Solar Flares And Shifting Paths

Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

~*~*~*~

Around Four Years Ago...

On a sun-drenched afternoon in suburban Japan, a pair of brothers can be seen returning home from school.

The younger brother leads on a skateboard, occasionally speeding up in bursts. The older brother follows him while maintaining a leisurely pace, miming a piano with movements too precise to be mere play.

A sleek royal blue sports car speeds around the block, standing out from its more conservative, quieter counterparts. Magenta eyes follow the flashy car as a huge grin splits the younger brother's face. "Whoa! Hikaru, did you see that?"

Hikaru hums, dropping his hands down to listen to what his brother has to say.

"That was a GT-R just now!" Hyuga's eyes lock onto the sleek sports car as it roars past. "Whoa! Check out that air intake! Carbon fiber detailing on the spoiler... and those rims! Fifteen-spoke, gunmetal finish... amazing!"

He's practically vibrating with excitement, rattling off specs like a seasoned mechanic. For a fleeting moment, this is it. This is everything.

But Hikaru knows better.

A flash of color catches Hyuga's eye, his attention completely consumed. "Ooh! Look at that kite! Is that a dragon design? Awesome!"

The car's instantly forgotten, just like those magic tricks two weeks ago, and the model rockets the month before.

Hikaru shakes his head with a weary smile. "You know, I kinda wanna hear more about that car-" His smile then drops when he notices the dip caused by a crack on the pavement right ahead. Hyuga is skating straight towards it, eyes fixated on the kite. "Hyuga, wait! Watch out!"

Hyuga isn't able to stop in time. The crack traps one of the skateboard's front wheels to a stop, careening him forwards. He tumbles down with a yell.

"Hyuga!"

Hikaru is upon him in a flash. Hyuga sits up, hissing in pain. There's a wound on his knee from where it has been scraped by the pavement. Thankfully it isn't bleeding, simply a break in the skin.

"Honestly, this is why I tell you to be careful," Hikaru nags, taking out a small first aid kit from his school bag. "Where's your protective gear, anyway? You only got your helmet." He points to the green helmet on Hyuga's head, a contrast to his short red hair.

"Oh, I..." Hyuga drags out. "You see, I only had half a pair, so you know, we were gonna be late to school..."

"So you didn't bother looking for it?" Hikaru sighs. He plasters a car-themed band-aid on Hyuga's knee with gentle fingers. Red, of course. "Hyuga, just because I have a first aid kit ready for when you get injured skating around, doesn't mean I'd always be around when you get hurt. What if it was serious?"

Hyuga looks away, kicking at a pebble on the ground, clearly itching to move on. "Yeah, yeah..."

Then he pauses, tilting his head. "Wait... do you hear that?" He stands up, gazing towards a public park not far from where they are.

"C'mon now, we gotta get home. I heard Granny's making her special oyakudon tonigh-"

Retrieving his fallen skateboard, Hyuga tucks it into his arm and makes his way towards the park.