Forever SK (01)
Edited: 2014.10.24
Title: Forever SK
Feature/Pairing: Arashi, Matsumiya, Sakuraiba, (Ohmiya, Sakumoto, Aimiya)
Rating: overall R (violence, language, sexual references)
Genre: au, modern, fantasy, friendship, action, romance
Summary: Of Earth and Core. Guardian Satoshi is closest to Kazunari, his twin. Yet he's been hiding something from his younger brother for 700 years.
PREVIOUS:
Prologue
Setting:
Earth
A world of Science, Faith, and Theories
physically limited by the Laws of Nature.
This is the land of past kings, dictators, and presidents,
where war is a timeless constant and peace is a dream.
Core
A world of Magic, Hope, and Traditions
where Spirits rule and Mages oversee.
This is the land of a Guardian who is much more than a king,
who is the Heart of this World and whose strength feeds and protects the Land.
They are One Life.
And it is this Guardian who holds the Key to other worlds... a world like Earth.
* * ONE * *
One divides into Two but share a core.
The day that Five Stars are born, the Storm will brew:
He who swallowed darkness keeps his silence,
and the World cracks slowly.
When Five reaches Three of Two pairs and One,
the silence becomes complete.
This World will Sleep.
Only Rebirth can break his eternal slumber.
SATOSHI:
I am the Guardian of Core. My strength protects and stabilizes this world. I love these mountains, these rivers, these people. Our songs create. Our traditions hold. All live and thrive. This Land is beautiful.
But inside of me, I bleed. Slowly, Core dies.
Kazunari is everything. I want to protect him, but I must sacrifice this world.
The Darkness looms nearer. I cannot tell my brother.
I am alone in my troubles. And I keep my silence.
[ Core ]
The time was Harvest Year and the villagers bent over the rows picking vegetation. Some hummed quietly to themselves. A few elderly women gossiped as they worked. It was an enjoyable task and these farmers liked what they did.
One among them straightened to stretch and rest. While wiping sweat off her brow, she said, "My grandson says the Prince is angry with our Guardian. More than angry. He is furious."
"Who is your son again?" another elderly asked, scrunching her brows in confusion as she squinted.
The first woman frowned, her intent to gossip instantly forgotten. She was extremely proud of her daughter's boy. How dare this old lady whose grandchildren were nobodies forget the might of the greatest member of her family!
Another elderly stopped her work to rest also. She interrupted, "You forget? Old Hane's grandbaby is Holder of Heat and Wrath."
Old Hane smiled smugly. Her grandson had the power of Fire!
But the second woman waved it away. "Psha! He's just Holder because the Mage died a few thousand years back and the new one has yet to surface. He's not anything grand like a real Mage."
Old Hane seethed and glared. That old lady had the nerve to dismiss her grandson as if he was nothing! In all her years (and she had lived a pretty long time), she had never met someone as rude as this woman.
It was an elder man, ignored and off to the side who had stopped to listen to their conversation as well, that broke the tension. "And so?" he asked.
They all turned to him, lost in their jealousies and anger.
"And so," he started again, looking from one farmer to another. "Why was the Prince angry at His Essence?"
The main topic came rushing back to them.
The first grandmother cleared her throat, threw a look at the second, and then went on with her story. "So it seems Prince Kazunari--"
"The Mage of Light and Energy," the other elder mumbled.
"--is frustrated with the Guardian's health."
"Don't we all feel the same way?" the third woman asked with a sigh and small shake of her head.
Old Hane responded enthusiastically with a snap of her fingers. "Of course! We're all concerned. His Essence's condition continues to worsen these past years. How many Mutants have attacked in the last few days!?"
Her rhetorical question went unanswered. All four knew the answer without speaking.
The Guardian, the Prince's older brother, was everything in Core. His safety meant theirs. He was ruler, protector, and the Life of all things. The Guardian made their world thrive. He mattered to everyone.
And the fact that the Barrier was weakened clearly showed to all in Core that something was wrong with their Greatest Overseer. Something terribly wrong. That aspect was frightening. They were all in danger.
They nodded their heads and agreed, "Only the Prince can scold His Essence. Let him be mad."
[ The Green Gardens ]
Kazunari stood by the path and watched his childhood friend, Masaki, plant several seeds in a small circle along the ground. He leaned against a stone column and did not speak until Masaki broke the silence and asked, "Why're you here?"
"How's Satoshi?" he asked.
Masaki sighed. Trust Kazunari to care after all. "That's why I tell you to think before you act," he started in a high-pitched lecture, "especially if you're going to regret later. You shouldn't have attacked him."
