“You’re not meditating if you’re looking at that magazine Kisei. And I don’t believe that’s age appropriate either.” Alpha scolded from the doorway, pointing to the nude magazine Kisei had in his hands. I thrust a hand out from the blanket and grabbed the obscene article and tucked in under the covers along with me. “YOU should learn to KNOCK! This is like the fifth time today you’ve barged into my room, I don’t get any alone time.” Kisei whined. Seriously, he was pent up as, well, a pent up Kisei. Which was no joke.

“You know we have a private room for that sorta thing.” His brother smiled. Kisei cringed at the thought, he had been tempted to break into Alpha’s playroom many times before but it was so heavily guarded. The door wasn’t even locked half the time, it didn’t need to be. With the hormone lasers, and the retractable gravity wall cuffs, and the falling electron pods- (Wow that was kinky)- going in there without the safe pass-word was guaranteed to leave you sprawled on the floor a crying mess for the next twenty four hours. Although with the kind of torment Kisei was going through that didn’t sound like too bad of an idea. “Nah. I’d rather not be a test subject for whatever crazy idea that crosses your mind next. Seriously that place is more guarded than the prototype room. Kisei grumbled. Alpha simply shrugged, his smile admitting his guilt. “Well you got me there. Anyways, meet me down in the quiet room.” His brother ordered half-heartedly as they turned back into the hallway. “You know, once you get your pants back on and finish… whatever you were doing.” He added. His smile echoed in his voice.

Kisei glared at the empty space, wishing that Alpha would stop forgetting to close the doors. With a sigh he heaved himself off the bed, his blanket being his only coverings, as he made his way across the room and shut the doors with a little more force than needed. He quickly jumped back onto his silken sheets opening up the magazine back up. “Now where was I? Oh yes, page fifty nine.”

----

After finishing, that business, Kisei shrugged on a jacket and some pants and ran down the stairs barefoot to meet his brother. He turned the corner and ran down another set of stairs and doors before coming face to face with the main entrance to Alpha’s laboratory. His eyes traced a small number twelve by twelve symbol pad. The individual symbols wouldn’t make any sense to anyone from here but Alpha had made a special language just for this. Kisei was pretty sure he was joking but in any case he showed Kisei how to get through the door. Inputting the correct combination he took a step back as the door retracted back into the wall, the grinding stone on stone forcing him to cover his hurting ears. The Ushinatta walked past the sliding sand doors and went to locate the Quiet room.

It didn’t take very long to find his brother tinkering amongst his creations, completely forgetting the offer he made to his brother. “Oh, I didn’t think you’d actually take me up on that.” He excused. It only made Kisei sulk even more. “Anyways let’s get started.” Alpha started moving through the cluttered laboratory, sliding in random directions and erratic footsteps creating a weird dance of a sort. Kisei just ignored him and followed along. Not two minutes later they were standing in front of the Quiet room. Alpha confidently walked up to the door and knocked a couple of times. The door slid open with no hesitation. Alpha gestured for Kisei to follow behind him as he slid into the silent room.

Kisei breathed out awed at the sight before him. The quiet room turned out to be a massive room, reminding him of grandiose amphitheaters. The walls were an erratic shape, holding the rough idea for a doom as the met towards the top, but the walls themselves were a work of art. Layers of metals segmented inches apart horizontally before cutting into their own individual shapes. Everywhere seemed to be colored blue adding an enchanting effect to the still beauty of the room. Alpha was up ahead of him walking through the room as if it weren’t worthy of praise, marching beyond the aquatic floors to either side of him and making his path past the only solid floor to the center of a circular pad in the middle of the room. As Kisei met up with his brother he could vaguely hear the words, “Chaldea”, whispered to the standing pillar-like console machine in the middle of the floating platform. Immediately the roof of the dome opened up and a massive blue sphere surrounded by orbiting rings descended from above, in an awe inspiring sight, almost divine.

When it had finally ceased its descent it took up a considerable amount of the space above them. Alpha gestured for them to sit after pressing a button on the console it sunk back beneath the floor. “Just how much is the village playing you?” Kisei asked exasperatedly. Who knew a busy blacksmith had so much free time to blow on all of this? Alpha shrugged at Kisei’s question. “Definitely not enough I’ll tell you that, most of this is sand I had to molecularly re-manufacture. Some of it I bought.” Another shrug. “But that wasn’t why I brought you here.” His brother reminded.

