay, you just need to practice more!" he encouraged, but I rolled my eyes in frustration, moving my hair from my face. My younger brother was always so optimistic, believing that practice is the cure to everything.
"I just need to start living in the air! There's nothing interesting on the ground anyways…"I declared and he seemed to be amused.
"But won't you get tired?" he wondered and I bit back my tongue, folding my arms on my chest. I haven't thought that far. Why is my younger brother smarter than me?
We quickly made our way to our house, ready to be faced with a delicious dinner but instead, we faced one of the scariest men I ever had the pleasure to meet.
"Grandfather…?" Tsubasa mumbled quietly next to me, I was too busy staring in order to give him a proper reply. My grandfather was a serious man, the head of Ayanagi academy, the school where all non-humans in japan go to, where I and my brother were planning to go together, when our time comes, and be the greatest duo ever. Well, at least that was the plan.
I took my twin's hand in mine and walked ahead of him; deciding that whatever this man wanted, we will face it together. Mom always said her father was a hard man to deal with and that it will be better for everyone if I kept my mouth to myself around him. I kept that in mind as we approached.
But before we could announce our presence, the threatening man turned around toward us. "Can they fly now?" my grandfather asked, not talking to us yet but to my father, who stood behind him. All I needed to do was to glance at his direction to realize this was not going to be good.
"Yes, their wings became large enough a few months ago." My father explained and I noticed Tsubasa's wings were pulled closer to his body, he was nervous.
"His wings are still black," my grandfather stated, looking at me with his small yellow eyes. He wore a white shirt that is unbuttoned on the top and gray dress pants. Underneath, he wore a maroon turtleneck and a black blazer over it. He was leaning on a walking cane as he stood. His appearance that day will forever be burned in my mind.
I did not understand why he was making a big deal about my wings. Sure, Tsubasa and my mom had orange wings(like fire) so it made less sense that mine were black…but so were his!, I thought stubbornly, and unlike mine who were decorated with fluffy feathers, his were all skin, like a bat.
He was a scary man.
"Why won't we go inside?" my father offered and our surprise visitor straightened his back, so did I in response.
"Come on, Itsuki-nii." My younger twin whispered gently and pulled my hand. I followed.
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"You were chosen." My grandfather said to me. His face expression was plain and serious as he spoke, explaining to me about my new position. At first, I was afraid to be alone with him, the man himself scared me, what could he possibly want from me? I wondered in fear. But I reminded myself that Itsuki said I should go, and if at any time I need help, I should just call him.
We were sitting in my and Itsuki's bedroom as he spoke and all I could do was listen.
'The new head of the family'
'Leave immediately'
'Be trained for the cause'
'You are a Hiragi now.'
All ran right through my head as I sat there unable to move or talk back. What was he talking about? I need to leave?! Why?! Where?! I was freaking out until I told myself to stop acting like Itsuki and actually listen before jumping to conclusions…. But it turned out that my conclusions were actually correct. Apparently, I was meant to become the heir of the family now, so I needed to leave my home everyone in it and become a Hiragi, or at least that was what grandfather wanted.
"I-I'm sorry, sir?" I spoke hesitantly. In that moment I wished I had my brother’s confidence and natural charm more than anything. Grandfather stopped his talking but continued staring at me, waiting for me to speak. I took a deep breath and looked around; there is no one to save me now." I-I'm afraid I c-can't…"I tried to keep my voice steady and his face remained blank. "I don't want to leave,” I voiced honestly, feeling a little more confident because he let me talk, but that feeling only lasted for a short moment.
"It is not a matter of want, Tsubasa." He said. "It is your duty as the next in line to take on your responsibilities. You will do as you are told."
The phoenix represents fire, the sun, justice, fidelity, and above all -obedience. This is the first thing I learned in my life as a Hiragi.
My mom tried really hard not to show her sadness as she helped me pack a bag; she told me it will all be okay and that we will see each other all the time, that they will expect my calls and letters every week…and I agreed.
My dad patted my back before giving me a hug, repeating the same things as mom, telling me that it will be good for me and that the training is just going to make me stronger than I already was. He told me he was proud of me for doing this for our family, that I was a good boy…and I agreed.
Itsuki did not come down to tell me goodbye.
My luggage was placed in the trunk of the black car and I did the mistake of asking if we could fly instead of driving. That got me my first death glare from grandfather. I got into the car and buckled my seat belt, fighting the urge to look back and watch my house one last time. The current head of the Hiragi family sat beside me and ordered the driver in a harsh voice to: go on and drive already.