"I was blinded by fury," Kazunari replied quietly, solemnly.
They referred to an incident that had occurred the day before, when Kazunari had unleashed his wrath on the Guardian. Only Masaki's timely intervention had saved Satoshi.
Masaki answered, "The Guardian's sleeping. I put him underground."
"That's why his pull is weak," Kazunari muttered, unconsciously touching his chest with his bandaged left hand. The pull tying him and his brother together was faint. He hadn't been able to stand it's weakness.
Upon clearly hearing him, Masaki continued, "Couldn't be helped." He threw the last seed down and stood up, placing hands on hips. "He lost a lot of strength thanks to you. He needed to be closest to the Land to heal."
Kazunari straightened against the column at his back and glared defiantly. "I won't apologize," he told his friend coldly. "Never."
Masaki shrugged and stepped back from the circle to look at his work. "I knew. I already did for you."
It was just like Masaki, to try and fix everything. Kazunari's shoulders slumped because he couldn't hold anything against this caring person. Especially not what he had said. He finally changed the subject. "What are you doing?"
"Preparing to heal your hand." Masaki turned to him and smiled. "It's ready now."
Kazunari left the path and walked to the small circle on the ground. He returned to the topic that bothered him, this time without his foul mood. "Masaki, why do you and Satoshi hide the truth from me?" Again, he referred to the reason that had caused him to blow up at his brother in the first place.
"I'm not hiding anything," Masaki replied, sounding as truthful as could be as he made way for his friend. "And I can't help it that Satoshi won't tell you least of all."
The Prince would not leave it at that. "You're his Caretaker. You should know something about his health."
"Even I don't." Taking hold of Kazunari's gnarled hand, Masaki removed the bandages. "I've only lived one hundred years more than you, Kazu. And I did not know him until after you came along. They said the Guardian gradually became silent as he is now before my time."
The Caretaker peered down at the circle and waved his other hand. The seeds he had planted sprang to life and blossomed, growing swiftly under his manipulation. He then crouched down and pulled Kazunari down with him. They hovered above the ring of sprouts.
"Okay. It'll hurt a bit, but your bones need to right itself, all right?"
Kazunari glowered. "Whose fault is that?"
Masaki grinned. It was his own fault that the Prince's hand had broken during the incident, but he knew he had done right in protecting their Guardian from Kazunari in his fit of rage. Masaki did not regret what he had done at all.
He placed his friend's hand in the center of the vegetation and over the ground. "Ready!?" he bellowed all importantly.
In reply, Kazunari sniffed with unconcern and eyed the plants in the dirt suspiciously. It had never been done this way before. He asked instead, "Is this a new technique?"
The Caretaker's grin widened. "I'm trying something new," he explained. "This time, I'm combining the herbs with soil. It's richness and life will add to the healing." But he then added, "I think."
Oh, right. Kazunari sighed. As expected. He would be part of another experiment. This was Masaki after all and as long as he'd known the Caretaker he knew Masaki worked miracles. "All right. Let's give it a try."
The Mage of Nature and Life gleefully went into the humming of a tune. Instantly, his expression relaxed. He concentrated, serious and intent on focusing on his task to heal. Kazunari felt a sudden chill run up his arm. He knew it was the work of the herbs cooling down the blood in his limb. His fingers went numb. Sprouts swarmed over his hand and tangled themselves together.
Great. Here comes the best part, he thought with sarcasm.
Masaki suddenly paused in his mental song and Kazunari knew what was coming. He drew in a breath and held it. He was ready, or as ready as he could be.
Masaki started, this time more solemnly.
Kazunari's hand tightened. "Geh!" The Prince clenched his teeth as the roots pushed his broken bones together. Fuck! He knew it. The pain was unbearable. No one could be ready for this.
Masaki could feel his friend's struggle and quickened his song.
Kazunari's hand throbbed. He gritted his teeth and drew in another strained breath. Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! It was even worse than when he had broken it. It hurt. He choked on his own ragged breath.
The Prince's bones continued to assemble, crunching together unbearably under merciless onslaught.
Suddenly, the pain subsided. The healing continued, yet he felt no pain. Kazunari's breath eased and he blinked and remembered Masaki's idea. Adding soil worked! The soil was taking his pain away. He felt such relief. He paused when he realized pain couldn't disappear. It had to go somewhere. He realized it instantly.
The Land shouldered the hurt for him.
