Author's Note:

Okay this is it. I've been writing this story for a while and I couldn't wait any longer. I wanted to at least post the first chapter and see where it goes from there. This is my first Fanfic so hope it turned out okay, enjoy!

Chapter 1: Outbreak

It was a cool early morning, the sun had yet fully risen leaving a monochromatic blue covering the atmosphere followed by the sounds of birds chirping announcing the start of a new day. The quiet, tranquil mood made it hard to believe that just recently the city was in a state of emergency as a result from Claw's acts of terrorism. But that was over now, all thanks to the young psychic, Shigeo Kageyama, who now rested on his brother's back as they made their way back home.

"We're almost home brother." Ritsu informed his sibling, whose head hung comfortably from his shoulder. He felt his older brother shift before mumbling an okay.

Shigeo was still exhausted after his long struggle against Claw's Boss. The overuse of his psychic powers rendered him weak and feeble. Ritsu wished nothing but a relaxing day for Shigeo, he deserved it after all. When they finally got home Ritsu gently placed Shigeo on the couch in the living room.

"Thanks, Ritsu." Shigeo smiled. It was a bit chilly in the room probably because the heat hadn't been turned on. He analyzed his surrounding, looking past the dining table he noticed some boxes that laid on the floor, organized and fully labeled. "Ah, I thought it had felt a bit empty," he mused.

"Yeah they fixed the house up pretty nicely but," Ritsu paused as he started unpacking one box labeled kitchen. "As for our belongings, we will need to place everything back the way it was on our own before Mom and Dad come back home."

Shigeo stood up from the couch also making his way over to the boxes. He tried picking one up but realized he didn't have the strength to do so. Even with all the exercises he had done in the body improvement club, Shigeo was disappointed that he still couldn't do such a simple task. Ritsu noticed this and immediately went to his brother's aid.

"It's ok brother, I'll handle this. You should rest." urged Ritsu, picking up the box Shigeo had under him with ease.

Shigeo appreciated his brother's concern but he felt perfectly capable of handling stuff on his own. "I want to help," insisted Shigeo, his stare was almost a silent demand, showing no signs of backing down. It was enough to make Ritsu comply.

"Okay," Ritsu sighed, He knew his brother had a strong resolve. He could see how determined Shigeo felt about this and he didn't want to keep patronizing him.

Shigeo lifted the smallest box he could find which was labeled bathroom and slowly carried it down the hallway. The young esper didn't mind doing chores, it kept him busy. He hummed to himself as he opened the cardboard container filled with cleaning utensils, such as a plunger, towels and various brushes. All things anyone would expect a normal bathroom to have. It didn't take him long to organize the items and head back to join his brother.

They continued to clean around the house together, Ritsu would handle most of the heavier boxes, while Shigeo adjusted the best he could but in the end he resorted to using his psychic powers to move things around. The young esper didn't notice how much strain he was causing to his body with each passing minute he spent focusing his telekinesis. Shigeo was already drenched in sweat, he panted lightly, his bangs stuck to his moist forehead and his body trembled. It hadn't even past an hour and he already felt drained of energy.

"I-I think I'm...going to take a break." Shigeo said all while gasping for air, his back bent with his hands clasped onto his knees. He felt heavy, like if someone was holding him down and pulling him hard from his shoulders. Maybe he really was tired, the young esper thought to himself.

It wasn't surprising to Ritsu, his brother never did well with physical activities. "It can't be helped, you shouldn't over exert yourself brother. How about you go upstairs and change out of your school uniform, I'll start the bath."

"Um, okay." nodded the weary boy.

Ritsu carefully observed the unsteady movements of his brother who slowly made his way to the base of the stairs. He wondered if he'd be okay on his own after reluctantly leaving his side. The dark haired esper entered the kitchen, his stomach growled, reminding him that they hadn't eaten anything since they arrived home. "Brother must be hungry too." Ritsu said, opening the fridge. Nothing. Of Course, why did he think there'd be any food left after the fire? "I guess we'll be ordering take out later." he sighed unsatisfied, times like this made him wish his parents were around.

He turned back around taking his first real look at the house. It was still a mess, empty cardboard covered the floor, table and chairs along with some miscellaneous items. It was as if they had moved here for the the first time. Ritsu smiled, reminiscing the day they entered their new home. Him and his older brother would play hide and seek in the mess of boxes while their parents unpacked. That was nine years ago. He was sadly interrupted from the sound of the ringing. At least the house phone worked fine.

