Chapter Text
Years ago, when he was young and had faith in a trusted future, Kaito met a girl.
She was a beautiful girl, kind and gentle; but more than that, she was special. Unbeknownst to them all, she would be the next Messiah. When they all met her, she was just a simple child, like them, descendant of those who brought the world to its knees.
When she was dirtied and alone, weeping on the ground, he had offered his hand to her and smiled. The entire group was happy, welcoming; they wanted to help her, to befriend her. They were orphans from different threads of life, but family in spirit. They wanted to save her and become her support.
He, the athletic and mature one who always took the lead.
Meiko, the aspiring swordswoman with a will of fire.
Ia, the willowy and confident baker.
Mayu, the fiesty little sister of Ia, and the youngest member of their group.
Gakupo, the peace-seeking and calm rock.
Gumi, the lightning-quick poet with a lovely voice.
Luka, the lithe and beautiful pinkette.
Rin, the stubborn and kind older twin to Len.
Len, the brave and serious shepherd.
The minute the tealette had taken his palm, his fate-
-all of their fates-
-were sealed.
.X.
None of them were prepared for what awaited in their future.
Time passed, and they all became closer, a beautiful bond of friendship tying each of them together. Their lives grew along with them, and each of them found a calling, a reason to live on despite the rapid decline of the world around them. As long as they had each other, it would be alright in the end.
Of course they should have known their happy life living out the continued days of this world weren't to last.
A dark undercurrent flew through them when one day, Miku was chosen to become the Messiah. They were afraid, worried. The news was meant to instill hope in what was left of the human population, but for them, it brought only sorrow.
Her destiny lay in the Tower of Ai, and that meant so did theirs. They would never abandon her. She couldn't face the trials of that sacred tower alone.
Kaito suggested that they go with her, and she was so happy that she would continue to have her friends by her side. She spoke of the beauty of a reborn world, and they each believed in that, and in her. They chose to let her think that they would live to see it.
Miku was enthusiastic as they travelled, keeping up morale and praying for a safe and easy passage to the tower. She was wonderfully oblivious to everything, and he was thankful for that. She knew nothing of what the blessings that she was to accept were to truly mean, and he wouldn't tell her. It was better that way.
He never wanted to see her cry again, like the day when he had met her, the hopelessness stricken over her youthful face- but he didn't expect anything different.
This time, he wouldn't be able to comfort her. He knew that when they arrived at that tower, her heart would be shattered into nine sharp pieces.
He couldn't dry her tears this time.
"Do you think we should tell her one day?" Meiko whispered to him once, when night had fallen and everyone was sleeping (or at least, pretending to be.) Her brown eyes were amber in the light of the crackling fire before them, and he had sighed, feeling the weight of their fate on his shoulders.
"No." The curt answer was quick to leave his lips, his voice dropping as not to be heard by the resting tealette just feet away. "We… can't say anything."
The brunette gazed at him, and he could see the dark fear hidden in her irises. "...Is this really okay? To make her think that we…?"
"It's… the only way, Meiko." He had fidgeted, poking the fire to make it burn brighter. "I don't think I could handle her reaction if she knew that we…" The words refused to surface, and he didn't need to finish it for her to understand.
"I suppose." She adjusted the sword at her hip, and he noticed then that her hands were trembling. She, who was always tough and protective, was shaking.
"For now..." He had looked up at the sky, then reached over to take her callused, battle hardened hand in his own, squeezing it.
"We will treasure the time we have."
It wasn't easy to accept what they set out to do, but as the tower neared and the edge of the world called for them, resolves became stronger. They climbed barrier after barrier, closing the gap between them and the structure that had withstood centuries. They stood at the bottom of that tower, the stone menacing in the setting sun, and closed the door on their doubt forever.
They would never turn back.
Kaito felt the fear of being so close to the heart of the world's troubles. He watched his friends enter, and knew they wouldn't leave it again.
For once, he felt like crying.
He had thought of twisting Miku's fate. Taking his friends and running away with each of them, far away from the looming pendulum of sorrow that chose their paths for them. He cursed the gods every day, then prayed for a change, a different Messiah. Anything to prevent the fatalities, the severed ties between the ten of them.
His prayers were never answered, and he still found himself at the end of his long journey with the people he cherished most, death's cruel sword hanging above their heads.
They arrived in an ancient room that had rarely seen human contact. The entrance to the pedestal that held the first of the blessings was before them, dread-instilling. Kaito could taste the musty dryness in the air, smell the years of age within the walls; but most of all he could sense his friends' feelings. The tension in the air could be cut through with a knife.
Looking at each face, he saw the same expressions. A mix of bravery and cowardice, fighting for dominance. Every pair of eyes but the Messiah's turned to him, and he nodded.
To give them the strength to continue, he would be the first pawn to move.
He waited behind with them as Miku took a step forward, and without preamble the doors spread, blue light emitting from within. He felt his heart stutter as he took in the blessing, hovering above its special place. Brilliant sapphire blue, an emblem of crashing waves within its gleaming circle.
The tealette was enraptured; she stared into the space as if she were in shock, her young face written over with awe. Kaito came to her side, in front of the glowing symbol, offering her a quick moment of reassurance.
When she raised a hand to touch it, she stopped when he placed his own over hers, puzzled.
"Eh…?" She'd turned to him, and he'd smiled, the warmth of it long forgotten outside the walls of the sacred tower. Her light blue orbs were innocent, confused and caring, quick to darken with tainted shock.
"We… have always shared joy and pain," he intoned, words he'd used the day they had become complete, when she had become part of their family. His face morphed into a monster's, reflected in her eyes. "But… I won't let you have this!"
With a cruel shove, he sent Miku's thin body stumbling out of the room. A harsh laugh erupted from his throat as he saw the expressions of the friends he'd loved and taken care of, each one staring straight into his soul, piercing and strong. Hers was the worst; the look of utter hurt and betrayal on the tealette kneeling on the floor burned into his retinas.
He memorized each face in the split second he had, imprinting them to his memory, before the door shut between them forever, resounding with a loud and final thud.
Turning away from the past he never wanted to leave behind, he faced the blessing, his heartbeat picking up pace.
This would be for everyone's sake. This was just a step towards that which they all wanted.
Why did it hurt so much to not say goodbye?
He fought back the onslaught of emotion, letting out a silent prayer for inner strength, and touched the emblem.
It flashed, growing smaller and smaller, then sank through his palm, encasing him in a warm glow that felt just a tad bit welcoming, like it expected him. Below him, the mark spread out, trapping him in its ethereal walls.
At first there was nothing but a tingling sensation; then the entire room disappeared, and he was plunged into dark, murky waters without warning. He gasped at the sting of cold, feeling the water bat his body around like that of a ragdoll with inhuman force. He could see nothing, and feel nothing but the chilly bite of the liquid. He couldn't move, and there was no light to be found, no direction to swim, nothing. He was left to sink in the rough, tumultuous force of the water. His breath was quick to leave him, and he struggled, wanting to breath, wanting to escape.
Images of his friends flooded through his mind's eye, the smiles they had shared, the moments before they had begun this journey where they were alive and nothing mattered but how they would spend the day together.
How he missed the carefree days of the past.
Thinking of them and feeling the water fill his lungs, weighing him down and drowning him further and further into the dark abyss of this endless ocean of torment, he prayed that they would meet blessings far more merciful than his own. The family that had saved him so long ago, when he was alone and had no one but the shadows as allies against death- he prayed for their safety.
May you be strong enough to brave the cruelties of the sacrifices you must undergo.
He let a broken smile rest at his lips despite his pain, and closed his eyes.