Chapter 21

"You already do enough, Hiro" Sora said, pulling back a bit so he could look at his little brother. Hiro's eyes were red and swollen. His face was stained with tear marks which showed that he had been crying for a long time. Sora sighed and wiped the fresh tears on Hiro's face. "You already do enough. You take care of yourself and Saika. That is enough for me. You always make sure I don't have to worry about both of you. That is enough for me. I won't drag you into my world Hiro. You're too pure for that."

Hiro wanted to protest some more but the stern look on Sora's face made him swallow back his words. He pursed his lips and lowered his head, clearly unhappy. He couldn't get money for Saika's surgery and now, he couldn't help his brother.

"You help out a lot Hiro" Sora said, trying to cheer him up. "And you have more work to do once Saika gets her surgery done. You're going to be her nurse." He playfully flicked Hiro's nose and Hiro covered it, finally having a smile on his face. "You're going to make sure our sister returns home safe and as healthy as a horse."

He gazed up at Sora, feeling somewhat hopeful. Maybe as the youngest, he didn't have to worry so much. Maybe he was meant to do the little things. "Big sis is really going to be alright?" He asked, unable to believe it.

Sora nodded. "She is."

Hiro hugged his brother once more. If he had known that everything was going to be fine, he never would have gone to Raiden. He never would have embarrassed himself like that.

"Oh, what a touching scene." They suddenly heard someone say.

They broke their hug and turned to find a tall lean man with a black walking stick standing by the gate of their compound. There were a dozen other men with him, each big and muscular, holding batons. They were all smirking, staring at Hiro and Sora like they were fresh meat.

"The love you brothers share is remarkable." The tall guy with the walking stick said, taking two steps forward. He wasn't limping or anything. He just found the walking stick fashionable. "I was so touched that I almost cried. I wish I had a similar bond with my brother. Too bad that he was greedy and tried to usurp my business. I killed him you know." He talked leisurely, with a tone of familiarity. Like the brothers were his long-time friends.

"What do you want, Ginro?" Sora asked, quickly shielding Hiro behind his back.

Ginro chuckled then snapped his fingers. One of the men behind him walked forward, put a cigarette to his lips and lighted it then stepped back to his position. Ginro took a few puffs and sighed deeply, gazing at the bright moonlit sky and then the brothers. "I heard you met Big Tony."

Sora tensed. "So?"

Ginro snapped his fingers again and another man rushed forward, landing a heavy punch to Sora's jaw making Sora kneel on the sandy ground.

"Brother!!" Hiro screamed, rushing forward to help but was smacked away by the big man. He fell to the ground some spaces away, clutching his chest as he groaned in pain.

The muscular man grabbed Sora by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to Ginro's feet.

Sora's sight was blurry and his mouth was bleeding. He was made to kneel before Ginro.

"Brother..." Hiro cried as he struggled to get up. As a person who had never been hit like that before, he was struggling to breathe. His chest felt like it was on fire.

Ginro raised a leg, placing it on Sora's chest, pushing him back so he could see his face. "Meeting Big Tony means money, Sora. We all know that so, where's my money?"

Sora spat out blood, glaring at Ginro. "Fuck off!"

SMACK!

The muscular man beside Ginro punched Sora in the nose. The sickening sound of bone crunching rang through the air. Sora cried out in pain as he clutched his broken nose, breathing hard through his mouth. Blood poured out his nostrils like a busted tap, soaking his hand and dripping to the floor, painting the sand a deep red colour.

"Brother!" Hiro called as he finally stood up and ran towards Ginro. "Leave my brother alone!"

He pushed Ginro away and knelt on the ground, holding Sora. "Brother, are you okay? Oh my God, you're bleeding so much. Is your nose broken?"

The muscular man beside Ginro made a move to hit Hiro but Ginro raised a hand, signaling him to stop. "Do not touch the little one or you'll get fucked. The rest of you, go inside. Find my money."

The men did as they were told. Soon, the sounds of things crashing could be heard from within their home.

"It's not yours, Ginro!" Sora growled as he tried to ignore the pain. "I got that from Big Tony. You have no right to it!"

Ginro chuckled lowly. "You still owe me 3 million Sora. Not to mention the interest of 2 million. I think I have every right to it."

Hiro was shocked. He thought his brother had almost cleared the loans. What was the talk of 3 million and 2 million? "B-Brother, didn't you say-"

"Shut up!" Sora snapped, glaring at him. "Be quiet, Hiro."

Hiro went silent immediately. He had never seen his brother so angry before.

Sora turned back to Ginro. "Look, let's talk about this. The money I got from Big Tony is for my sister's surgery. She has only two days left. I still have 6 months to pay you back and you know I will so please, let me save my sister first."

Ginro suddenly burst out laughing. "You think I give a shit?"

Sora instantly bowed low till his forehead was touching Ginro's foot. "Please, Ginro. Let me save my sister. I will pay you back. Please. I beg you." His voice was shaking which indicated that he was crying.

At that moment, the world stilled for Hiro. He couldn't believe the person before him was his brother. His proud untouchable brother. The man who could move the heavens and earth for him. The man who always protected him no matter what.

In a span of four years, the once mighty Sora was reduced to a beggar, grovelling and crying at some asshole's feet. The sight made Hiro seethe with rage. He couldn't take it. He couldn't accept his Big Brother begging at another man's feet.

"Ahhhhh!!!!" Hiro screamed as he stood up and pushed Ginro away. "Stop this you jerk! You evil man! Leave my brother alone! Leave us alone!"

With each sentence, he kept pushing Ginro back. "Who do you think you are?! My brother said he still has 6 months to pay you. Why won't you leave him alone? We want to save our sister!"

Sora was stunned. He had never seen Hiro so enraged before.

Hiro was shouting and crying but he didn't stop pushing Ginro away. "Stop this! Stop this right now!"