Kazunari stared at his hand covered in glowing green sprouts and vines. Not Core. He knew better. He knew never just Core. It was his brother, the Life of the Land, taking his pain. Kazunari only felt numbness because his brother shouldered his pain through the soil and their bond. Satoshi, his foolish other self, took it all.
His teeth clenched together in an effort to suppress his tears. Fuck, fuck, fuck! DAMMIT! Curses threaded through his head.
Satoshi was always there for him, especially during the worst of times. If not physically, then through that one and only bond that connected the two of them, that only they shared. They were twins, inseparable. Yet they had been born three hundred years apart.
And that was the problem. Masaki had voiced it. Satoshi was already silent by the time they came along. Kazunari had not, could not, be with him those earlier years to help him.
My brother is the most annoying person in the World, Kazunari thought. Satoshi made him so angry. So fucking angry. What was he, Kazunari, supposed to do about something he couldn't change? He clutched his head with the unoccupied hand and wanted to stop himself from breaking down. Why should he cry? Satoshi was terrible!
Before he knew it, the healing finished and Kazunari had to turn away so that his friend wouldn't see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. "Satoshi is the most stupid person in Core," he insulted.
Masaki did not read the atmosphere. "I thought I was."
Kazunari doubled over into forced fierce laughter, quickly wiping his eyes. "Yes, you really are."
"I'm kidding!" Masaki exclaimed while gathering the used sprouts and crushing them in his fingers. He scattered the ashes on the ground. "I'm not an idiot." He entered the path to exit the Gardens.
Kazunari called out after him. "Masaki."
"Hm?" Masaki swiveled around. He saw that Kazunari was still crouched on the ground and confusion struck him. "Why're you still sitting there? We're finished."
The Mage of Light and Energy touched his left hand gently, calmly. Healed, as if he had never broken it, had never raised it against his brother. He pretended interest in the soft skin and asked, "Where is Satoshi sleeping?"
Masaki pursed his lips. "He needs his sleep."
"I know. I'm tired. I want to sleep too."
"Then do."
Kazunari kept his silence, implying his intent. Masaki waited.
Finally, the Caretaker's jaw dropped. "In the ground!? With Satoshi!?"
[ the Chamber of Mirrors ]
A few minutes later, the Prince laid next to his brother down in the soil that had opened up beneath the floorboards.
Masaki stood over the two and shook his head in disapproval. "Kazunari, if I wasn't your friend but your Caretaker, I would've pulled you out. This way of sleep is only for the Guardian."
The Prince ignored him and snuggled closer to his brother who was sleeping still and silent. He peered at that angelic face, calm in rest.
Masaki gave up and dramatically threw his arms into the air in his exasperation. "All right! Close your eyes then."
Kazunari complied. Darkness closed in. Pitch black. Soon, he felt pressure build up and press down on him. Masaki was burying them. The knowledge frightened him.
I'll be okay, Kazunari thought to himself, although his heart pounded, although he hated to be closed in, although he feared death by suffocation. Although he was so afraid. Because, he reasoned, Satoshi's here with me. He believed that more than anything.
His belief rang true. As the soil trapped him into the ground, he suddenly felt the burden on his body lessen. Surprisingly, Kazunari was able to breathe. He knew it was Satoshi's doing, even as his brother laid silently asleep beside him. Satoshi never failed him. His twin was not only the Heart of Core. Satoshi lived in Kazunari's heart as well.
Kazunari regretted his anger. He regretted breaking down and hurting Satoshi.
Because he was sure no one would hear, because only Satoshi would, Kazunari finally whispered, "I'm sorry, Satoshi."
Not much later, he fell asleep with his brother keeping the both of them warm.
[ Earth, days later ]
Sho sat by the window of the hospital room and stared out into the street. It was silent in the room except for the muffled voices coming through the open door.
His manager poke her head in and saw the Idol's solemn expression. "Sho-kun," she started quietly. "It's all right. You're ready to leave now."
Sho sighed and moved his chair back. Instead of standing, he paused and stared at his leg in its cast. Broken bone. It would take months to heal.
The injury occurred some days ago when his partner Matsumoto Jun and he had gone to the mall. There had been an explosion (among other things) and Sho's right leg had been broken. He fainted soon after and woke up in the hospital like so.
Frustratingly, he couldn't remember anything about the incident. Like a dream, the rest was a haze. The only things Sho could remember were the explosion and loud screams. His mind refused to show him the rest, the details, even when he knew there had been much more. It was irritating how he no longer seemed to have any control over everything now that his health was out of his grasp.