Kisei gave Alpha a curious look. “You never really told me why you brought me here though.” He countered. His brother winced at the rebuff, their right eye twitching. Annoyed. “No, I suppose I haven’t. Continuing on I brought you here to get you ready for the chuunin exams that you’ll be soon taking.” Kisei coughed to the side, trying to ignore his brother’s neutral gaze. Underneath that he could almost feel the animosity below the surface. Though he should’ve guessed that he’d be mad with him. His brother was never really for Kisei fighting on the front lines, as an official ninja. As opposed to what Alpha was, a specialist blacksmith in the reserves who fought only if needed. Useful without violence ringing over his head. He couldn’t blame his brother’s protectiveness on his personality though, that’s how he’s always been true, but there’s more to that. The weight of helping the people who destroyed, no, erased an entire planet from history. Kisei was the only thing left for him in the whole universe. Damn a fan girl could right novels of spank material with that kinda story.

“Didn’t think you knew about that.” He mumbled thought not quietly enough for Alpha to miss it. “Of course I do I know everything that goes on in your life kiddo I’m your big brother.” Alpha squinted as he leaned forward, almost giving him a ‘are you dumb’ look. “How did you find out?” I questioned. Alpha squinted even further, “That’s for me Rodrigo, Philip, and Jesus to know, and for you to figure out. Anyways-!” He gestured to the massive blue orb above them. “This is a projection sphere. As for what it projects that’ll be up to you.” He grinned.
Guessing from that look this isn’t anything good, Kisei grumbled to himself. “Yep, you thought right, another training exercise!” Alpha cheered. Then with a snap, the orb flashed blue before Kisei found suddenly found himself in the desert surrounded by a dozen flying swords pointed at him. “This is an extremely advanced projection engine, I can freely manipulate the environment here, you have no chance at defeating me. You’re only hope will be to find the door out without being skewered by my blades. You’ll have ten strikes, every time you get injured by these blades you’ll be deducted a point and your wounds will be healed. Once you run out of strikes, another failed attempt to dodge will end the projection, however…” Alpha paused, looking at Kisei with the most bloodthirsty eyes he’s seen in a long time. “You’ll be facing some serious punishment.”

Gulp. Kisei really was screwed.


1407

Alpha looked down on the bleeding body of his brother, choking on his own blood. “I told you that you weren’t cut out for the ninja life. I told you then and I’m repeating it now.” Alpha scoffed at his brother’s weakness. Kisei groaned through the blood splattering and foaming up around his mouth. He wouldn’t be able to heal so long as these blades were still stuck inside of him. The back of his mind thought back to what his brother meant when they said ‘Ending’. A thought dawned on him as he look at his brother, studying him closely. A moment passed fruitlessly. Kisei looked closer, his search drawing him to his brother’s eyes. His vision started to blacken at the edges, he was going to faint if he didn’t get this right soon. It was fleeting but Kisei could swear that there was a flicker of blue in his normally brown eyes. Confirmation complete.

Kisei gripped the back of Alpha’s knees, looking up to his brother with quickly fading eyes. “What are you-” He started, but Kisei wasn’t in the mood to entertain this game anymore. “Chaldea: Activate… Ending Sequence… Number Three...” He sputtered, finally collapsing onto the ground. His brother coloring the sands beneath him a dull rust.

“Well done. Kisei.”

The Ushinatta’s eyes threw themselves open. Spotting his brother smiling opposite from him, sitting cross legged and carefree, like he hadn’t tried pseudo-murdering him. “You’ve completed your training, congratulations.” His brother beamed. “Here, let me take that off.” He leaned towards Kisei, fingers gripping, something.... Something on his head. “You didn’t really think that I could create something so advanced did you? Physical material projection?” Kisei just stared at him dumbly, his entire body still numb from the shock of the hallucination. “While I appreciate the confidence there’s no way I could make something that complex, not with the materials we have here. It’d take years and I’ve got too many projects in the way.”

Kisei sighed angrily as his brother carried him out of the lab and up to the main house. “You know Alpha, I really don’t care, I’m tired and I want to sleep.” He growled weakly. Alpha just chuckled at his drowsy, upset self. “No worries I know what you need.” His brother smiled. Turning the the right corner at the top of the stairs, to Kisei’s room. Gently he placed his brother on top of the bed before arranging the blanket over his exhausted body, tucking him into the soft mattress. “Oh, stay here, I’ll go get your magazines.” His declared excitedly, probably not for the purpose that Kisei was thinking of though. Damn pervert…

The younger Ushinatta just laid on the bed while his brother tore the room apart trying to find his brother’s hidden stash of relief. Kisei smiled, he really outdid himself hiding those. Maybe he deserves this small nap. Today was a strange one. Alpha walking in on him, being dragged into a hypnotic machine and forced to fight in a virtual world, being stabbed ten times. Yea that last part was SO fun, man… he just really wanted to sleep without being disturbed.

Kisei sighed softly to himself as he let himself melt into the silken sheets. Enveloped by warmth and soft plushness, he could almost imagine he had a lover embracing him. With that thought the slowly gave into whispers of sleep, a slow lullaby drawing him to rest.

“Finally found it!” Alpha cheered at his closet. Yea, I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep either.


2373
[Exit]