They were just kids, really. She hadn’t been there long but he was the one person she was comfortable with. He made her feel safe, even without words and she couldn’t consider leaving him for a second.
Two
She had flowers in her hair, wild ones he had helped her pick, and ribbons on her dress. She noticed how he watched her spin about and it made her heart feel funny, but she had no idea what it meant. After all, they were kids and too young to fully understand what love was, even at a wedding.
Three
They had been arguing, bickering like siblings are prone to, but there was a hint of something more, a desire behind her upset. One moment they were fighting and the next they were kissing and she was terrified it would end just as quickly as it had happened.
Four
He had been sneaking around her bedroom and she busted him, accused him of swiping her shinier trinkets again. It wouldn’t have been the first time and they both knew it. Instead it was her favorite bangle, a nice heavy plastic one with rhinestones. He knew it was her favorite and she was getting upset until he pulled out the reason he had borrowed it. The silver charms sparkled under the light and she almost burst into tears over how sweet he was.
Five
He was hurt, hooked up to tubes and machines at Cord’s after Chance. He was barely awake and she was barely keeping it together. He opened his eyes and smiled, tired from the drugs, but he was awake and she felt a swell of relief. And then he asked her to marry him and everything stopped. She forgot their dad was in the room, all that seemed to exist was him and his question and she knew there was no way she would ever say anything other than yes.
It was ridiculous to think that it was his skeleton. There weren't any traces of his clothes; there wasn't even a sign that told him Titus was here. But a part of him knew that the empty sockets he was gazing into belonged to his friend, Titus. He slowly got on his knees. He reached out to touch the skull with a shaking hand. The warmth was no longer there. The wamth was gone. He was gone. The tears he had been holding back dripped down his cheeks. "Hey, you're still alive right?" A gentle, yet sad smile appeared on his face. "I... I still haven't fulfilled my promise." He bitterly laughed before resting his head against the cold empty skull. There wasn't even a trace of the warmth he loved. Closing his eyes, the image of Titus pressing his forehead against Sphintus. Tears continued to stream down his grief stricken face.
A bright smile bloomed on his face as he pointed at the path before us, motioning for me to follow him. I could tell that the path he was planning to take was going to be long and tedious, but I wasn't scared. It was strange how I didn't even feel the slightest bit afraid to walk down that path. I was aware of the obstacles we would bump into, but I wasn't scared. The bright smile he was offering me was more than enough to fill my heart with warmth and give me the confidence I needed to walk down the path. I knew that as long as he continued smiling at me like that, I could overcome anything. As long as he was beside me. I lightly smiled before nodding and walking down the path with him.
As we continued walking, I noticed it was getting darker and darker. I asked him, wondering if he noticed the growing darkness surrounding us. He just laughed and told me, 'It's just your imagination.' Was it really? I soon felt an invisible noose around my neck. At first, it was barely noticeable, but it tightened with every step I took. It was slowly squeezing my neck, making my head throb and breath become uneven. I reached out for him and called his name. He didn't respond and started walking faster instead. "Endou!" I called out for him again, but he continued walking further and further away from me. Seeing him disappear right in front of my eyes was scarier and more painful than the tightening noose around my neck. Ignoring the searing pain, I ran as fast as I could towards him. I wanted to catch up to him and walk with him. That was all I desired; all I wanted. The pain on my neck was nothing compared to the pain of watching someone precious like him walk away from me. I ran and ran, but I wasn't getting any closer. He seemed to be moving further and further away from me.
"Endou!"
A bright light suddenly appeared at the end of the path. I abruptly stopped running. I covered my eye with my hand before taking a step back. The light was too strong for someone like me to handle; someone who had been walking in the dark from the very beginning. It hurt. It was too bright for me. My eyes burned. Narrowing my eyes, I could see a figure that looked faintly like him. I couldn't tell because he was looking directly at the light, not the slightest bit affected by it.
Why wasn't he blinded by the light?
I tried to move closer but the noose around my neck prevented me from moving any closer. It pulled me back. I grabbed the invisible rope that was wrapped around my neck - tugging it and trying to loosen it. The more I struggled, the more the noose around my neck tightened. I closed my eyes. I let out a small sigh. It was hopeless to struggle wasn't it? No matter how much I tried to break free, I was never going to escape. I finally understood that. Resistance was futile. Letting go of the invisible noose, I let my arms fall to my sides. I took a step back. I continued walking backwards until the blinding light before me was engulfed by the darkness surrounding me.
I didn't know how many days passed by as I just stood in the dark. I didn't feel tired, hungry or sleepy. I just, I just felt empty. The warmth that was once in my heart was gone, replaced with an ugly feeling I thought only monsters could feel. My desire to see his bright smile again was as strong as ever, but I knew it was pointless. I was never going to see him again. I laughed bitterly at myself. Let's reach the top together? That sort of thing was impossible for me from the beginning. You dragged me into this hell and left me behind, but I can't blame you for it. You overestimated me and expected me to be strong enough to walk by your side. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
"Kazemaru!"