Policemen had come to question Sho the other day and he regrettably could tell them nothing. It seemed every other witness had the same answer. No one could remember.
"Best not think about it," Jun told him over the phone when he had called to check on Sho's condition. "Don't worry. We're both crazy. I too, can't remember a thing. It's as if my mind refuses me. I'll come over tonight to talk about our schedule. We'll discuss it then."
Sho decided to forget that all-defying event until later. Jun was right. He shouldn't be worrying about that. The more pressing problem was his injury. Along with the stress, depression swamped Sho in a death-like grip. He knew he would be holding so many people back with his injury. What was he going to do about his schedule?
Sho and Jun were a duo, idols, Storm, Yama and Kaze, and apparently rising in popularity. Recently, more work had been coming in. For the first time in countless years since they had made their debut, now was their chance at fame, at having their name on billboards. Now it would all stop. Just because of him. All because of him. He held everyone back, especially his band mate and close friend Jun. They had slaved together, sweated together, even cried together in their struggle to stay alive in the entertainment world. Stupid him, taking all Jun's hard work away.
*
After his manager dropped him off in his apartment, Sho sat in darkness contemplating about his future and his foolishness. This was his worst injury ever. How could he hide it? How could he go on their shows like this? Annoying, stupid him. He felt inadequate. Sho clenched his hands into fists in his frustration. That was when his doorbell rang.
Who? Jun? Great. Now? he thought. Why hadn't his friend called to inform him that he had arrived?
Sho grumbled and limped to the door. It was too much work to get his crutches. He hadn't even learned to use them yet. He swung the entrance open and started in remorse, "Matsu--"
"Sho-chan, you're safe!" The man on the other side of the door breathed a sigh of relief.
What the idol was going to say caught in his throat and vanished. He stared at his visitor in shock. Not Jun. The assistant.
This was the man who had never stood out at work until a few days ago. Just before that incident, he had given Sho a homemade lunchbox. The gesture, no matter how kind, had left Sho feeling troubled. Sho guessed the assistant wanted something from him, especially now since he had come all this way.
He tried to smile kindly, even though his lips refused to turn up properly. Now was definitely not the time. Couldn't this man tell that Sho was powerless? He said politely to the intruder, "Ah, hello. I'm sorry I couldn't make the appointment today. But what brings you here?" So where was Jun anyway?
Inadvertently, the other questions came, swarming his brain: How did this man know where he lived? More importantly, what did he really want? And what was with that first name basis again? Everything about this situation bothered Sho.
"Can I come in?" the man asked instead of answering his motive.
No. Sho wanted to deny him entrance. After all, he had the right to. It was his own home. Regrettably, he moved awkwardly back to let the man through. Truthfully, it was not like Sho could refuse. This assistant and he would continue to work together in the future. There was no way Sho would allow tension to destroy their work relationship.
When the assistant set a box down on Sho's table, he realized the assistant had brought something along. Another lunchbox? How troublesome. What did he really want? Why didn't he just ask instead of treading around in circles?
"Did you come here for something?" Sho asked again as he limped his way towards a chair. His leg was starting to cramp. Would this man finally tell his true intentions today? After all, he had come all this way.
The assistant shook his head and smiled, almost too warmly. "Sakurai-san, I have to tell you something today. I came here for that."
[ the other side of Tokyo ]
That accident.
If Jun said he had forgotten everything, it was a lie. Like Sho, he could only remember the explosion and screams. His brain, human mind like it was, refused to let him remember the rest. But a person's deep, hurt, and desperate eyes had been engraved into his memory. He could remember that bit. He knew his feelings of wanting to protect the person with those eyes. But the problem was, whose eyes did they belong to?
Jun had no fucking idea.
He hated it. Hated that the eyes were the only other thing he clearly remembered. The heck with it. Now he would be haunted by something he couldn't remember for the rest of his life. Absolutely terrific.
*
At rehearsal that day, he was unsurprisingly moody and though he did try to be more professional and cheer up, he couldn't stop glaring the whole time. Unintentionally, he scared the usual friendly staff off.
Then Fuji Tohru decided to show up; his eternal rival who was a guitarist to some band in which his girlfriend also sang. In the beginning, Jun didn't really hate him. He didn't want an enemy. It would've been good if everything went smoothly at work. After a few years though, Fuji's awful attitude changed all that.
Jun finished and stepped off the stage. He tried to avoid the musician, but Fuji had other plans. He stepped in front of Jun and raised his chin arrogantly.
"Where's Mine?" His girlfriend. He asked so bluntly as if he had no doubt that Jun was hiding her.
