Black Mist jumped when he heard his brother's cries of pain. He had been lounging on Yuma's hammock, asleep, when he heard the sounds of agony.

"Astral!" Black Mist cried, rushing down to the lower level. There, he saw Astral curled in a tight ball with fire all around his body.

As usual, this was another reaction of the fire powers Astral had. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to be able to control how often the flames sprouted. When they did, it was painful.

Reacting quickly, Black Mist insulated the whole room with his ooze, making sure to cover up all of the holes. With one final burst of flames, the little outburst was over. Black Mist removed the ooze and went to his brother's aide.

"Astral, it's been two years," he sighed. "When are you going to control it?"

Astral pushed himself up until he was kneeling across from Black Mist. "I cannot simply control it. The fire is a wild element with no boundaries. The same goes for earth and lightning," he complained.

"I know. Just try to keep it under control."

Astral nodded. "I'll try."

From the first day that fire touched him, Astral knew that controlling such a powerful element would prove to be a chore. After two years, it still was.

The two heard the door open, and Yuma's cheerful voice floated up to them.

"Well, he's home," Black Mist said with a shrug. "Come on. Let's see that he does his homework."

Astral smiled and followed his twin down to the living room, where Kazuma brought his son into a playful headlock. Astral joined by tackling them both to the ground, and Black Mist pinned them all down.

"Gotcha," Black Mist purred. He chuckled and got up. "Yuma, do you have homework?"

Yuma shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure?" Mirai asked playfully. "You know what happened the last time you lied to them." She giggled.

To prove her point, Astral raised his hand. Small currents of electricity ran across his palm and fingers. He grinned.

Yuma gulped.

"Not to mention your sister," Black Mist purred. "Wouldn't want you to be punished by her." Then, he thought for a while. "No, I think we're worse..."

Yuma sighed. "Okay, I've learned my lesson years ago."

"Are you sure?" Astral giggled, causing Yuma's parents to laugh. "You know what happens." He giggled.

Yuma grew serious. "By the way, Astral, how is the fire and lighting?"

Astral frowned. "Still out of control," he sighed. "It's been two years."

"Has it happened again?"

Black Mist grimaced. "Are you serious? I'm surprised that the whole fucking neighborhood didn't hear it!"

Astral looked away, clearly upset. "I don't understand. When it first settled, the flames and lightning were easy to master. Now, I can't use them easily." He sighed and made water come out of his hands. "Water and wind is easy. They are the more docile elements."

"You'll get the hang of it," Kazuma reassured.

"Kazuma, it has been two years," Astral argued. "One would think that I would know how to control these violent elements."

"He has a point, Dad," Akari said, walking into the living room.

"See? Even she agrees." Astral looked down at his hands.

Thunder erupted outside. They could hear people wondering about the weather. It wasn't supposed to rain.

"Astral, you need to calm down," Black Mist growled, gripping his brother's shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself!"

Astral snapped back into focus, realizing what was happening. He tried to calm down, but the stress about trying to bring everything back to normal was making him more nervous.

"Astral, close your eyes," Mirai instructed calmly.

Astral closed his eyes.

"Good. Now, breathe deeply. Just calm down."

Astral breathed deeply, calming down. The storm let up as suddenly as it came, leaving every other person very confused. He opened his eyes again and averted them sheepishly.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean for-"

"It's fine," Mirai said softly. "Just try to control your emotions a little better."

Astral nodded, bashful.