21 years

In an empty bar in Nc there was an Asian man in his 50's with a neat short beard with not very long hair with a small ponytail on the top of his head, with his two arms with cyberware, he was wearing elegant glasses with transparent yellow lens and dark suit.

When the barman saw him, he gave him a sense of danger, but at the same time serene and calm, something puzzled a bit the Barman, who with his experience as a nomad and as a bartender had developed a certain system to classify people when they entered the bar, a rather simple one, whether it could cause him trouble or not

And the man who just walked into the bar oddly enough was in both categories at once... making him look dangerous, yet calm and composed

Making the bartender if he had to describe it the feeling the man gave him would be like a warrior being a gardener by profession.

That was the feeling he gave the bartender.

"Would you like something to drink Sir?"

When the bartender asked the man just shook his head....

That man was sitting at the bar waiting for someone.

The bar had indirect lighting and soft music, in contrast to most bars in Nc, this bar was more elegant, with a more mature and calmer atmosphere, where one could have a conversation in a quiet environment

Soon after, another Man entered the bar and this time, he was greeted with joy by the Barman because he was a regular

"Welcome Mr. Musashi good to see you, are you waiting for Mr. Alvarez like last time?"

"No Falco today I have come for something else, thank you I would like the usual."

Said Musashi to Falco the Barman, who was a middle aged man with brown hair with an incipient mustache that he had started to grow and with his forearm and hand replaced by a metallic cyberware

"Of course!" said Falco

Without turning around the first Man who was sitting at the bar kept looking forward with his back to Musashi... his older brother..... nervous and even fearful, reliving in his mind the night his nephew died..... being him, head of the unit...being him, unable to save his nephew who followed him and treated him as his role model more than even his father

He, Hiroyuki , loved Ishida his nephew with all his heart, even remembering his expression when he...

It all happened in the last mission he had in Arasaka.

As the leader of the company's first Assault team, while his brother protected the Arasaka family, hiroyuki eliminated their enemies.

It was an assault mission to a Kang Tao facility, to eliminate a traitor, a former Arasaka employee who had great knowledge about the company's advanced projects and wanted to sell them in exchange for money and protection to another rival corporation, Kang Tao.

When the mission had been completed, managing to neutralize the target, escape from the Kant Tao facility where the traitor was hiding and lose track of his pursuers.

Foolishly thinking that the danger had passed the whole team relaxed when they reached the extraction point where the Av was located.

Ishida was the last to pack in the Av while covering his teammates. Hiroyuki still remembers how he was waiting for Ishida at the entrance of the Av how he reached out to Ishida to help him mount the Av, how Ishida smiled, accepted his uncle's hand and how everything changed in an instant, how Hiroyuki's world stopped when he heard the whistle of a bullet near them, alerting him, looked for the shooter without realizing that something had splashed him in the face. .... for the next instant when it hit, turning his gaze in terror to his nephew who now had a bullet wound in his forehead through which the other side could be seen, leaving Ishida with an expression of unfinished surprise before collapsing in Hiroyuki's arms lifelessly....

By the time Hiroyuki was reacting again after Ishida's death the Av had already started to take off and he had to be held down by the rest of the team so he wouldn't jump off the Av to take revenge on the person who had killed his nephew.

With the sound of his brother's footsteps sounded behind him, Hiroyuki remembered the last time he talked to him, it was a few hours after Ishida's death, when they arrived at the base, Musashi was already waiting outside, with a face without expression and with his eyes almost lost...

Making Hiroyuki remember the face his older brother made when he looked at him, how they were full of hate and resentment, how Hiroyuki himself wanted his brother to yell at him and hit him..... even if Musashi wanted to kill him, he would accept it for not being able to protect his son.

But Musashi didn't say anything, he just looked away from Hiroyuki full of hate and resentment for the last 21 years.

Making that during these 21 years, the guilt Hiroyuki feels about what happened had not diminished one bit, with the memory of Ishida's death and with the last look his older brother had given him for the last time hunting him down and chasing him every night making Hiroyuki wake up drenched in sweat and guilt every day for 21 years.

When Musashi finally reached the bar, he sat down next to Hiroyuki facing the same direction as him without looking at either of them.

"Hiroyuki"

"Musashi"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

A few minutes after calling each other's name neither brother said anything they just kept looking ahead where a holographic screen with no sound in the background was located.