"She's not here," Jun answered to the point also. His expression turned colder. Fuck, now his mood would plummet even lower. He couldn't go to Sho mad like this. His friend did not deserve it.
But Tohru would not give way, content to be in control. He blocked the path. Jun had enough. He was not in the mood. He made as if to walk passed the guitarist, but it was feint and he immediately turned when Tohru moved.
Tohru seethed as Jun effortlessly walked around the stage and out the other staircase.
Jun reached his manager who pulled on his arm. "Go change," she whispered, hoping to avoid a confrontation between the two idols. No such luck.
Tohru shouted across the room, "Where'd you hide Mine, Jun-pon?"
Jun gritted his teeth at the insult. Anger overwhelmed him. All he had to do was walk to Tohru and punch him in his mouth to shut him up. That was it. Simple. He would've really done it, but his manager gripped his shirt tightly, fearful, and he knew he owed her too much to start trouble.
Jun left, more furious than he had been when he arrived, and entered his dressing room with a loud bang as his door slammed open and knocked against the wall.
*
Later, as Jun sat in his car fuming, he debated whether he would go to see Sho like he had promised. He wanted to see his friend, but not like this. Frustrated, he pressed his head against his steering well. He decided. He shouldn't go.
Sho was insecure at the moment, especially since his hiatus from shows was currently being debated at the agency. Without work, Sho panicked. Jun shouldn't put his anger on that. Definitely not. He wanted to comfort his coworker if anything, not throw the man into a pit.
Jun started his engine after making up his mind.
[ Core ]
Masaki was in the Green Gardens, coaxing his SunRises back to life when the call came.
(( I'm awake, )) Satoshi said. (( Will you come and take Kazunari out? He might really die in here. ))
Masaki was in the Chamber of Mirrors in an instant, or as fast as he could. He stood near the center and focused on the ground. "Come up!" he bellowed and the soil moved aside to reveal two bodies, perfectly free of dirt.
The slightly shorter of the two sat up slowly, squeezing his eyes tightly every now and then. Masaki climbed down to gather the other body, Kazunari, into his arms. The smaller man continued to sleep soundly, head now pressed against the Caretaker's chest, in ignorance of what was happening.
Satoshi stood and smiled up at his Caretaker and friend. "Thank you," he said quietly and politely.
"No need," Masaki answered. He hefted Kazunari in his arms. "I guess Kazu just gets lonely without you." He smiled to show the Guardian his sincerity.
Apparently, Satoshi liked the idea. He beamed back, but said nothing.
Masaki waited for another second before he said, "Your Essence, I'll put him in his room and be right back to check on you."
Satoshi gave no reply. He didn't have to. The Caretaker bowed his head and made his exit without looking back.
Left alone in his empty chamber, Satoshi realized it was just him.
He stood in the center and grappled with his sudden solitude. He found the will to look up from his feet. His eyes wandered further, higher, until it came to rest on similar ones across the room. The man that was him gave off that same hunched, lost look. True to its name, this was the Chamber of Mirrors, his own space, his design. His reflection peered back at him from every angle from every corner of the room. Satoshi could not break eye contact. He continued to stare at the image of himself.
The voices came, whispering into his ear. They were commanding, demanding, ordering his presence.
(( Come Guardian. We have been waiting for you to wake. )) It was the Voices of the Counsel. He could not refuse them. Reluctantly, he let the image of the room leave his vision.
Satoshi silently left the room.
[ the Chamber of Illusions ]
Masaki gently set Kazunari down on the cushions. Just as his hands came free, a voice said, "I'm awake you know."
"Dammit!" Masaki cursed when his friend opened his eyes and sat up suddenly. He stepped back and frowned. "I was so sure I had been careful!"
"No, you were not." Kazunari covered his tired eyes with his hand. "I woke when you jumped over that rug in the corridor. How stupid."
Masaki laughed awkwardly. He waved impatiently. "But go back to sleep. I have to return to the Guardian."
Kazunari sighed wearily and stood up. "I'm coming along."
In alarm, Masaki blocked his path. "WHY!?" he demanded, panicking completely. He spread his arms to either side in a feeble attempt to block the path so that Kazunari could not escape. "You're supposed to be asleep!"
"And you woke me up," Kazunari snapped, reminding the Caretaker impatiently as well.
"Try to understand!" Masaki tried to persuade him. "Do you know how disappointed the Guardian will be in me!?"
"We all are," Kazunarin told him effortlessly with a smirk. "Core was disappointed when you became his Caretaker."