Who was that? I had heard that voice before but I wasn't sure from where. I blinked before looking around. It was too dark for me to find me the person. "Who's there?!" I felt a hand tightly wrap around my wrist before jerking me towards the light. Feeling the noose around my neck tighten again, I struggled and tried to make the person let go of me. I kicked him as hard as I could, screamed from the top of my lungs and begged him to let me go. But his grip only tightened as he continued walking, forcing me to follow him. My breathing grew uneven as the noose tightened. I instantly closed my eyes when I realized you were pulling me towards the light.
"Open your eyes!"
He yelled at me, but I ignored him. What the hell did he know? He couldn't possibly understand how painful it was for me whenever I tried to look directly at the light. I bit down on my lip before trying to control my breathing. I felt like my neck was going to snap in half and my lungs were going to burst. Was I going to die? I wanted nothing more but to crawl back into the dark this stranger dragged me out of.
"Open your eyes!"
This time I listened to the familiar voice. I don't know why, but something told me that it was aright to look. Snapping my eyes open, I forced myself to keep my eyes open. I stared at the light despite the pain and my eyes eventually adjusted to the light as the pain slowly disappeared. Squinting my eyes, I could barely make out the face of the stranger standing in front of me. Who was he? "It's going to be fine." The invisible noose around my neck disappeared the second he said that. I lowered my head and coughed before placing my hand on my chest, slowly recuperating.
Raising my gaze, my eyes widened when I saw the face of an old friend. Even though it felt like an eternity since I Iast saw him, he still offered the same bright smile he gave me the first time we met. It was as if he never left. The empty feeling in my chest vanished, replaced with a warmth I thought I had forgotten. He placed his warm hand on my shoulder.
"I said we were going to the top together didn't I?"
He reached his hand out for me. I stared at his hand for a moment before looking up at him. He had a warm smile on his face. I lightly smiled. "Yeah." I took his hand and once again, we continued walking down the path.
He crouched before gently placing the flowers on the grave. He shifted his gaze to see his younger sister sitting on the stairs, her head buried in her arms. Turning his gaze back to the grave, he ran his fingers through the name that was carved on the worn out stone. He lightly smiled. "It would have been nice if I could at least remember your voice." Every time he tried to remember the voices and faces of his deceased parents, the only sound his ears would pick up on was a loud buzzing sound and he couldn't get his eyes to focus on their faces. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't remember. Every time he visited their graves, it served as a painful reminder that he barely had any memories of the two people that loved him.
Getting up on his feet, he paid his respects before walking towards Haruna. His pain was nothing compared to hers. He had been hesitant to bring her with him to visit their parents' graves but when he saw the determined look in her eyes, he knew he couldn't stop her. If he barely held any memories of his parents, then he was certain that Haruna didn't have any memories of them at all. She was younger than him when they passed away. It was painful for him to say it, but no matter how hard she tried to remember - she would never be able to dig out her memories.
They had separated for three years. He wondered how she handled the pain that washed over her on the day of their parents' death anniversary. Did she cry? Did she lock herself in her room? Did she fake a smile for everyone so they wouldn't worry about her? He bitterly chuckled at himself. He was her brother and yet, he couldn't comfort her like he wanted to. "Can I do anything to help?" A few moments of silence passed by. He closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do was there?
"Sometimes a hug helps."
He blinked when he heard her softly mumble. It was barely audible, but it was from her. Opening his arms, he was surprised when she suddenly stood up and jumped into his arms. He stumbled backwards. With her head buried on his chest, her arms were tightly wrapped around him - as if she was afraid of letting him go. Ah. He finally understood what was troubling her heart. "I'm not going anywhere." Those four words were enough to make her eyes brim with tears before it trickled down her cheeks. She tightly held onto him as she wept in his arms. He closed his eyes.
Placing the color pencil on the table, she took a good look at the drawing. She was immensely proud by what she had just drawn. A bright smile blossomed on her face when she noticed that her drawing skills had improved. Her circles were no longer awkward and she got everyone's height right. She placed her finger on the man in hr picture. "Father!" She ran her finger to the drawing of a woman. "Mother!" Her smile grew when she pointed at Kidou. "Brother!" She picked up the drawing before running out of the living room. "And me!" She abruptly stopped running when she saw two strangers standing outside her door and her brother standing in front of them.
She blinked. "Brother?"
He turned to look at her. The bright smile on her face disappeared when she saw the expression on her brother's face. He wasn't smiling like he usually was. His face appeared to be stuck, frozen. "Brother?" No response. He opened his mouth to say something but she couldn't hear him. He simply stood there, eyes widened and mouth agape. Terrified by the strangers in her house and worried about her brother, she quickly stood behind her brother. "Brother who are they?" The lady had a, what appeared to be strange to the little girl, solemn gaze in her eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Your parents are gone."
