*Eita*

I glanced over my shoulder. What was taking Eiichi so long?

"You've changed, cuz," Borasco said, looking forward.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What's with that all of a sudden?"

He smiled and shook his head. "You know me, sometimes I say my thoughts aloud."

I furrowed my brow. He wasn't being his usual dumb self.

"I see."

He patted me on the back, pushing me down.

"Hey!" I yelled, glancing up at him. "Want me to splatter on the ground, you oaf?"

He grinned. "Don't worry about me."

I grumbled. "Who says that I'm worried about you?"

He crossed his arms and flew down to me. "I might not be the brightest lightbulb, but I can tell when people are anxious."

Had no idea that Bora was similar to Kohri beyond them both being on the not so bright side.

"I am, but not about you. It's my brother that I'm concerned about. He's nowhere to be seen. I'm not even sure he followed after us."

Bora sighed. "You're not cute at all."

I grumbled. He sounded like my big brother now!

"Who asked you?"

He smirked. "Anyway, don't worry about Eii. That guy will come. He's probably talking with Four-eyes and Lev or something."

What did my brother have to discuss with them?

"I can tell that Eii is worried about who the heir will be."

"Yeah, we talked about it on the way over to the hospital. He's worried about Eisuke being the one Capitolinus would choose."

"I mean you too."

I sighed. "Yeah, but like I keep telling him, I can fend for myself."

"Well, he is a big brother. Can't fault him for worrying about you."

It was odd to see him worry so visibly given our difficult relationship in the past. But it was also nice for the same reason.

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity blitzed past us.

"Seems that Four-eyes overestimated your speed," my brother said as he glanced over his shoulder. "He expected you to arrive in the village by now."

How could he be so fast despite training as long as he had? Not to mention last night's beatdowns. Was it thanks to the mana training he did in Munil?

Bora chuckled. "Told you not to worry, Cuz. Eii is as energetic as ever."

Brother shrugged. "Come in, you make me sound like a hyper person."

"You were as a kid."

Brother smiled at our cousin. "Never as much as you."

I flew forward, ignoring their compliment-fest. Or at least I thought it was one.

My feet touched down on the outskirts of town.

Eii and Bora dropped down soon after.

My brother moved his head side to side. "So, which of you will be first?"

Bora raised his hand. "I will."

I smirked. "What happened to your confidence from earlier? Thought you said that you wanted to fight us together."

"You will be okay with that? You might have improved at teamwork this past school year, but Bora's pretty bad at it still."

Bora scratched his head. "I would like to fight you alone, but I know that's not possible given how you are now."

I gasped. "How are you and what did you do to my cousin?"

Bora glared at me. "How dumb do you think I am?"

I smiled. "Just playing around, cuz. Though, it does seem you've gotten smarter."

Bora smiled and nodded his head. "Tha- Hey, what's with the backhanded compliment?"

Eii scoffed. "Enough joking. I want both of you to come at me at your one-hundred percent."

Bora and I transformed our angel tools into their gun forms and jumped back.

"You take his left, I'll go right."

Bora smirked. "Taking the role of brains, huh? Fine. I'm used to being more of the brute strength."

My cousin rushed ahead and appeared on my brother's left side.

Eiichi spun his spear, flicking away the electric bullets as if they were nothing. His expression was stern and unamused.

I dashed over to my brother's left and unleashed several weak green electric bullets.

My brother jumped back. I gasped as they went toward Bora.

Borasco scratched his chest where they had landed. "Try to make them stronger, Eita. All those do is tickle me."

I leered at him. Why did he make it sound as if I were fighting him?

"Behind you," I yelled as Eii appeared behind him.

"No, he's behind you!" Bora yelled.

I gasped as Eiichi's arm grabbed my neck. The tip of his spear was only a few inches from touching my back.

"If I were the enemy, you would be as good as dead," he said with cold eyes. It felt as if I were fighting Hyosetsu rather than my brother. In the past, Eii would have kicked me into a tree or boulder. Had he adopted his fighting style?

I slammed the back of my wings against him and unleashed a shockwave.

Eiichi gritted his teeth and redirected the electricity toward Carlos's tip.

I used this opening to pull his arm away and rush over to Bora.

"You forgot how fast Eiichi is?" Bora snapped.

"Of course not! Wait, how did you know the afterimage behind you was a fake."

