Taro opened his eyes in an unknown space, his surroundings were white and felt endless.
"Mio?" he called out, but received no response.
Suddenly he hears a knock at a door then a man and a woman opened it with a little girl standing behind them. Seeing the little girl Taro called out to her.
"Mio, what are you doing here?"
No response came, however, instead the man and woman smiled and claimed
"You always wanted a sister right?"
"Now you have one, take good care of her."
This made Taro realize that he was living the memories of Niro.
The little girl's name was Mia and she was adopted by Niro's parents. Niro's parents were a poor couple who couldn't even have children so they adopted him and worked hard to give him a proper home, eventually, they decided that they would surprise him by getting him a little sister and they did, however, Mia didn't like Niro immediately. She kept saying that she wanted her sister over and over so her adoptive parents decided to adopt her older sister, Mio.
Mio and Mia, were taken from their biological parents because of constant abuse and no other family member wanted them, so they were sold off and put up for adoption. When Niro's parents showed up and took Mia, the two sisters cried out to each other as they were separated, before they were even able to make it outside the gate of the adoption home they swore to Mia that they would come back and get Mio one day. From that day on they worked hard once more until they could finally get Mio. However, when they reached the Adoption Home once more they were met with bad news. Mio was adopted and taken overseas a few months ago. Mia cried for that whole night and eventually their parents worked hard enough to get in contact with the people who adopted Mio, arranging a meeting so that the two sisters could meet. When the day came Niro and Mia were told to stay at home as they wanted to surprise Mia with Mio. A few hours went by and Niro received a phone call from an unknown number.
"Your adoptive parents were killed in a car accident."
After the funeral, Mia changed, she didn't cry and she didn't beg to see Mio.
Years went by and Niro was eighteen at the time living with Mia who was currently fourteen. Niro had taken responsibility by working two jobs at once to make sure Mia had the best life.
And it was Mia's smile that kept him going.
One day Niro was held back at work and wasn't able to pick Mia up from school. Once he returned home and noticed that she wasn't there so he went back out to find her, hours passed by and he couldn't find her, her cell was off and no one knew where she went. He then noticed a black limo drive past him stopping just around the corner. They threw a sack out into the street and immediately pulled off, Niro walked closer to the sack and his heartbeat fastened, once he opened the sack his fears began to haunt him. Mia was inside and she was kidnapped and used as someone's play thing. Niro rushed her to the hospital where she was taken care of. After a few weeks, she somewhat recovered, her smile still kept Niro going and he even got another job to pay off her bill faster. However, on his lunch break one day he visited her in the hospital. A nurse only handed him a note with tears in her eyes and as he read it Niro didn't cry or break down. He just stood there hollow. Mia had taken her own life to spare her brother the burden of having to take care of her.
After a while, Niro went back to the same spot where he found Mia inside the sack and saw the same limo again this time grabbing two girls before driving off. Niro ran and ran even when he felt like stopping; he ran for over twenty miles until the limo came to a stop. It was the Ex-Mayor and some of his friends who harmed Mia. Learning this, Niro went to report it to the police, however he was taken and beaten before getting tied up. The Ex-Mayor stood before him and mocked him telling how good Mia felt and how much she screamed for her big brother. Before leaving, he ordered the corrupted officers to kill and dispose of him. Niro was shot with a black bullet and tossed into a swamp where he sank. A cloaked man watching from the distance went down and grabbed him and upon seeing him decided to leave Niro behind. However, Niro spoke words of hatred and rage.
"I'm going to make them suffer if it's the last thing I do, I'll kill them all."
Hearing these words, the cloaked man smiled and told Niro that he will help him exact his revenge. Taking Niro into a group known as the Shadow Hands.
Upon seeing this, Taro could only cry as he finally understands Niro's motive. He surged with rage and charged his energy breaking out of Niro's ability reappearing in the real world encountering Niro with the Ex-Mayor in hand.
"Niro, you are a good brother," Taro spoke.
"What are you talking about?" Niro asked, confused.
"To keep fighting for her, I'm sure Mia would be satisfied."
