A fire's shadow

Two brothers, one sudden change

Kai sat on the couch, with the head of a sleeping green ninja in his lap. He ran a hand through the blonde boy's hair while watching the news on the TV.

It was a report about Shadow. Apparently, he had been doing a lot of small favors when out on his solo patrols, something he hadn't really talked much about.

The red ninja was proud of him, he was really adapting well to this life, better than Kai had expected actually.

He had expected Shadow to either, let the fame go to his head, or to get overwhelmed by all the fans and go back into hiding.

But despite being like Kai in more ways then one, he didn't do any of that. He instead went almost unaffected by the fame and continued like he always has.

But lately, Kai had noticed some changes in Shadow's behavior.

He was more on edge, he seemed even more pissed off in the mornings, and he seemed to sometimes be talking to himself when he was alone in his room.

The red ninja hoped that there was a simple explanation to Shadow's strange behavior, but he couldn't help but think there was something much deeper going on with his brother.

Hearing a loud thud over the sound from the TV, Kai's attention shifted. He turned off the TV and gently moved Lloyd's head onto the couch, careful to not wake the green ninja, as he got up from the couch. Walking over to the window, he saw that it was Shadow who had come back.

But something was wrong.

The black-haired male was sitting on the floor, his back against the railing, holding his head/hair and he seemed like he was talking to himself.

The red ninja knew that Shadow had experienced panic attacks in the past and that the best solution was usually to leave him alone, but Kai had never seen it happen before, and from what Shadow had told him, it hadn't happened in a long time.

Becoming worried about his brother, Kai went outside and walked towards his twin. He stopped one meter away from the black-haired male and asked with a softer voice than usual, "Shadow?"

The mumbling ninja flinched and his head quickly turned towards his brother, backing away a few inches before he realized who it was that had talked.

Kai became extremely worried about his twin when he saw the terrified look in his eyes and the way the usually brave and confident ninja seemed so scared.

Almost.....like a frightened child.....

After hearing the thought in his own head, the brunette then realized when the last time his twin had acted like this had been. And it didn't exactly make Kai's concern get any smaller.

The red ninja kneeled down, still keeping eye contact with Shadow, his eyes softened and his gaze turned calmer than usual as he waited for his brother to give a response.

Shadow's breathing was quick and hasty, almost like he had just run a marathon, Kai figured that he had been hurrying back to the bounty. His eyes were filled with terror and pain, the red ninja felt a pain in his chest when he saw it. It just didn't feel right, Shadow was usually the last ninja to show fear and pain to anyone.

After five minutes of Kai waiting for a response, he finally got one, "K-Kai......"

The brunette felt as if someone had stabbed him in the chest when he heard the utter horror that filled Shadow's voice, this wasn't normal for him, not in a million years.

Opening his mouth to say something, Kai was interrupted before any sound left his mouth by Shadow grabbing his hair once more and shaking his head, "What am I doing.....Why do I feel scared.....I shouldn't be scared.....I can't be scared....." he mumbled too quietly for the brunette to hear anything else then the first sentence, but that alone was enough to make his worry grow.