"Liar!" Masaki shouted halfheartedly because the truth stung.
[ Earth, Sakurai Sho's Apartment ]
Sho tried to be positive when the assistant spoke. No more going around in circles, at least. Yet, he felt disappointment. Sho had wanted to believe that this one man was a better person who didn't have ulterior motives.
He smiled trying to look eager and sat down in his chair. "Is it about my schedule? You could've called m--"
"I LIKE YOU!" the assistant screamed.
Sho stopped, jaw almost dropping. Did he just hear right? His smile disappeared to be replaced by confusion. What did he just say?
"I like you," the assistant repeated, erasing all doubt and turning his body around to directly face Sho. "I came here for that."
Sho's brain refused to function for a second then suddenly for some reason he wanted to laugh. This was hilarious.
[ Core, the Chamber of Souls ]
The Guardian stood in the center of a large dark room. The pitch blackness in the chamber offered no visible escape. The depth of the room could not be measured; it's darkness bottomless, wide, and disappearing into forever. There was only Satoshi and the specter Counsel, just him surrounded by nothing and something. He stood there, forlorn and small in the vast Chamber of Souls where the Counsel revived each and every time. He waited silently.
Off to his left, a voice spoke. (( Core is weakening. ))
A second, behind him. (( The Barrier's thin. ))
In front, (( What have you done? )), demanding an answer.
"I'm tired," he replied simply.
(( You're incomplete! )) The accusation echoed throughout the empty room, bouncing off the walls and reflecting back over and over again.
They were furious. They were dead kings, the past Overseers of Core. They had protected their world for trillions of years before this One had come along. Before this One had put their world in danger.
But the Guardian did not move a muscle at the accusation. He knew that last voice, his father, the former Guardian. The man who was now no more than a Voice, a spirit, among the Counsel. He stood motionless and expressionless as the fury of the past Overseers intensified.
(( Fulfill your duty! ))
(( Protect CORE! ))
But he refused.
I want to protect Kazunari, Satoshi thought. I want to protect him. He closed his eyes against the nothingness as if he could block out the voices, turn their demands away. They didn't understand. They wouldn't.
Yet he could not shut out the voices of his ancestors. Never.
The spirits went on, applying their pressure, giving one special mortal his life burden.
(( This Land is your priority! ))
(( These people are in your care! ))
(( They trust in you! ))
(( They rely on you! ))
Their voices rebounded throughout the room. Deafening. Accusatory. Increasing pressure.
(( You are it's HEART! ))
Finally, Satoshi flinched. His father again, but the power were in the words, the heart. The story of his birth came rushing back, of how his father had held him and sang to him. Of how his father had declared to all in Core of the future hope. The hope that meant nothing in the end. Absolutely nothing.
He had failed them. Would probably fail them again.
(( You used the Key! In one billion years, ))
(( such a thing has never happened! ))
(( It requires too much energy! ))
(( Never again! ))
(( Never again! ))
They forbade him, exclaiming, angry. Furious.
(( Become complete! ))
(( Restore your health! ))
(( Restore your full POWER! ))
The echo traveled all around, repeating over and over their desires. Their commands. Saying so easily as if it were nothing.
If only I know how, Satoshi thought. But those words for aid never left his lips. The Voices faded away into the nothingness all around him and Satoshi was completely alone this time again. Alone as he had been. The Chamber of Souls lightened. The door became visible off to the side, the depth of the chamber finally defining, engulfing his tiny figure.
He didn't leave. The Mage of Purity and Rebirth just stood there, exhausted and depleted. His burden had set in and now it's grip slowly made its way towards his breath. Once again, he made no effort to move.
He thought and went on thinking. What should he do? His sadness built up, drowning him in his own pool of frustration of pressure and dependence and the expectations. And then from deep inside, the rumbling started. It grew, overwhelming him until it erupted.
Satoshi coughed and coughed again. Unbearable. He couldn't stop. He couldn't control it.
[ the Chamber of Illusions ]
"You stay here," Masaki said, slowly backing towards the door without losing eye-contact with the Prince. "Don't move." He spoke as if to a frightened animal.
Kazunari watched the silliness and sighed, amused. His childhood friend was an idiot. If Kazunari wanted to leave, no one could stop him. "Masaki, stop it," he said.
Masaki shook his head and continued to move steadily back, watching his prey. "You cannot make your brother sad. You should go back to sleep." He waited, expecting a smart retort from the smaller quick-witted Prince, but it didn't come.
As Masaki watched, Kazunari's expression stiffened and he drew in a deep, strained breath.