The Ex-Mayor then spoke up, "What are you doing hurry and save me already."
However Taro ignored him.
"I still can't let you stain your hands with his blood, killing him will do you no good and it won't bring Mia back."
Hearing that name the Ex-Mayor laughed out.
"You're him, the fool who thought he could avenge his sister and got caught and beaten instead."
Niro clenched his fist but it was Taro who delivered the blow instead.
"You have no right to mock anyone, I stated that I won't let Niro kill you but I didn't say that I won't do it for him."
Seeing the change in Taro, Niro lowered his guard before speaking.
"I appreciate it, but I won't be able to sleep at night knowing this bastard is sleeping soundly after what he did to my sister and countless others."
Before Taro could react, Niro slammed his fist into his face sending him flying into a few containers.
Niro walked towards the unconscious Ex-mayor readying a blade to end him.
"Niro, No," Taro screamed out, rushing into him.
Niro, visually annoyed by Taro created five water serpents and sent them towards Taro who swiftly dodged them however they reformed and tied him up.
"Stay there and let me do this one thing," Niro stated.
Taro then surged with a flame like power bursting out of his restraint and attacked Niro again.
"What is that power?" Niro asked, confused.
Taro's eyes were red and had the shape of a reptile, however he did not stay in this state for long.
Niro shot a water blast at him but Taro used his ability to absorb the attack.
"Stand down Niro, you won't win this fight."
Niro eventually gave up but not before blaming himself for failing Mia again.
Taro tells him that he didn't fail anyone and that both him and Mio will have to continue Mia's legacy by living their lives to the fullest.
The Ex-mayor then awoke and laughs at Niro
"You failed again, you really are pathetic, wanna know something? Your sister was top-notch. I never had anything like her before."
"You talk too much," Taro claims before shooting a laser at the Ex-Mayor's arm leaving only his screams to be heard in the night sky.
A Few Days Later…
The Ex-Mayor was put on trial and was supposed to be shipped to a maximum security prison along with Niro. Taro had arranged for Niro to get out after just one year. He had also arranged that the Ex-Mayor be placed in the same cell as Niro.
"I have no control over what happens in there," Taro tells Niro after the decision was made.
No one knows what happened to the Ex-Mayor after that and all Niro told Taro was "The Ex-Mayor is having 'fun' with his new 'friends'."
Everything in Central Kaze went back to normal afterwards, Taro and Mio locked themselves inside a file room recounting every crime the Ex-Mayor had committed and those who were affected by it.
Mio eventually decided to visit Niro after this task was completed.
"Yo Niro, how are you holding up?" Taro asked.
"I'm doing fine. Why are you here?" Niro asked.
"I have a visitor for you," Taro replied.
Upon seeing Mio, Niro froze in place. Taro left them to be and after a while Niro finally broke down into tears.
No one knows what they spoke of but apparently Mia hadn't given up on her sister completely, she tracked Mio down and got in touch a few months before her death. She told Mio how she had an amazing older brother and hoped that they would have met one day. Mio didn't know that Mia had died and when she found out she felt guilty saying that she should have been there to protect her.
After speaking with Niro, Mio visited Taro on the roof of a building nearby.
"You know, I used to come here to clear my mind a lot back in the day," Taro claims, "And now I'm here again, after all that's happened, I wish my mother could see the world I was starting to create."
Mio stood behind Taro and looked at him before speaking.
"Your mother is alive?" she asked.
"Yea, no one knows this except for those really close to me."
"Mio, what I'm trying to say is I want you to permanently join the agenda and its cause to make this city a utopia for everyone."
Mio froze before smiling and grabbing onto Taro's hand nodding yes as tears began streaming down her face.
Taro returned a warm smile to her but before he could react a slight flicker of light caught his attention.
Bang-
A gunshot rang out loud as a bullet hit Mio in her back. Taro acted fast teleporting to the attackers location but they were already gone. Now going back to Mio, Taro picked her up begging her to hold on and in an instant six beams of light sprang up around central Kaze destroying buildings near them. This made Taro realize that they were under attack by a new enemy.
To Be Continued…