Bora smirked as he moved his fist back, slamming Carlos's shaft. "I've got the experience."

Eiichi smiled as he vanished again.

"Is there an opening?"

Bora sighed. "Your eyes won't help. You got to use your gut to fight the guy. It'll tell you where he'll strike next."

Sounded like something that Tetsu would say, though that guy struggled with it too. It seemed as if he was always trying to balance gut feeling and using his head. But once he was in the zone, he would do a lot. While playing basketball, he would stop being a nervous wreck.

Come to think of it, Serra, Xime, and I were probably the only ones who knew that side of him apart from his immediate family. Well, Yuko and Nori too as they stayed with us while Tetsu was trying to wrap his head around how to activate Agnes.

"You got time to talk?" Eii said, slamming the back of his spear against Bora's stomach.

My cousin simply grinned even as he was thrown back. Space warped around Bora and he was gone.

Eii glanced up and fired a bolt of red electricity at the sky.

Borasco emerged from a crack above and crossed his arms as soon as he saw the electricity coming his way.

He could take that without flinching? My cousin was hardier than I thought. Then again, the guy did play rugby in high school and in college.

Eii's eyes widened as Bora focused the electricity into the barrel of his gun.

"Falter," Bora yelled before launching a dense electric bullet.

Eii dodged and watched as it struck a cloud, tearing a hole through it. Lightning crackled from the remnants, but moved from cloud to cloud instead of dropping to the ground.

"Not bad," Eiichi said, grinning.

Bora appeared behind him like Eii had done to me earlier.

Eiichi ducked Borasco's gun. Our cousin clicked his tongue as he finished sweeping the side of his gun in the air. If Eii were the enemy, he probably would have shot at him. Not that Eii would've been done in by an electric bullet.

Bora rushed at him and tackled him to the ground.

Eiichi knee kicked him into the air.

"Sorry, but I won't be pinned down so easily," Eiichi said as he shot up into the air.

Bora crossed his arms over his chest once again as Eiichi unleased multiple red electric currents at him.

My cousin let out a shout, pushing the electricity outward as soon as he spread out his arms. Eiichi redirected it back into his spear.

How do I help Bora out? My lips curled into a smile. Seeing Borasco using his rugby moves against Eiichi just now had reminded me of what he said about Tetsu. As the Shield Knight's rival in basketball, I couldn't let him show me up. An electric sphere appeared in my hand. More and more energy built up around it.

Eiichi and Borasco gasped as they turned to look at me.

"That move is dangerous, Eita!" Eiichi yelled.

"Even I know that!" Borasco yelled.

I smirked as I stopped the energy intake. "Relax, I haven't even completely learned that attack yet. This is merely a weaker substitute." I leapt into the air while keeping my wings tucked. Borasco went around Eiichi and grabbed him by the arms.

Eiichi squirmed.

"Bora, move aside."

My cousin smiled. "It's fine. Plus there's less of a chance you'll accidentally kill the guy."

I leered at him. Did he think I was dumb like him? I knew how much energy it took to kill a fellow lightning mana user. While Eii didn't have Bora's crazy endurance, he could still take shot like this.

"If you say so, but don't blame me if your muscles ache later," I said, throwing the electricity ball toward my brother and cousin.

Eiichi grinned as the ball started to become undone. It was being sucked up into his sphere like a star into a black hole.

I gritted my teeth as I tightened the mana in my sphere to keep more from leaking out.

"Your mana control is still elementary, little brother!" Eiichi said, chuckling. "You'll never beat me. Nor you, Bora."

Borasco grunted as he was elbowed by Eiichi, yet he didn't let go. Seeing them reminded me of when Bora had me in his grip back in the palace. I couldn't escape it either.

I glared at my brother as he continued to laugh despite his situation. Why was he acting like his old self again? Did the chance to beat me again at something make him get back on his high horse? Or was he trying to get me to draw out more power?

I jumped up, still with my wings tucked in. I slammed the ball with my palm. Eiichi gasped as the sphere tore a hole through his shirt and pushed both him and Bora beyond the clouds.

I gulped. I didn't just kill them, right?

Red lightning rained down from above.

I jumped out of the way of the bolts.

A panting was trying to get free from Bora's gasp.

They were both still conscious?

