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The night was middle aged. The clock tower bellowed once, signalling the new hour. He sat with his feet dangling over the edge, hands gripping the purple shingles. Blaine’s eyes scanned the rooftops, eyeing the empty daybreak town. Waiting for flowers to bloom was the hardest part of gardening. Not that he would know, Blaine was no gardener. He preferred books, having them line his room towering tall into the ceiling. It made him feel less alone, company in his solitary world,
“There’s a reason you called me up here,” Blaine spoke, after almost an hour of complete silence, “Care to tell me why?” He turned his head, peeling his eyes away from the ground. There Lauriam sat, bright pink hair framing his face perfectly. Eyes still downcast, Lauriam exhaled, as if he were holding his breath.
“You know…” Lauriam began, his straight back hunching over, “You’re one I trust." His voice was so soft, so empty.
“Now why would you do that.” Blaine smirked, a soft laugh escaping him, “My appearance leaves much to be desired in the trustworthiness department. What kind of two faced jerk do you have to be to wear a fedora that covers your face.”
“Oh shut up!” Lauriam laughed, elbowing Blaine in the gut. He merely grinned in response, the atmosphere lightening, even for just a moment, “I meant that you wouldn’t lie to me.” Lauriam added once his fit was over. Blaine could feel the pang in the back of his head. It was not exactly untrue, Blaine had not lied. But he has not told the whole truth either. He never brought up the lies that masked his character, but everything else? It was all the truth.
“Of course.” His voice was hushed, as if someone with gigantic ears could hear them,
“You know my sister, Strelitzia?” Ah yes, the missing dandelion. Lauriam’s dear baby sister. Of course Blaine knew of her, she was the one he and everyone else was looking for for weeks, “Well… Elrena had seen the glitch again. Apparently, she had our book.” Lauriam fished in his book bag and took out the green text that Blaine had might as well thrown in the trash, “That means… Someone, one of us, must have killed her, or at least taken her away. I-I haven’t shared this with anyone else but I re- Blaine, are you alright? You look pale.”
“Yes… Yes I’m fine.” Blaine shook his head, voice squeaking as he spoke. He was far from alright, or even fine. He slapped his cheeks, trying to return color to them. This was the worst possible outcome. How was he supposed to know that she was Strelitzia? “That’s just such a… Large assumption.”
“I know.” Lauriam sighed, bringing his knees close to his chest, “But I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. Someone has to fold eventually.” A breeze blew by, Lauriam’s hair flowing back away from his face, “She deserved more than anyone to be here.” Blaine just sat there, looking out onto the horizon. The stars in the sky shone brilliantly, but they were not as bright as the smile Blaine wishes he could see,
“You might be right about that.” He said finally, Noticing Lauriam perk up out of the corner of his eye, “As I said earlier, to Skuld and Ventus. The path we walk is a broken one. I wish to change that. To be rid of the tragedy that will come.” He is no longer talking to Lauriam, not to himself either, “We can prove the destiny written for us wrong. I can change it. I’m-"
“You’re the virus. We know.” Lauriam sighed, a small smile growing on his face, “You may be right about the path we walk on being wrong, but the path before, where Strelitzia was the other leader… That’s the broken path you’re referring to, isn’t it?” Blaine blinked slowly, his heart about to break out of his chest as his thoughts scrambled for other words to say. He had been caught,
“Yeah, I suppose I am.” He finally spoke, might as well get this over with, “You can kill me, Lauriam. I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.” Blaine’s eyes were squeezed shut, holding his breath as he waiting for the attack to come. Yet after a few seconds, nothing came. He opened an eye, just to see Lauriam still curled up, head buried in his legs. Blaine watched in shock as his shoulders bounced and heaved with silent sobs.
“Why did it have to be you..?” Lauriam’s voice squeaked out, muffled, “You’re the one who got rid of her? D-Did you kill her?” The lack of lashing out still was jarring to Blaine. He expected Lauriam to attack first ask second, and yet he did not, “...Was it painless?”
“Her death?” Blaine began, clearing his throat, “No… No it wasn’t painless. For either of us,” Lauriam looked up at him, face red with tears that streamed down his cheeks. Blaine continued, “For her, she died a few seconds later, wishing she had the courage to talk to… Someone. For me? Well, I had never done something as heinous as that before. I never want to do it again." He knew that last one for certain. Murder was something he did not even think he was capable of, and yet…
“Hello?” Her voice had been soft, and her stance was timid. Blaine was hiding behind the crates, looking at her, keyblade in hand. At any moment he could charge, and kill her, but he hesitated, “Are you in here..?”