I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I saw the woods of my childhood house disappearing behind us. So I looked away and stared at my knees, messing with the cuff links of the suit they told me to wear before we left. Then I heard a familiar loud voice yelling,
"Tsubasa!" my head snapped back and I practically glued myself to the window. "Tsubasa stop!" he called for me and I looked at him with wide non-believing eyes.
"Itsuki…"I mumbled, watching him fly as fast as he could, his wings flapping fanatically and his face angry yet determined, his red-eyed almost burning. He always had a dramatic flair.
"Tsubasa!" he called again and I was about to roll down the window to tell him to help me out, but I felt a hand on my arm.
"Face forward." The cold voice ordered and I did, remembering that this was what I needed to do, this was what's best for me… "you are no longer Tsubasa Otori." he said and I nodded calmly while I tried to ignore Itsuki's yells ."You are Tsubasa Hiragi from now on." he noted seriously and I nodded again.
"We will fly together again! It’s a promise!" I heard my brother call out to me. Tears welled up in my eyes again but before I could do anything about it a death glare was directed at me once more.
"No crying." Grandfather ordered calmly and I choked, Itsuki's voice quickly faded away to the silence.
That was the second lesson I learned.
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Being without my brother was the worse feeling in the world.
After I lost sight of the car that took him away, I broke down crying. My mother caught up to me and brought me back home. She and dad tried to explain as simply as possible what happened over my favorite dinner. They told me that this had to be that way and that my twin was going to get the best education in japan, that he was going to become strong and inherit everything the Hiragi family had to offer. Even back then I knew it was a lot.
I knew I was supposed to be happy for my little brother, the plan itself seemed good enough…but I always was (and always will be) a troublesome kid. No matter how many reasons they gave me to justify it all, I knew the right thing was what I felt in my heart…they took my brother away.
Weeks passed and not even one phone call came in, well, not for me anyway. Before I could actually pull myself out of it, sadness came over me in waves. Practicing flying was more of a chore now, studying alone was absolutely no fun and having no one at home to play with sucked. And I missed him, a lot.
So I made a plan.
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To my list of lessons learned from my grandfather which earlier possessed not showing weakness and doing what I was told, I soon added a few new ones:
'Be a role model'
'Be the best'
'Follow the rules'
'Don't let your emotions control you'
The last one I learned the hard way
My first few weeks at the main Hiragi mansion were hard. I was given my own room at the top floor, filled with basic equipment like a chair and a desk, a double bed and a wardrobe that mainly consisted of neatly ironed suits. The house had a large living area which had a TV and a video game console I wasn't allowed to use. Nor did I want to; the most interesting part of the house was the underground basement anyway.
It was almost as big as the house itself and it contained all the newest training equipment money could buy, weapons of all kinds and healing products to go with them, weight lifting sets on one side and a moving running track on the other. It also had a large arena which I soon learned had the power to simulate enemies for you to fight against. It also made you feel real pain.
The first skill my grandfather taught me though, was how to play the piano.
The instrument is one of the most difficult to learn since you have to have a lot of patience, persistence and concentration in order to master it-My grandfather explained to me as he watched me try to play for the first time. After a while, he sat down next to me and I nearly squeaked in fear as he did. He seemed to notice it because the next thing he did was smile at me.
I was so shocked; all I could do was stare at him like a lost puppy. He gently laid his hands over the keys and began to play a soft, unique and beautiful melody. I missed music so much in my short time away from it. It made me want to sing, preferably with company.
"Playing is hard, but it can be beautiful right?" he asked suddenly and I nodded, watching his skillful hands tickling the keys in perfect accuracy. "I don't want you to hate being here, Tsubasa. If you don't plan to actually try," he pointed out and I nodded again, not knowing what else to say. My grandfather was a strong, intelligent man who had achieved all of his goals in life.... will it be so bad to be like him?
"I want to..." I said quietly and it was his turn to nod.
"Well then, let's begin your training." He said and got up off the bench, taking his place on the sofa behind me, where he was sitting during all of our music lessons. "Again."