"Sorry to interrupt your silence, here is your drink Mr. Musashi, again you don't want anything to drink?"

Said the bartender Falco who was wearing clothes even old-fashioned for Musashi and Hiroyuki's standards but that fit the atmosphere of the bar, while turning his head towards Hiroyuki after serving a cocktail to Musashi.

Hiroyuki shook his head at the bartender's question and was surprised at what his older brother had order. The always serious and devoted Musashi who followed bushido as if it was his religion ..... was now drinking a blue colored cocktail with a small umbrella in the glass while drinking from a straw in a strange way, while making a happy face while drinking it.

Is this man my brother?

When Hiroyuki was thinking that, his brother suddenly changed his expression while looking at the holographic screen which made Hiroyuki turn his attention back to it which was broadcasting the news and they were broadcasting the chase that had happened yesterday, making Musashi look angry, but there was also joy or maybe pride behind his brother's look ....

'What happened? The last time I saw him..... Will he still look at me with that look of hatred and resentment?' Hiroyuki thought.

Hiroyuki thought without daring to look at his brother to find his answer... rationalizing that nothing had really changed for his brother because of how he had refused to let him meet his grandson, the only witness about the security breach in Blackwall, the reason he had been sent to Nc

When the news of the chase was over Hiroyuki felt a small change in his brother as if he had made up his mind and spoke again.

"Long time no see Hiroyuki..... I'm glad to see you.... brother."

!!!

`How long? how long has it been without being called like this?..... I had missed it' thought Hiroyuki somewhat excited, controlling his trained mind and his body to calm his heart, he said.

"Yes, a long time..... Bro-ther-"

Said Hiroyuki almost cutting off his sentence.....

Hearing and sensing his brother's state, Musashi turned his head and stared at his brother and Musashi began to speak.

"Brother, I am sorry for these 21 years.... I know they must have been difficult, I ask your forgiveness for my 21 years of silence, I after Ishida's death I changed without realizing it, I distanced myself from everyone, I became obsessed with the only thing I knew how to do, blaming you with my silence, hiding and driving everyone away from me in the process.."

When Hiroyuki heard what Musashi said he too turned around looking even with reluctance in heart his brother in the eyes and was surprised to find that he didn't have the look that had been haunting him for 21 years along with guilt, he had a look with worried and joy in them.

"After I retired from Arasaka, after we moved to this horrible city.... after Sora was in our lives, little by little that shameless and annoying brat managed to change me without me even realizing it. hell! I just realized it a few hours ago myself, when I found out you were in town and I had to come back to see you..... how would I have to act?...what would I have to say?...will you still consider me a brother?. I was terrified Hiroyuki"

"When all those doubts assaulted me you know what I image brother? a little Sora appeared in my mind..... you know what that little Sora did in my mind..... he started to laugh at me.... he started to put an evil expression while laughing at my doubts, which I would like to deny and say that it was impossible for my dear grandson to make that kind of expression in his face, but I myself had seen him make sometimes when he thought that nobody saw him"

When Hiroyuki listened to his brother he was somewhat puzzled by the personality of Musashi's grandson, but he also.... wanted to meet the boy, who made his brother make such expressions of anger and pride at the same time

"Brother do you know that bastard managed yesterday with 14 years old to disarm me in a duel?"

`WHAT!'

Hiroyuki thought, how is that possible? he had barely managed to get a draw against his older brother as his best result, it's true that his fighting style wasn't as sword focused as his Musashi's but .... yet a 14 year old disarmed him? Unbelievable!

"Hehehe unbelievable right? He cheated that bastard threw me his dog when we were at the end of our duel.... Tch fucking Sora... But you should have seen his last attack!"

Musashi said as he held up his hands and looked at them as a proud smile formed on his face at the thought of the last move his grandson made. As with his body exhausted and with his shoulder dislocated, he passed out with a smile after disarming him.

"So before I introduce him to you let me tell you everything that happened yesterday, so that when you meet him it will be as his uncle and not as a Netwatch agent."

"..."

"Is it okay with you Hir-, brother?" said Musahi to the bewildered Hiroyuki.

"huh? Yeah, it's fine with me"

"UPHM! Barman! Please serve me the same as my.... brother, please!" said Hiroyuki clearing his throat for the words he had been longing to hear from his brother.

"Sure!" replied Falco