Chapter Text
December 12th, 1624
Yuno looked forward to snowy nights like these. Each year he and Asta would go out and try to catch snowflakes, Asta using his tongue and always complaining when they melted too fast. His cheeks and nose would turn a shade of pink that Yuno thought was as pretty as the snow itself.
Sister Lily giggled when he told her that last part, but he never knew why.
Actually, she’d done that more often these days. It seemed to happen whenever he and Asta were playing together, and whenever Asta grabbed his hand and pulled him along somewhere, which happened a lot. Yuno didn’t mind, though. He enjoyed holding Asta’s hand.
He’d asked her about it once, only for her to shake her head and say he’d figure it out one day. Asta had rushed in then, yelling about something as usual and grabbing their attention before Yuno could ask what that meant.
He thought about that conversation every day. What did she mean?
Distracted by his own thoughts, Yuno slipped, falling face-first onto the ground. “Ow…”
He pushed himself up, slowly. Then, for some reason, Yuno found himself wishing Asta were there to hold his hand again. He shook the thought away, though.
“The snow’s getting pretty thick. I’ll have to be careful not to slip.”
Proud of himself for not crying, Yuno got up and kept running. It was what Asta would do. He always got up, no matter how often he got knocked down. Yuno liked that about him.
After handing the letter over to the mayor, a smile found its way onto his face. Father said this was important, so it meant he’d done a good job. Maybe he could ask for some extra tatoes tonight.
“Oh, thank you,” the mayor said. “Please tell Father that I received it.”
“I will. P-Please excuse me.”
“It’s late, so be careful getting home!”
“Thank you very much!” Yuno said, waving at the man before he disappeared inside his home again, closing the door behind him. Yuno took off again, an extra spring in his step as he began making his way home.
Soon, he’d be sitting by the fire, having dinner and trying not to laugh with a mouth full of food when Asta made funny faces at Nash or got food all over his face. He and Asta could even sneak out before bed later to play in the snow.
However, as he turned the next corner, he bumped right into something big and solid.
Yuno looked up, noticing the man standing in front of him. The hood he wore cast a shadow over his face, so Yuno could only see his mouth which was curled into something like a smile, though much sharper. “I’m… sorry.”
An odd feeling surged through Yuno. It was nothing like when Sister Lily offered him a small upward pull of the lips, or when Asta flashed him a toothy gin over his shoulder as they ran through the woods. Yuno took a half-step back, then another, when the man leaned forward, crowding him.
He was uncomfortably close now, and Yuno froze for reasons unrelated to the cold.
“What do we have here, hm?”
♧♧♧
“Yuno’s taking an awfully long time,” Sister Lily said from the other room. She sounded... strange.
Asta didn't think too hard about it. Resting his chin on his crossed arms, he pouted. “I’m hungry.”
She barely acknowledged his complaint, entering the room without so much as a glance in his direction. With Nash cradled in her arms, her gaze remained fixed on the window.
“And Father isn’t back yet, either.”
Asta didn't know why that was important. Father had come home late many times before. “Let’s just eat without them,” he said.
Almost immediately, Recca turned to frown at him. “No! That’s not fair to Yuno!”
“Boo.”
Asta sighed, lifting his head and staring out the window. It was dark already, and the snow was coming down pretty heavy too. Sister Lily sat across the table from him now, but her eyes kept flickering back towards the window.
Snow wasn’t uncommon this time of year, but Asta wondered about Yuno still. He was always tripping over his feet. What if he’d tripped and fallen now? It was late and cold, and the snow was probably thick too.
An unwanted image of Yuno laying in the snow somewhere, alone, crying, flashed in his mind, and worry reared its ugly head. He had said he’d be okay earlier, but what if he wasn’t?
Jumping to his feet, Asta’s chair toppled backward, startling both Sister Lily and Recca. “This is taking too long! I’ll go find him myself!”
“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Asta,” Sister Lily said. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon, and we can all eat together.” She plastered a smile on her face, but like her tone earlier, there was something distinctly off about it.
For reasons he couldn’t figure out, Asta felt off too.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be quick,” he said, shooting her a thumbs-up and a toothy grin. “I’m the best at finding Yuno.”
That much was true—whenever they played hide-and-seek, Yuno came up with the best hiding places, but Asta always found him. This time would be no different, he decided. He ran to the door before pausing and looking over his shoulder.
Sister Lily was watching him, chewing on her bottom lip, brows knit together. He’d never seen her like this before. However, if he wanted to be a good husband one day, he’d need to know how to make her feel better.
Finding Yuno would definitely help. He just knew it.
Besides, there was nothing to worry about. He’d head out, find Yuno, bring him back, and make Sister Lily smile again. No big deal.
“Be safe” was all she said to him. He nodded, then broke into a sprint in the direction Yuno had gone earlier.