The Caretaker instantly grew alarmed. He saw Kazunari struggle to breathe. He knew. It was not Kazunari's struggle. It was the Guardian's. "Kazu, what's wrong with him?!" He rushed to the Prince's side.
The Mage of Light and Energy touched his chest, gasping for air. He could feel the strong pull of his twin, the overwhelming frustration, the sadness, the physical exertion. Exhaustion despite that rest he'd woken from. So suddenly. Now of all times it was beginning again. That same weakness again.
Kazunari's brows drew in together and he was gone in a flash of electric sparks.
"WAIT!" Masaki called after him and ran towards the Chamber of Souls where the younger twin had gone.
[ Core ]
Around the World, the Barrier flickered. The Mutants clawed their way in.
[ Earth ]
He changed his mind.
Jun had gone home and laid on his bed then sat up feeling shitty because he had promised Sho that he would visit. His friend was upset. Even though Jun was in his foul mood, he knew he could try at least something to help his partner. He would comfort Sho and say that they would do fine. Jun would hold out on their duo variety-show appearances until Sho got better. Sho needn't worry. Jun cared more about his health anyway. They would continue to work hard together.
So once again he got into his car. By that time night had fallen. Jun was on his way to Sho's apartment. He had promised and might as well see it through.
[ Sakurai Sho's Apartment ]
"I like you," the assistant repeated.
Sho burst into laughter, just because every ridiculous thing that could happen to him piled on at that one moment. Why couldn't it have been something normal? he thought. Like asking Sho to hook him up with some celebrity. And to think he even complained to Jun about that. Seriously, life must be playing a joke on him.
Sho stopped chuckling when he realized he shouldn't be laughing no matter how hysterical he might feel. He sat in the chair, unable to move now that his leg was hurting. He couldn't accept this. "What do you really want? Why did you come today?" he demanded, hoping that the assistant would understand Sho couldn't do this and claim something else.
Unfortunately, the assistant went to stand before Sho and tried to make him accept the truth. "When I heard that you were in an accident, I finally realized it was time to step up. Sho-chan, I've always--"
"You are CRAZY!" Sho interrupted, suddenly afraid. His heart leaped in alarm. He didn't know how to control the situation. "That's the reason for the lunchbox!?"
"But I've liked you long ago! I just never had the chance!" the assistant exclaimed.
Sho covered his ears. "I don't want to hear this!" He had to calm down. If only he could go somewhere else so he could think. If he moved now, he'd probably just fall over and hurt himself even more. He didn't suspect that the assistant desperately wanted to be heard.
The assistant grabbed Sho's face between his hands. "Sho-chan, I really do love you!"
"I don't believe this!" Sho declared. He did not care anymore. He flopped out of the chair and landed hard on his stomach. Sho thought that if Jun saw him in his miserable position now, his friend would be laugh. He proceeded to crawl anyway, even if it hurt his pride.
"Sho-chan!" Above him, the call sounded.
"And you! Don't CALL ME THAT!" Sho screamed, infuriated, working his way slowly somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was far from this man. Let this man leave him alone! Let him think!
His breath was knocked out of him when something landed on his back. A person. The assistant flipped Sho onto his back until they were face to face. Sho could smell his breath.
"What the heck are you doing?" Sho screamed when the assistant struggled to overpower him, grappling to get his arms.
[ Core ]
"Satoshi!" Kazunari shouted, clutching his brother by the shoulders. "Breathe!"
Satoshi pushed him away.
They heard screams echo from outside the Palace, from around the world.
"Mutants!" Masaki screamed as he reached their side.
"Satoshi!" Kazunari shouted again, trying to calm his brother's hysteria down.
In response, the Guardian pushed him away again forcefully. Kazunari fell back from his brother, but he did not reach the floor.
[ Earth, the streets of Tokyo ]
The dim street lights cast a half-hearted glow over the dark streets.
Jun drove steadily, his fury already dissolved. He was only thinking about Sho and how he would comfort his friend. He concentrated on the road and used only one hand to guide the steering wheel.
I should call Sakurai-san first, he thought. I don't think he's asleep yet, but he mi-- Something crashed down on his car. All the windows of his car shattered. Jun's arms automatically went up to shield his face. His vehicle swerved and rode up the curve before it stopped with his feet clamped down on the brakes. He huffed and looked around. Smoke clogged his throat and nostrils. He coughed.
A scaly humanoid creature jumped off the hood of his dented car and ran off into the night.
"EHH!??" Jun sat up then froze.