My mother always said my grandfather was hard to deal with and that it is better to keep quiet around him, I hanged on to it as I tried to convince myself not to ask to talk to Itsuki. My grandfather did not waste any time in telling me that my twin will be kept away from me until my training is complete. Itsuki was a bad influence, he was a troublesome kid, he didn't follow the rules, he was a free spirit...and I nodded even though I didn't agree, I loved my brother, he was my favorite person in the whole world.
So I made a plan. I just needed to do one very important thing before I could act upon it: get on my grandfather's good side.
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I flew as fast and as quietly as I could under the cover of night, the color of my wings helping to disguise me. It took me a while longer than I hoped to finally figure out where my grandfather lived, where he took my brother. My mother really shouldn't leave her mail just lying around.
The house was huge, even from afar, but the gate did not have any kind of protection against flying creatures so I easily made my way above it, scanning the windows carefully. Then, I saw him. He was wearing glasses now and his hair was shorter than he used to keep it, his eyes were the same dark blue yet with something different about them somehow. He was leaning against the window's ledge, staring at the moon with his big fire-colored wings hanging behind him, they were hard to miss.
I practically squealed as I flew toward his window, noticing the same reaction from him as he saw me, a smile appeared on his face as he bolted towards me, tripping a little on the ledge but taking off anyway.
"Itsuki!" He called but I signed him to be silent, meeting him halfway with a hug.
"We have to be quiet," I whispered and he nodded, as obedient as always but somehow more. "We have to get you out of here," I said and he moved back, his face confused.
"Leave?" he asked, voice frail and unbelieving to match his facial expression. "I'm not going to leave,"
"Why not? We can go together," I explained. I read somewhere that after being in captivity for a long time, subjects may not want to leave and believe that they are actually in a good place...I just wasn't expecting this to happen to my brother.
"Don't be silly, this is where I'm supposed to be," he insisted with a half-smile. "Grandfather has all of these cool training devices and....I was hoping you will want to stay with me," Tsubasa confessed, giving me the feeling of being slapped across the face. Stay? Here? With grandfather? Be trained to be a soldier?
"What...?" I mumbled, not understanding how the sweet and encouraging smile could be attached to such crazy words and ideas.
"We can convince him together, I'm sure! All you need to do is promise you will do everything he says!" he claimed, his eyes focused on me, bright until they weren't.
"I'm not gonna stay here, Tsubasa."
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What was he saying? What did it mean? My brother was finally in front of me for the first time in months, his hair was longer and his wings bigger but just as they always were. He came to see me, probably broke some rules in order to do so (but he always did) and I didn't even get the chance to tell him everything I learned or the fact I think I have another power....and he was leaving me?
"Nii-san..."I mumbled. But his face wasn't focused on me anymore, they turned to look somewhere behind me. Before I turned around as well, I heard the sound that will always come back to haunt me.
"Itsuki!" He yelled. His wings making angry sounds as they carried him closer to us. His eyes weren't yellow as they usually were, but flaming red with anger....like Itsuki's. "You are not welcome here." He said with an authoritarian voice, positioning himself between me and my brother, who didn't seem to flinch in the presence of our grandfather.
"I came to get my brother!" my brother yelled at the intruder, causing me to gasp. I never heard anybody brave enough to talk that way to my grandfather.
"Did you call him?" the bat-winged man's voice was directed at me now and all I could do was shake my head with a quiet, 'no sir.'
"Tsubasa..." my brother pleaded but before I could react and tell them to stop, tell them that we can just talk it out like civilized people, my grandfather commanded:
"Quiet." He ordered calmly, so I kept my mouth shut. There was shouting again, nothing I could focus on as I hovered in place, wishing somebody, anyone really, will show up to stop this...but no one did. I couldn't do anything myself even though every inch of my body told me to. Follow the rules, do as you're told, don't let your emotions in your way... Instead, I watched motionless as grandfather's eyes grew redder, enough to shoot a ray of red fire...right into my brother's chest.
That seemed to bring me back to reality.
"Itsuki!" I called as he fell to the ground, bleeding and motionless, not even a cry of pain escaped his lips. I shot to catch him but was grabbed by my grandfather, he held me still as I struggled to get to my brother's body, lying on the ground lifeless.
"I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way, Tsubasa." My grandfather said as I struggled, in the same voice he spoke to me when he was trying to teach me something. I refused to listen and called my brother's name over and over, telling him to get up and screaming at my grandfather to let me go... "this demon is better away from you," he declared and suddenly I was forced to hover still. Not struggling but paralyzed in fear.
A pair of red eyes was staring back at me again.