Path of Lightning: Origins

Chapter 12: To be like you

Ryu let out a long sigh the moment he stepped out of school.

He gripped his backpack straps tightly, before nervously looking around. His eyes lingered on some of the kids gathering together and laughing, as they headed home together.

His eyes moved back to his shoes, and he proceeded to walk forward, only for a kid to knock him down as he ran in a rush.

He groaned in pain, then pushed himself up. He just wanted to go home and get over with it, so he fastened his pace.

Meanwhile at home, Nosaru stared at intently at a manual then at the device attached to the TV. Her eyebrows moved upwards, as she continued to glance between the two.

"Just how many cables does this thing need?!" She ran a hand through her hair before sighing. She opened her eyes and gave in to her impulsive thoughts, as she threw the book across the room. "I don't need manuals. I'm a professional." She muttered and started working.

When Ryu finally arrived, he was met with a big mess. He looked in surprise at the wires taking over a good part of the living room, along with a manual that he almost stepped on. He yelped when he saw his sister's head pop up from behind the sofa.

"Welcome home, Ryu!" Nosaru said, still panting from the fight she had with the cables, but what caught his eyes were the console and the cd case next to it. "Is that a playbox U?!" He exclaimed and jumped on the couch before picking a controller. The action made his sister smile fondly.

"C'mon sis! Play with me!"

"I don't know how to play." She replied, shaking her head.

'It's okay! I saw one of my classmates play it! I'll teach you!" After a few rounds, he regretted it. "How did you...?" He stared at the screen in shock. He lost every round.

"It turns out I have skills." Nosaru said, pleased with herself.

"But... but Leo is the coolest character! He can't lose!" Ryu argued, still in disbelief. "Rematch! I want a rematch!"

"No one is perfect, Ryu." His sister said, jabbing him playfully. "What confuses me is that the game is called Final Fatal Round... If it's 'final' then how come it has so many sequels, movies, comics and even an anime...?" She voiced her confusion.

"That's what we call 'milking' a franchise." Aiko said, sitting next to them on the couch. Her sudden appearance made them both jump off their seats.

"Where did you come from?!" Both siblings shouted.

"I was here the whole time." Aiko answered with a shrug, while the two squinted. "By the way, about this mess you made..."

"I was going to clean it." Nosaru said.

"Good. I'm so exhausted!" Aiko said and stood up. "I'm going to take a nap." She said then went upstairs.

Ryu's eyes wandered on her for a moment, before he looked at the younger sister with hesitance. "I've been wondering... you have being kinda weird lately. Do you... want to talk about it?"

"What do you mean by weird?" Nosaru asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She didn't think he would notice. Did she make it too obvious for him?

Ryu stared at her for a while, then shook his head. "Nothing... Anyway! Thanks for the game!" He hugged her than ran to his room.

She sighed and buried her face in her hands. She felt guilty for hiding things from him, but it was for the best. He was better off not knowing their family secret.

Ryu collapsed on his bed and grabbed a comic book. "I'm not blind... I know what's going on." He thought as he stared at pages. "I'm just not good enough like you Leo." He said, staring at a panel of his favorite hero.