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Naohito looked onwards through the eyes in Amaryillis’ skull. Not his eyes, not since he was, what, twenty? He no longer remembered. He could barely think, as Amaryillis drained the arbitrium from his body, deftly controlling his entire nervous system like he was some kind of puppet. In a way, he was. Dragged along by metal wires as he watched his puppeteer insult his brother with his unwilling mouth. Part of him, the unbroken and defiant part, wants to scream. Jun was strong, so much stronger than Amaryillis knew. So much stronger than Naohito knew.
Naohito was rarely allowed contact with his brother- every time Amaryllis interacted with Jun was another risk that she could be discovered. He could not say what Jun’s favourite colour was, or how he felt about Naohito, or what Jun’s greatest dream was, or his favourite food. Naohito was barely a person, after having been used as a puppet for so many years; he was most certainly a negligent brother if he could even be counted as one at all.
Despite everything, the tears falling down Jun’s cheeks as he cried made him want to gather him in his arms (but they aren’t his anymore, not for a long time) and cradle him, reassure him, comfort him.
No, his brother wasn’t useless, he wasn’t weak, it would all be okay Jun.
But his voice is no longer his own and his body does not respond to him anymore. Amaryllis walks on, unheeding of Jun’s cries.
Another part of Naohito breaks.
———
Nao knows he has a plan in place. To save himself and Jun. To get her, that purple thing-flower-puppeteer out of his skull. Nao doesn’t remember the plan, but Toudoh said it was good and fine (did he? Nao didn’t remember).
Nao knows that it is only a matter of time. Amaryllis gestures to the board of directors, smug in her belief of her absolute victory. Nao knows that it is only temporary, that he will be saved. That Amaryllis will never be able to do to Jun what he does to Nao (puppet-thing-body-prisoner-battery).
Nao does not think about what happens if it fails.
Amaryllis smiles politely as the men in suits clap at her idea, praising her.
Nao holds onto the idea that this is only temporary.
Amaryllis takes a bow, and speaks about the overwhelming might of the Kagami Corporation, that they will never be topped to conquered.
Nao has hope. It is the only thing he has.
———
Noa lays in bed as Amaryliis speaks coaxing, honeyed words from his mouth.
“I know you can hear me, little boy~.” She croons. “All of this is unnecessary, you know. You’ll never escape, never be a person ever again. It would be soooo much easier if you just accepted it.”
Nao refuses. It is the only thing he can do.
“Aww, what gives? I already have your body, your vioice…” she flexes her/Nao’s hands and grins, “your hands… your corporation, your energy… what’s one more thing, huh? What do you even have to live for?”
The images of his loved ones flash through his head. Nao lives for them. (After all, who will protect Jun once he’s gone? Who will keep Toudoh from running himself into the ground, who will keep him from isolating himself from others?)
Amaryllis laughs. “All of that implies that they care. As if! All of your employees like you better this way!” She flutters Nao’s/her eyelashes.
“Maybe… if you won’t submit… the I should take your brother next~”
Nao’s heart (if he had control over it) would’ve stopped in his chest (not his anymore). No, not Jun, not him, not his little brother, no no no no no!
Amaryllis wraps her/Nao’s arms around herself/Nao’s body. “Awwwww, don’t like that idea? Don’t like the idea of me derizing onto his spine, worming my way into his head, puppeteering his body the same way that I do with yours? You know, I can actually control multiple bodies at the same time… oh, what I could make you do to each other!”
She waxed poetic the entire night about what, exactly, she was planning to do to Jun.
Nao screamed and screamed and screamed. His throat did not become hoarse- it was no longer his own.
———
Nao-Aniki screamed from within Amaryllis’ body. His Jun-little brother was fighting her, screaming. And he is strong, in a way Nao-Aniki never knew, never got to see. Because of Amaryllis. Hate welled in Nao-Aniki’s heart, even as Jun-little brother landed a solid hit on Amaryillis’ face.
It continued to well as Amaryllis tried to hold Nao-aniki’s body hostage, to try and make Jun-little brother hesitate.
And finally, a wave of pride washed over him and Jun-little brother landed the finale hit and Nao-aniki’s body was his own for the first time in years. Jun-little brother had grown so much, and Nao-Aniki didn’t get to see it. It hurt- but he would take it any day over Amaryllis being in his head again.
Even as Jun-little brother declared his desire to take over Kagami Corp., Nao-Aniki couldn’t keep a smile off of his face (and it was his face! After years and years of being a puppet, his face was his own again!) and barely kept the tears out of his eyes.
It wasn’t quite over, not with Fist still being a threat, but it was getting there. And Jun-little brother was strong enough to see it through.
———
No no no no no no no. Not this, not again. Jun was strong, so much stronger than Nao, but he was still his little brother. He was still human.
And everything Nao did, all of his suffering in order to keep Jun out of Amaryllis’ paws… was it truly for nothing?
As Fist stood there, wearing his brother’s body, Nao wanted nothing more than to scream. Just like that, his voice and body were no longer his own, as stayed stock still, scared into place.
As Alma and Hikaru (Jun’s friends, Jun’s loved ones) came to the rescue, Nao still couldn’t move. Still a puppet, even after the puppeteer was gone.
And they fought, and Jun fought too. Moments in battle were he would fight his way to front, encourage Hikaru and stall Fist, in a way that Nao had never managed to with Amaryllis.
His brother was so, so much stronger that Nao knew.
And they won. Fist was beaten, his brother was freed and it was finally, truly over.
And Nao collapsed.
———
The doctors informed him later that the likely cause of his collapse was that Naohito was no longer used to being the one in charge of his own body. Fubuki, a helpful young girl was had also been controlled by Amaryllis, had said that it was the same with her.
For weeks, he couldn’t even dress himself, reliant on orderlies and Toudoh to help him.
It frustrated him- he finally had his body back and yet it still wouldn’t listen to him. The doctors claimed that healing wasn’t linear and the he was doing well, but Naohito was absolutely done with this whole one step forward, one step back nonsense.
It wasn’t even just his body, no, it was his mind too. There were days where he was Nao, or Nao-Aniki. Days when his body was prison-puppet-cage and his mind was screaming-screaming-screaming. Days where he could barely talk. Days where he would latch onto Toudoh and Jun like a lifeline
Fubuki’s presence acted as a balm- a reassurance that he would be able to recover. But the person he spent the most time with was Jun. He was antagonistic and sharp- a stark contrast to the softhearted brother he once knew. But he was strong too. They spoke about everything- their favourites, Jun’s social life, the reconstruction of Kagami Corp…. It was like they were children again.
And when Naohito could stand on his own two feet again, Jun walked beside him, as they made their way back home. It was over.