Melanin

Reo had been kidnapped. At least, that’s what Hotaru was sure of when he rolled up to their meeting spot on his shiny bike to discover that Reo had not shown up. What other possible explanation could there be for his absence? Maybe his kidnappers had already sealed him in a barrel and shipped him off to South America, where he would have to fend for himself amongst the jaguars and anacondas.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and worriedly called out. “Reooo?” 

Hotaru was lucky his feline ears were so sensitive - otherwise he probably would not have heard the sharp click of Reo’s tongue from up in the tree. 

A young Reo, about 10 years old, scowled down at him from the branch above. “You’re late…”

He unfurled himself from his position and dropped down with a soft ‘hup’, only to be met with an affectionate tackle from Hotaru.

“Oh, you’re alive! I’m so glad you didn’t get shipped off to South America…”

“What?” He flailed about until Hotaru let him go.

“Nothing! I’m glad you’re here, is all!! Sorry, there was a pothole being fixed over there and I had to go around...” Hotaru gestured vaguely behind him, but quickly realized that Reo wasn’t paying attention when his eyes didn’t follow the direction of his hand.

“Why were you up there, Reo?”

“It’s way too bright outside.” He squinted emphatically, shielding his face to see Hotaru clearly.

While it was pretty sunny that day, Hotaru knew that Reo liked to be alone when he was having a bad day. Even without any sort of communication, he could piece together what had happened. There were fresh bruises on Reo’s arms, illuminated by the sun as he held it up. 

Tracing Hotaru’s line of sight, Reo realized where he was looking, and defensively crossed his arms. “Nothing happened. Stop being creepy.”

Hotaru laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Reo didn’t talk about it, and Hotaru stopped asking a long time ago. He always got annoyed, and Hotaru certainly didn’t want that. 

“Um...Hey hey, listen!! I was watching the news with mom this morning and there’s this lady in America who has a flea circus! Can you believe it? They eat her arm!! Maybe we can join a circus and run away. I’ve been getting real good at doing tricks with my bike and you can um….fight bears?! Oh, but, I’d miss my parents...maybe I can take them with me and they can sew us costumes!!”

Reo looked at Hotaru with a bewildered expression - he didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. 

“Okay, first of all, there are so many things...wrong...about that. But I can’t leave Akashi with them.” It didn’t need to be said: Hotaru had a good idea who ‘them’ referred to.

Reo balled up his fists and shoved them in his pockets. Akashi was scary smart, but a weird kid. Frying ants with a magnifying glass, plucking the wings off of butterflies - that kind of stuff. Even so, he was his only brother, and Reo loved him with all his heart.

“What do you want him to do? Cut up the tigers and look at their insides?” Reo ruffled his messy hair and huffed. “I won’t leave without Akashi. I have to protect him. I’m stuck here...forever.”

Reo sighed and sat against the tree, wrapping his arms around his knees and propping his chin on his forearms. In the distance, there were some classmates they recognized, playing soccer with their parents. Looking onward at their familial bonds, Reo felt a longing for something he never had. Reo didn’t even get along with others around his age - he constantly wore a sour expression on his face that scared away most and got him in trouble with others. The bigger kids always thought he was picking a fight with them; the fresh cut on his face stung as a reminder of this.

Hotaru leaned against him, shoulder to shoulder. He wanted to check out the new kites in the shop today, but he could wait. He and Reo were soulmates, after all. He would always be by his side. “You’ll see, it’ll get better!” A reassuring pat was all he could give Reo.

After a long period of silence, Reo released his pent up frustration in a loud growl. “When I’m older, I’m going to be so strong.” He clawed the patch of dirt beside him, his eyes glowing in anger. “I’ll be rich and powerful, and I’ll show them all. Nobody will ever mess with me again.”