Two Suns, Two Moons

Chapter 1: Good Lives Don't Last

"You're heading out, big brother?" Takeo asked as he walked up to Yoriichi. The long, crimson-haired boy smiled at his younger brother and then patted his head.

"Yeah. I would have stayed, but I thought about the people who may need coal for the New Year." Yoriichi answered. Takeo then lit up with an idea.

"Can I come? I want to help!" He asked with excitement. The other siblings began to join in on asking. Their mother, Kie, walked over.

"You can't go with your big brother. He is leaving to do something important." She said. The younger siblings all began to pout. They thought it was unfair that he could go all by himself.

"No fair. Big Brother gets to do all the work. I want to do some work too." Takeo said. Their mother smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Hanako chimed in.

"What if you get tired? Yoriichi won't have the cart and may not have the energy to carry you back." She explained. Michikatsu walked out of the home to see what the commotion was about.

"How about I take you to chop some wood with me, Takeo?" The long black hair boy suggested. Takeo eyes lit up. He was finally gonna be able to do some work with one of his eldest siblings. "Soon, I'll teach you all how to chop wood like me and Yoriichi." Michikatsu walked over to Yoriichi. "Be careful, brother, and please try to hurry back before the storm."

"I will." He then set off to the village. Michikatsu and Takeo walked into the woods to chop some trees.

"Alright, Takeo. I want you to pick up that other axe." The eldest boy said as he pointed to a tree a few feet away from them. He then led his younger brother a bit deeper into the forest. He found some trees that would make good, lasting firewood. "I'm going to show you what to do on this tree once I chop it down." Michikatsu held the axe like he was going to cut a demon's head off with a sword. He took one strong swing, putting a nice amount of energy into the axe. He continued for a few more swings, and the tree fell down. "You're ready to see the next part, Takeo?" The boy nodded. "For this part, you have to cut the trees into logs. You really want to stay in the thicker area of the tree. The smaller branches won't make good firewood, although they would help a bit." The older brother began chopping the tree into multiple logs, barely breaking a sweat from this.

"Big brother.. y-your good at this." Takeo said as Michikatsu smiled. He set the logs next to a tree stomp that he used for wood chopping.

"Before I show you the next part, I want you to chop down a tree." Takeo nodded as he began to chop a smaller tree than his brother. The younger boy had the formation down. He just did not have the strength like his older brother. "You got this, Takeo! You're doing great!" The younger boy continued until the tree collapsed. He then chopped the tree into logs and placed them near where his brother's were. "Your fast learner, Takeo. I wish I could have understood it as fast as you back when dad taught me and Yoriichi." The younger boy smiled. "For the last part, we must sit the logs upward and chop them down the middle. This will take a lot of energy, little brother. You must hit it with a hard enough swing that it goes right through." Takeo began to regret wanting to do a job, but he knew he couldn't back out now.

"I think I can do it." The younger boy said. He took a deep breath as he chopped one. Luckily for him, it went right through. Creating a perfect chop. Muchikatsu gave his brother a smile.

The two would spend the next few hours chopping logs.

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"Looks like you two gathered a lot of wood." Kie said as she continued cooking. Takeo and Michikatsu placed the logs by the fireplace as they went to put the rest in a storing area. The two came back to sit down and wait for dinner.