"Hello, Kageyama residence. Oh, hey Mom. Sorry, my cell must be dead. Yes, everything is okay here. Yes Mom, brother is fine..."

Shigeo was not fine, actually he felt far worse than he has ever been. Climbing up those stairs just proved what little stamina he had left in him as he took a moment to catch his breath again. When he got to his room, Shigeo couldn't shake this feeling of uneasiness, he felt unusually warm, recalling the last time he had set foot in here was the day of the fire.

Mob 12%

He closed his eyes, remembering the harsh flames that threatened the comfort of his home and the life of his family. Remembering the loud roar of the blistering heat, smoldering, destroying everything in sight, inching closer and closer, trying to grab ahold of him. His flashback slowly became reality when the flames engulfed his body. Shigeo's skin was burning hotter and hotter. He tried to scream but choked as his torso constricted making it harder for him to breathe. It's hot. Why was this happening? It's hot. Who would someone want to harm him and his family? It's hot. He couldn't think straight. Hot, it's hot, hot, hot, hot!

Mob 18%

Suddenly, there was a familiar ringing sound in the far distance that snapped Shigeo back into reality. The house phone? He shot his eyes open, hyperventilating, hot sweat rolling from his almost red face in contrast to the cool air of the room. The dazed boy blinked a few times in confusion, finally grasping what was transpiring around him.

Everything in his room was levitating and whirling around in a circular motion, unaware that his hallucination had subconsciously triggered his psychic abilities. Shigeo was at his limit when his legs ultimately gave out and the boy fell to the floor. Furniture and other objects immediately stopped, dropping as well. A sharp pain pierced through his small frame causing shigeo to clench his fist and toes. He slowly curled into a protective ball, chills shook him to the bone as his body temperature skyrocketed.

Mob 25%

"It hurts...it h-hurts..." the young esper cried, tasting the salt of his tears as they streamed down his warm cheeks passing his lips. The knot in his chest tightened and he shrieked in pain before calling out for help.

"Ritsu!" Shigeo waited helplessly, staring at the door. He tried again, his voice more shaky from the rising anxiety, "...R-Ritsu...!" His eyes peered upward once again, watching the door, waiting but the sibling never came. There was no way his younger brother could hear his small cries from all the way downstairs, behind the closed doors of his room. He was alone.

Mob 28%

Silence drowned the room. The only sound that could be heard was the thumping of his own heartbeat, the blood flowing through his veins, his small inconsistent breathes that struggled to keep him conscious. He was slowly but surely fading. Shigeo reached into his pocket pulling out his cell phone; his final attempt for help. He clicked his most recent contact on his call log and let it dial. It rang, and rang, and rang and rang for what felt like eternity until he eventually gave in, letting the darkness gradually envelop him.

"Help...Master..."

Ritsu had said his goodbyes before hanging up the phone with his parents. They told him that they were enjoying their vacation and apparently wouldn't be back for another whole week. He didn't know how to feel about that except maybe a bit disappointed; he was looking forward to his Mom's cooking again. She had told him that there should be some emergency money in her dresser but there was no way it had survived the fire.

The bathtub was nearly full, nice herbal hot water steamed up the bathroom. The warm temperature was comforting, relaxing. Its sweet aroma was inviting, even for Ritsu, who started to feel pretty tired himself. He yawned, placing fresh new towels on the side for his brother to use, then turned off the tub faucet before exiting the bathroom.

"Brother your bath is ready!" Ritsu shouted. It had been ten minutes, he should be finished by now. Ritsu wondered what could be taking him so long. It was odd enough that he hadn't responded back. Maybe he fell asleep, thought Ritsu, already half way up the stairs. He knocked on Shigeo's door. "Brother? You okay?" There was no answer. "I'm coming in." Ritsu entered the room and what he saw next caught him by surprise. Nothing could prepare the younger esper from seeing his brother lying face down, passed out on the floor, the room wrecked like a heavy storm had past.

"BROTHER!" Ritsu's heart skipped a beat, a million questions ran through his mind as he rushed to his motionless brother. Before even touching him, his frail body radiated with heat. "You're burning up!" He grabbed Shigeo turning him over until he was upright in his arms, his brother's head fell slump, eyes closed. He quickly unbuttoned his sibling school jacket, throwing it to the side, leaving only his white short sleeved shirt.

Shigeo shivered at the sudden change in temperature, his consciousness resurfacing. The esper squinted his eyes, he could barely register his younger brother's face as he tried hard to focus. Sound was slowly coming back to him and he could hear someone calling out to him but everything was still a blur.