[ Sakurai Sho's Apartment ]
Sho fought to break free and was horrified to know that the assistant was stronger. "GET OFF ME! GET OFFFFF!!" He had never screamed so hard in his life.
Something knocked into his injured leg with such a force that his breath went out and his vision dimmed. Pain exploded along his leg up to his hip and Sho gagged from the excruciating intensity of it. In that moment, he was pinned down as he tried to regain his breath.
The assistant panted above him and grinned when he knew he had won. He leaned in to kiss Sho and that was when Sho hit his own head against the floor in an effort to escape the torture. As pain erupted at the back of his head and his sight went dark, a pair of eyes returned to him. A man with the most mesmerizing eyes; the person he had been unable to remember. Until now.
An explosion went off in the ceiling, deafening, blinding, and full of sparks.
The assistant screamed. Sho hated that darkness swallowed him once more.
[ Core ]
The Guardian doubled over and hugged himself, shaking terribly.
"Let's go, Satoshi!" Masaki shouted. "Mutants have broken through!" Many more than ever. Core was in trouble.
Satoshi did not respond.
"Kazunari!" Masaki shouted, frustrated and wanting help, but he turned and was surprised to find that his friend was no longer there. "KAZU!"
The Prince was gone.
"KAZUUU!"
The Mage of Light and Energy was nowhere to be seen within the vicinity, but he wouldn't have left his brother.
"Where are you!?" Masaki shouted.
Satoshi gripped his chest and he sucked in a breath of horror as he was drawn to the present. He realized he had turned the Key.
[ Tokyo ]
Jun had run all that way. He did not even care that his car was ruined or that he had left it abandoned. For some reason, the memory of the incident returned to him during that crash; the worst possible moment it could. Instinctively, he was afraid for Sho and he ran towards Sho's apartment. He panicked and wanted his friend to be all right.
Flashes of two men fighting came back. Water. Electricity. The weight of the injured Sho in his arms, helpless, as they watched. Then those eyes. Haunted, afraid, indignant. Belonging to that person not of this world. Jun finally knew.
Jun burst into Sho's apartment, partly horrified that it was so easy to intrude, and gaped when he saw the damage. What the fuck had happened?
Part of the ceiling had caved in. The windows were shattered. The walls disintegrated and crumbled. It was empty.
Jun's chest squeezed unbearably as he searched around. Where was Sho? He turned. SHO! SHO! his mind mentally screamed. No one was there. His heart pounded in his ears. He almost couldn't breathe. No one is here. Fuck! NO ONE IS HERE!
But he was wrong. Jun turned to run out for help when he heard a groan. He swiveled back to look and among the rubble, a small man moved.
Kazunari saw Jun. The person he instantly remembered.
[ Core ]
Masaki grasped Satoshi by the shoulders and helped him move through the corridor. He tried to hurry because the screams of terror echoing throughout the Land intensified by the minute. They had to go faster. It might already be too late for many.
Suddenly, the Guardian dug his feet into the ground and refused to move anymore.
"What's wrong?" Masaki demanded, trying to push him along but unsuccessfully.
Satoshi shook his head. "I have to go," he said.
"WHAT!?" Now was not the time to argue. Their world was in danger. Masaki struggled to find the right words to tell him, for Satoshi to understand the urgent need for their help. The people needed them and especially their Guardian. The other Mages were already at work, and yet there was not enough of them to go around.
Satoshi shook his head again and Masaki grew frustrated when the Guardian slipped through his fingers. The Mage of Purity and Rebirth liquefied and burst into droplets, disappearing in the blink of an eye. He was gone.
"Dammit!" Masaki cursed, but he couldn't stay.
He ran with all his might out of the Palace and towards the direction of the Resting Star. That ward was under Kazunari and his protection, their priority. Now that Kazunari was not here, it would be just him. The thought was frightening. Just him taking on all those Mutants. Though Masaki loved his ability, adored the creatures he worked with as Mage of Life and Nature, at that moment he wished he had lightning speed like Kazunari.
He ran furiously and clenched his eyes shut as his feet led him. He had to hurry. He had to make it. He had to-- Masaki tripped and crashed to the ground rather clumsily. But he didn't land on the ground.
Sho groaned underneath Masaki's weight and woke. He blinked slowly and stared up into a pair of deep-brown eyes.
[ Earth ] [ Core ]
The world spun. Unstable.
"Who are you?"
Jun asked Kazunari, standing and staring. Masaki asked Sho, their faces inches apart.
* *
Forever SK 02