Shattering Me

32~ the Family Burden

"Do you think the girls are using Kyle as their manservant by now?" Carman smirked. They had been searching for almost 20 minutes before coming to a burger restaurant that had a reasonable line. Ryan stood in the back with Kion up in front.

Kion was tall for his age, standing at 5'5". There was a good chance of him growing taller than both of his brothers one day, though his frame was also thinner. As the line crawled slowly forward, the 12-year-old bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet. He wore a bright neon blue hoodie and navy-blue jeans. It was his most colorful outfit and he had spent over an hour cleaning and shining the pair of sky blue sneakers on his feet to match. The sea blue color in his hair was freshly died to match his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked twisting his head around to look at Carman.

"I mean, that whenever girls go shopping in a place like this, the guys effectively become personal carriers." They shuffled forward as the line grew shorter, but the man's smirk didn't waver. Carman filled out his dark crimson hood like a warrior filled out a suit of armor. He managed to stand up tall while still carrying himself with a lazy arrogance. Looking at his scarlet gelled hair and cocky red eyes was more than enough to make a person feel insecure for a moment. Yet, his brothers looked up to that confidence.

Even with the covert stares and quiet whispers that strangers sent their way as they passed by proved to be less than covert, the boys were able to dismiss them all.

After getting enough food to feed a family of twelve, they claimed a table in the top floor food court. "Do we have to wait for the girls to finish shopping before we can eat?" Kion asked.

"Yes." Ryan and Carman answered simultaneously.

"If we ate before they got here we'd never hear the end of it. So, we wait," Ryan explained.

Before Kion could even stare longingly at the burgers and fries piled up on the center of the table his eyes bounced up at the sound of a guitar stroke. He scanned the surrounding shops for the source of the sound and locked in on a music store close by. Thoughts collided within his young mind until an idea had him erupt from his seat at the table and dashing through the court.

"Where are you-" they called after their little brother in vain as he disappeared into the store with a bunch of musical instruments drawn on the sign. Not wanting to find out what damage an overly excited 12-year-old could do in a shop full of fragile toys and tools, they entered as well.

"Kion!" Ryan shouted carefully as he entered a room surrounded by assorted guitars, violins, keyboards, and a bunch of other instruments that he didn't have enough interest to identify.

"I'm in the back, just wait there please," he called back after a short delay. How he snuck his way over the counter and behind the main room in such a short time was a mystery for another person to solve.

Ryan was ready to go and retrieve the runaway when Carman put a firm hand on his shoulder. The two were alone for the first time in few days and the look on his brother's face made it clear he'd been waiting for the chance. The chill from the air condition became tense as they locked eyes.

"It's fine you know. Kion's a tough kid already," he said calmly.

Ryan nodded as he searched for meaning in the words. "I know he is. He's a Krag."

"Yeah. But he'll probably still be pretty shaken up after seeing someone die in front of him for the first time."

The meaning struck home. "Maybe, but it doesn't matter. We'll all be joining dad's world. There will be more criminals like the Helix. There will be more people to protect like Kyle. And there will be more casualties like...like Dr. Emeriti. It happens," he said the last words with gritted teeth.

Now it was Carman's turn to nod. "Yeah, it happens...and it'll probably happen every time we screw something up. I've been investigating for months now and I still underestimated our enemy. Emeriti's death was on me more than anyone."

"I was there, you don't need to tell me how we screwed up."

"I know," Carman said, standing face to face.

"So what is your point?

"My point is...even though I love that kid back there, I know what he'll be up against one day. I know how much pain he'll be in. I know that he'll be trying his best to act like nothing has changed, even though it has. So I'll have to ask him if he's alright, he's my little brother after all."

A knot had been twisting in Ryan's chest throughout the conversation. "Yeah, but you already know how he'll respond, right? He's strong. We're strong. We are Krags. Always." As the words left his lips, the knot hardened like steel coil around his lungs, shoulders, and heart. His expression remained solid and his eyes hardened like frozen gold.

Deciding that the answer was as good as it would get, Carman stepped aside so that the brothers stood shoulder to shoulder facing the counter. His expression mirrored Ryan's, but his scarlet eyes were already as tense and deadly as they could ever be. "Right. We are Krags."

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this was a special chapter to me because it showed a clearer view on how Ryan feels about himself and his family. he is strong, even when he isn't. How do you think that's going to work out for him?

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