"Brother! Brother! Say something! Please brother! Brother! Shige snap out of it!" Ritsu was in a panic, lightly shaking the weaker boy who had closed his eyes once more. "Shit, stay with me!" He ordered, tapping his face forcing him to stay awake.

"Rit...su?"

"Big brother, I'm here! What happened, are you hurt? Speak to me!"

A small spark of relief filled Shigeo's droopy eyes. He wasn't alone after all. His feelings of content was short lived though, he gripped his chest where it ached heavily, quivering. "I don't...feel so good, Ritsu. It's cold."

"You're running a fever," Ritsu informed him, concern clear in his voice. He pulled Shigeo's arm over his shoulder, "Can you stand?" he waited for Shigeo's small nod then, held him by the waist, lifting him as Ritsu stood up. With the room being such a miserable mess, there was no way he could have his brother rest in here.

The brothers left the bedroom never realizing the small voice coming from the abandoned phone on the floor.

They only walked a few footsteps down the hallway to the room next door, entering Ritsu's room. Whoever had rebuilt their house really left no rooms for flaws. His room was almost a spitting image of what it used to be, long bookshelf on the left side followed by a desk that stood next to the window. On the right side was Ritsu's bed. Unlike Shigeo's traditional japanese futon that laid flat on the floor, Ritsu had a regular mattress on a modern bed frame that stood a foot suspended from the floor.

Ritsu helped Shigeo settle on the soft mattress. Quickly, the younger sibling ran downstairs to the bathroom, grabbing any small towel in sight, soaking it in cold water. He stopped by the kitchen to pour a cup of water before rushing back upstairs.

A hand brushed back the straight bangs that hung just above Shigeo's sweating forehead. The cool touch of the wet towel caused him to jerk his head to the side. Then, a thin blanket was pulled over him and he didn't waste any time to snug it closer.

"I'm sorry brother, you're going to have to cope with this for now." That was the best Ritsu could do to ease his shivering. Any warmer than that and Ritsu feared his fever may worsen. Without any medicine in the house, he wasn't sure what would happen if his brother didn't get any better.

"It's okay, Ritsu. I trust that you know what to do, you always do?" Shigeo said with a weary smile, completely overlooking how obviously stressed out his brother was.

Ritsu stood silent. He seemed to dwell on those words more than necessary. What did his big brother see in him anyway? He didn't feel he deserved all this praise he got from his family like they were labeling him something before he even had a chance to decide for himself. It was an overwhelming burden for him to keep up with their high expectations.

"I...um..." Ritsu was at a loss for words, the awkward silence along with his brother's endless stare was eating away at him. He needed a distraction, this was no time to be self-pitying himself, not while Shigeo was sick like this. Ritsu nervously gripped the rounded plastic in his hands, the sound of the squeezed material caused him to glance down at the item he held so desperately. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here, I brought you some water to drink," he said finally.

Shigeo temporarily removed the wet cloth on his head and steadily sat himself up with the help of his brother. He took the cup gratefully, emptying the contents as swiftly as he had received it. His brother was more dehydrated than anticipated.

"I'm sorry big brother, I should have known that you'd be thirsty all this time. Let me get you some more water." Ritsu grabbed the cup from his hand.

"That's the second time..."

"Huh..? What is?" Ritsu turned back to his brother, concerned.

"Never mind." he quickly answered. "It's nothing." Shigeo turned his head down to the side, the life in his eyes were lost in thought.

"O-Okay," he didn't want to pry. "I'll only be gone for a minute, just please stay in bed and get some rest." Ritsu paused. "You know I'll always be here if you need to talk about anything." he added before leaving the room.

"You can talk to me too, Ritsu."

Shigeo let himself fall back into the comfort of the bed, his body still ached all over. He stared up blankly at the ceiling, wondering what it felt like to be healthy again. Why did he feel so terrible? Could overusing his psychic abilities really cause such a huge repercussion? How was it possible to affect his body physically anyway? If only he knew the answer.

"Ugh...I don't get it."

Author's Notes:

Phew... I hope the first chapter wasn't too long. Tell me your thoughts. I'd really appreciate it. I tried to keep them in character, hope I did a good job, if not then blahh.. whatever..lol

I will be updating the next chapter soon. Maybe even sooner depending on the amount of feedback I get from this one. These chapters were already prewritten for a long time. Like I had said before, this is my first fanfic so I didn't want to post it unfinished yet since I'm such a terribly slow amateur-ish writer.. lol