he pointed at a particularly bright star and asked me to look at it always because he would be doing the same while thinking of me.
"that star, would be ours, and ours alone."
started: 11/29/21
ended:
many might recognize them as the infamous haitani brothers. ran and rindou.
all eyes on them. it's always gonna be about them.
this is exactly what their other brother have always wanted to happen.
for them to steal the spotlight and snatch people's attention, while he lurks in the shadows as that of a phantom.
haitani randou.
now, this is not some typical sibling conflict wherein the middle child gets the least attention or gets disowned for some stupid reason. in fact, i'd say it's the total opposite.
"when the three of you grow up, you are going to dominate roppongi and claim it as your own."
those were their beloved mother's dying wish.
"randou, dear. remember how i've always told you that you are different from your brothers. they are born a dictator, you are born a leader. i've seen your potential of becoming an heir, and i hope you will not let your mother down."
the middle child passively nodded, fiddling his fingers.
"ran, my eldest son. i'm not saying this to corner you with more responsibilities. you've already proven yourself to be the best, most loving older brother anyone could ask for. all i'm saying is that, please take care of your brothers for me."
the braided male tightened his fists, forcing himself not to shed a tear in front of his dying mother.
"rindou, my baby. when will you ever grow up? you're still the same gremlin child who does nothing but backflips all the time, but i'm sure you'll grow up to be a fine gentleman. be sure to respect and obey your brothers, hmm?" she let out a small chuckle, making the youngest son pout and scoff.
but little did they know, rindou's heart was breaking the most.
they all vowed to live up to their mother's dying wish. to dominate and claim roppongi as their own.
~
"randou, where the hell have you been?" the eldest slapped randou on the face, making him grunt in annoyance.
as time went by, he noticed how ran would always treat him differently from rindou.
perhaps it's about him being the heir and all. regardless, he hated being controlled and prohibited of the things he wanted to do.
"fuck you. when will you stop pestering me, huh? i have a life, for fuck's sake!"
"this is not what mom wanted you to be so stop being rebellious and follo-"
"why do you always have to drag mom's name whenever you're ordering me? i don't want responsibilities, brother. you and rindou can take over roppongi on your own. you can't tie me up there."
ran was on the verge of slapping him again. he knew how much their mom looked up to randou and had such high hopes for him from the very start.
for him, the middle child's actions were interpreted as disregarding their mother's dream as if it's nothing at all.
on the other hand, randou loved his mother dearly. he really did. however, the idea of her having such high hopes for him was nothing but an addition to his burden.
he couldn't take the pressure and was undoubtedly frightened by so many what-ifs, him letting his mom down would probably be #1.
maybe it's safe to say he's just really scared of disappointing people.
"you can't expect anything from me, ran. just let me live up to mom's wish in my own way. there's no need for you to butt in as if your life depended on it." randou responded in the calmest way possible.
his calm demeanor was developed due to practicing his anger management and emotional control over time. an exceptional trait indeed.
this isn't the first time the two brothers argued regarding this matter. after the heated argument, randou decided to leave them for good. he's had enough.
you may think his reason was shallow as fuck, but imagine being endlessely controlled and molded into something you don't even want to be.
imagine just wanting a normal life but somehow you can't because of the high expectations placed on you. in randou's case, he did not like the idea of ruling roppongi along with his brothers.
every power demands responsibility, and he couldn't agree more.
roaming around the city of tokyo, hoping to discover something worth his while, the middle haitani began his own path.
fully aware of how powerful his surname could actually get, randou, without the slightest bit of hesitation, decided to change it - wanting to grow and succeed on his own, without clinging onto his prestigious surname nor use it to get whatever the hell he wants.
for now, the blonde male desires nothing but to just be a normal teenager with no ropes tied around his arms. no high expectations, no responsibilities.
he wanted to prove them wrong.
and so, from then on, in fear of his freedom getting snatched away from him, randou vowed to never involve himself nor acknowledge his dear brothers ever again.
"perhaps i'd rather die than to be addressed as a fucking haitani."