It was now or never, Blaine emerged from the crates, walking silently towards her. Strelitzia was one of the two he had been watching, the other was Ventus. He had decided to go after the ones that were alone the most, Ephemera and Skuld were always surrounded by people, and Blaine did not know Lauriam was selected. He had been watching, observing everyone from afar, a lot like Strelitzia in her watching over that person. Blaine pointed his keyblade at her, only making her step back in confusion,
“Who are you?” She asked, pulling out her keyblade. It was starlight, the third level. Countless mythril shards and materials from the worlds, “What do you want? L-lux?” Her Chirithy, standing beside her, simply stood. It seems the duo was unaware of his intentions. Good, that was perhaps for the better,
“Are you kidding?” He snarled, a laugh still lingering in his voice. Yes, this was hilarious, “Lux is pointless to people like us. We don’t have to put up with the chaos of the other unions.” There it was, the laugh that shook his upper body, hand brushing some of his hair out of his face, “No. I’m here for what you, and only you, have. If you give me the book, and forget about everything Ava told you, and forget about this interaction, I will spare your life.”
“M-my… My life?” Strelitzia’s voice wavered, eyes widening, “The book… You’re trying to become a Union Leader?” Blaine observed something within her. Something about her stature had changed. Her stance gained confidence, her shoulders squared, “I won't let you keep me from the ones I love.” And she charged, a large horizontal slice coming straight for his head. If Blaine had not reacted sooner, blocking her strike even a millisecond later, he would have been knocked down. There was a shocking amount of power behind the strike, but oh, power is always weak to magic.
“The ones you love?” Blaine managed to push her off of him, pushing her back a few feet. He held Divine Rose confidently ahead of him. He had attempted to max it out, but it is still not perfect, unfortunately. He adjusted his hat, “Love is a strong word for someone you’ve never met!” He went low, a short diagonal slash, directly at her legs. Strelitzia tripped, collapsing onto her back.
“T-they aren’t the only one I love…” She struggled to catch her breath. She must have been winded from the strike, “My family… My friends…” Raising her blade before she stands, Strelitzia cast a cure spell. Blaine could feel a large chunk of his health deplete, falling backwards slightly, just barely being able to catch himself, “Who even are you!?” She demanded, pointing the star directly at Blaine’s chest, pushing him back a few steps, “What do you think gives you the right to gain something you d-don’t deserve!”
“Don’t deserve?” Blaine asked, tilting his head to the side. He was feigning innocence. Feigning stupidity. Perhaps she would believe him. That would make her a fool,
“Wh- We union leaders… I don’t know who the others are… But we were chosen for a reason.” She believed him, a fool, “If you weren’t chosen, you don’t deserve it-”
“Sure.” Blaine cut her off, jabbing his blade into her gut, and casting a fire spell, “Maybe that’s the truth. But at least I go out of my way and do what I want.” Strelitzia’s eyes widened, and she stumbled backwards. Blaine cast another spell, and heard her screams of agony. She keeled forward, collapsing to her knees,
“Strelitzia!” Chirithy yelled as she lied on the ground. Blaine walked over and grabbed the book, wicked look on his face. Chirithy could only run to her, and he watched as it slowly began to fade. He turned and left, staring joyously at his new catch.
This is what he needs to make a change.
“And yet you did it anyways.” Lauriam’s voice was hoarse, it seems he had finished his crying. Blaine just shrugged, holding himself. The cold night air seemed to strongly contrast his now hot face,
“Yeah... “ Blaine nodded, “What are you gonna do about it? Push me off?” He looks down onto the ground. The roofs seemed so much farther away now, “I’m sure that would do it.” He laughs, “No, maybe you intend to battle me. Torture? I’m sure the foretellers have
something
in the tower.”
“None of those. Could you shut up about death for a moment?” Lauriam snaps, punching Blaine’s shoulder. Oddly enough, it had the same weight as the shut up from earlier. Blaine’s face contorted, eyebrows twisted, mouth in a frown, “I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of death.” Ah, so that was his game. Lauriam was indeed just as cruel as Blaine thought he was. Blaine just let out a laughs, leaning back onto the roof, staring up at the night sky, “And frankly. I don’t think I could bring myself to kill you.”
“Oh?”
“Well that would make me as bad as you.” Blaine raised his head, attempting to look at Lauriam’s face. It looked oddly peaceful. Red remained on his face, probably from the crying, but who can say. The moon and stars lit his face, making him look like an angel, coming down from death to bring him back to reality, “And, you probably bully yourself about this more than anyone else could. I know that deep down. Truly, truly deep down, you mean well.”
“I don’t.” Blaine shot back, only making Lauriam laugh,
“Maybe you’ll realize it on your deathbed.” Lauriam lied back, so he and Blaine were just laying next to each other, “I’ll help you figure it out.” There was something about that sentence, the execution, or maybe the implications, that made Blaine’s heart melt. Maybe it was cheesy, maybe it was dumb, but there, in that moment.
That moment, after confessing to a murder, he felt at peace.