Haruna blinked. She smiled again. "That's right. Mommy and daddy went to work in America!" The lady clenched her hands into fists before shaking her head. She was confused. Was the lady trying to say her parents are back? "Are they back already? I wanted to show this picture to them when they came back!" She moved to stand in front of her brother and held the picture of her family high, proud of her drawing. The woman crouched and placed her hand on Haruna's smaller hand. She looked straight into her eyes. The young girl felt afraid at first, but she could see that the stranger had no intention of hurting her. The look in her eyes confused Haruna though. Why did she look so sad?
"Your parents are never coming back. They're gone. They're dead."
Cassandra was not comfortable around most men so walking home late at night tended to put her on edge. She might live in a safe neighborhood, carried mace in her bag, and knew a measure of self defense but that did not mean she felt safe.
Although she did not say it, she was beyond relieved that Ganymede had been kind enough to walk her home after the fundraiser.
She felt safe with Ganymede so it was both for her comfort and a silent thank you that she reached out and put her hand on his. Yet what she felt was more than comfort in the warmth of the touch. It was that feeling that allowed him to pull her towards an alleyway. She trusted him even in the dark where no one could see him and she still trusted him as he bent down towards her.
She let out a breath of air and her eyes closed and then she felt his lips against hers. It did not last long but part of her was glad. Her heart had stopped in that moment and only started again when he pulled away. It was in that second that she almost pulled him back, spurred on by the fluttering of desire but she quickly swallowed it.
"Yeah, we should." She let him pull away and did not reach for him although the urge still remained. He was off limits, right? Even if she deserved to have someone he was then last person she should want to kiss. He was Zeus' and the king of the gods was not known to share.
"Thanks," Cassandra told him at the door to her building. He made no move to go up with her and considering what had happened, she was not sure it would be wise to invite him up.
She offered him a smile before she turned away to head up to her room. She needed to think. She needed to come to terms with how much she regretted the distance between them.
One thing she did not regret was the fact that he kissed her, even if it only gave her a small taste of what she was missing out on.
Floating towards him, she held on her brother's hand. Warm. Even though she hadn't seen him for years, she could still remember how soft his hand was. The way he would tenderly ruffle her hair whenever she woke up from a nightmare; the way he would hold her hand even though he was embarrassed - and the way he held onto her hand as her heart stopped working and she chocked on her own last breath. She turned around to see Alibaba wake up after nearly falling into depravity. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Thank god. She didn't want him to suffer just like her brother did. A gentle smile appeared on her face when she noticed how everyone's face lit up after seeing him regain consciousness.
"You see it don't you?"
She blinked before shifting her attention to look at her older brother. She tilted her head, clearly confused by what he had meant. He lightly smiled before tightening his grip on her hand. "He doesn't need me anymore." Cassim peered over his shoulder to look at his friend, the smile on his face widening. "He's in good hands now." Alibaba couldn't see him - but he could see the blond. He wouldn't realize it, but Cassim would always be there for him. That was good enough, wasn't it?
"But won't it get a little lonely?"
Cassim blinked before looking down at his sister. "For you and Alibaba-nii-san. I can tell he misses you nii-chan. Don't you?" He stared at her for a moment, appearing stunned by her words. He missed his friend. That was a given - but he wasn't sure about how the blond would react after seeing him again. Would he cry? Would he smile for him? These things kept Cassim from approaching the blond. Deep down, he knew he was afraid to see Alibaba again. He spared one last glance at Alibaba and his friends. A sad smile blossomed on his face.
"Cassim!" His shaky voice echoed in the infinitely large room, causing Cassim to whip his head back in surprise. As tears leaked from the corner of Alibaba's eyes, he quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed towards his disappearing friend. A gentle smile graced Cassim's softened expression as his eyes reflected purity that was originally hidden behind a blindfold. Hands outstretched, he allowed the blond to crash into his arms. He tightly embraced his vanishing friend. He wanted to sink in his warmth forever. Cassim placed a hand on his head as he pressed his lips on the blond's ear.
"I love you."
Small droplets rolled down the blond's cheeks as a sudden swarm of beautiful birds exploded from his arms and flew into the sky. The warmth he strongly desired was gone in an instant - gone forever. Gripping his own head tightly, he couldn't stop the sudden rush of emotions that washed over him. "You idiot!" He yelled as he fell on his knees. He raised his hands up - hands that were tightly embracing Cassim only a few seconds ago. His vision blurred. Cassim was gone. Wrapping his arms around himself, he pressed his forehead on the ground as tears continued to stream down his face. "This is what I dislike about you. . ."