My cousin let go of Eiichi and slammed him toward the ground.

Brother struck our cousin in the side, sending him flying in the direction of the Kuroyuki mountains.

Maybe we had fought too close to the town for comfort...

Eiichi landed on his feet and stared at me. He gave me a slight smile before collapsing to the ground.

"Eii!" I yelled, running over to him.

"He should be fine," a voice called out.

I turned around and saw Suzuki and Sabine.

"I'll fix him up," Sabine said, kneeling beside her sort of boyfriend. She placed her hands in his disheveled golden wings. "This guy, he keeps running himself ragged."

"Yeah," I said as I sat down next to my brother. Seeing him train this much reminded of Tetsu more than the Eiichi I used to know.

Before Mom left with the king and the others, she told me to watch over him. She also shared with me that Dad used to train just as much, to avoid the fate that befell his friend. Ironically, he had ended up the same way. Mom wonders if he would've fared better if he had continued at it instead of having slacked off once the war ended.

"D-did we win?" Borasco asked as he flew back over to us. His hair was covered in leaves.

"Yeah, though it feels like he held back given he didn't use Second Heaven."

Borasco crossed his arms and stared at the unconscious Eiichi. "That's probably because he wanted a fair battle." He grinned. "Which is incredible as he used to be one who loved crushing his opponents."

Fair? But he was facing off against two people. What part of that was fair?

"Surprised that you weren't knocked out," I said with a slight smile.

Bora crossed his arms. "Please. I won't be taken down that easy. Plus, I broke my fall with my wings."

"You are fortunate that they are still in working condition," a voice called out. Much to our surprise, it was prince Zafir.

"What are you doing here, Prince-man?" Borasco asked.

Zafir smiled. "Came to see what the commotion was all about. Some of the townsfolk were starting to worry it was another attack."

"So they sent you?" Suzuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Mizu no Kin prince frowned. "Why do you sound skeptical about me?"

She opened her mouth but then closed it. "Well, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised by now. The two princesses have been to the frontlines, so I guess it's only fair that a prince of Mizu no Kin would do the same."

Zafir tilted his head and scoffed. "I've been there too. Both at Grand Crater and in Xeleria. If anything, I should be doubting your skills." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not to mention your loyalty. Especially given what your brother pulled."

"Hey, don't start fighting," I said, standing up.

"We aren't. At least I'm not. Unlike Reno, I'm not one for arguments," Suzuki said, turning around. She took to the air and dashed off.

"Suzu!" I yelled.

"It's Suzuki for you, kid!" she yelled back even as she continued to fly away.

Kid? I wasn't a kid, though. What would it take for her to see me as an adult?

"Sorry about that," Zafir said, turning away. "Seems that I still got to think more before I open my mouth."

Sabine chuckled. "Funny. You strike me as a polite young man already."

Zafir blushed slightly. "I'm not really all that polite."

"That's true," Teresa said as she walked over to us. Nate rode on her shoulders. He had a slight smile on his face. She must've given him a piggyback ride to cheer him up. Those always made me feel better as a kid. Even older, being lifted into Dad's shoulders made me feel like I was on top of the world. Especially after winning a game.

The prince of Mizu no Kin blushed. "I knew you would be one to say that."

Tetsu's older sister tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Come on, I'm joking! Ya got to lighten up a little."

Zafir sighed. "Akari used to say the same thing."

Teresa's smile vanished. "I bet she did, given how stiff you are."

Nate giggled. "Reminds me of Sy!"

Reminded me of Four-eyes...

Teresa laughed. "Marina made that comparison too!"

Zafir leered at her. "She did, huh?"

Tetsu's sister bit her lip. "You aren't going to punish her, are you?"

"No. What kind of guy do you think I am?"

"A scary guy."

"Scary guy!" Nate said, pointing at Zafir.

"I'm not!" Zafir said.

Scary, huh? Suzuki was frightening in her own way too. Oddly, that drew me closer to her. Come to think about it, she was similar to Zafir too.

"We should take Eii to rest," Borasco said as soon as he picked up my brother.

I nodded. "I'll leave him in your care."

"Huh?"

I waved and jumped into the air. "There's someone that I'll like to talk with first!"

Bora smirked. "That scary red-haired babe, huh?"

My cheeks reddened. "Y-yeah," I said before bolting out of there.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^**