The cold barely bothered him, but each step he took was a challenge when his feet kept sinking into thick layers of snow. Knowing Yuno, he’d tried to run, tripped, and then realized that it would be safer to take it slow.
Yeah, that sounded right. It made Asta feel better.
That odd feeling from earlier still nagged at the back of his head though, so he didn’t slow his pace. The mayor’s house wasn’t too far, and Asta found himself grateful for the small size of their village. He and Yuno did a lot of exploring too, so he knew the way well.
The snow fell heavier still, obscuring his vision. His breaths formed little clouds of mist, making him think of how they liked to fog up the church windows and draw little pictures on the glass. Yuno’s pictures were always much better than his, though he’d never say that much out loud.
It was cold enough that Asta almost regretted not bringing a jacket for Yuno. It was fine, though. They’d be home soon enough.
At the next corner, he turned, and then skidded to an abrupt stop. In the distance, he could see two figures. When he squinted, Asta quickly realized what he was looking at. Yuno was on the ground, clutching his stomach. A strange hooded man loomed over him in a way that had Asta’s blood running cold.
Then the man crouched down as if to pick Yuno up, his hands getting closer and closer. Asta saw red.
“Yuno!”
He rushed forward, placing himself between Yuno and the stranger, his arms stretched outwards. Without letting his eyes leave the man, Asta asked, “Yuno, are you okay?”
“Asta…”
He heard shuffling behind him and glanced back for a second. Yuno was standing now, but still hunched over and clutching his stomach. There were no visible bruises, but some blood had dried at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were wet with unshed tears.
And his pendant wasn’t hanging from his neck where it usually was. Asta had never seen him go a day without wearing it.
In a heartbeat, Asta’s attention was back on the stranger. His gaze drifted up to the hand raised in the air and, sure enough, there it was. Yuno’s pendant.
Asta launched into a sprint without thinking twice about it. “That’s Yuno’s!”
He charged straight at the man, tackling him with as much force as possible.
And just like that, he was being hit back, knocked to the side like he weighed nothing. He slid through the snow, his back hitting the wall behind him.
“Who the hell are you, brat?”
Asta didn’t stay down. He got back up and charged forward again, ignoring the slight ache in his body. “Give it back!”
The man grunted in surprise as Asta threw his arms around his waist. He felt a hand on his head, trying to push him off, and held on tighter, digging his heels into the ground as best he could.
“Give it back!” he yelled again, only to be yanked back by the hair. Without a chance to react, he felt a sharp pain as the man’s fist connected with his nose. It didn’t deter him. He threw himself at the man again, refusing to give up.
All too aware that Yuno was standing there, watching things unfold with tears streaming down his face now, Asta grabbed the man’s shirt, knuckles turning white. He held on with everything in him, even as the man did his best to hold him back.
“Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! You… stupid little brat!”
Another loud crack echoed through the night, the man landing yet another punch. Asta recoiled in pain, stumbling back and nearly losing his balance, before slamming his foot back down.
“Not yet!” He couldn’t give up, not until he got the pendant back. Not until Yuno was safe.
The man growled in frustration, curling his hand into a fist, landing punch after punch after punch. Blood splattered onto the ground, red staining the snow beneath their feet.
It hurts, Asta thought, barely having enough strength left in his arm to wipe the blood from his nose. I’m tired.
I want to go home…
But not yet.
“Not yet!” Asta roared, pushing forward still, taking every punch thrown at him. “Not yet!” He’d take every punch this man threw at him if it meant getting that pendant back.
“Cut it out!”
“I’m not done yet!”
Asta grabbed the man’s shirt again, looking up and seeing wide eyes staring down at him in shock.
“Damn it! Get off of me, you little brat!”
“I’m not done yet!”
An unfamiliar emotion flickered across the man’s face, his grip on Asta faltered, and just for a second, Asta thought he might have a chance. He reached for the pendant, hoping to grab it and run off with Yuno.
But then, suddenly, an icy hand wrapped around his throat. “You don’t know when to give up, do you?”
Oh.
Air. Asta needed air. He couldn’t breathe.
He was being lifted, feet swinging helplessly as the man held him off the ground by the throat. The man’s grip was too strong. Asta couldn’t wriggle free. Everything was becoming blurry, but Asta just barely saw the darkness swimming in the stranger’s eyes. When he opened his mouth to scream, to cry for help, he couldn’t make a sound.
For the first time in his life, Asta considered the possibility that he might not make it home tonight. His eyes widened as the man tightened his grip. His legs stopped swinging, his body going limp. He couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move?
Not yet, he pleaded to himself as he felt his eyes fall shut.
Not yet.
I’m not done yet.
I’m not—
“Let him go.”
Asta barely heard the words as he began slipping into the darkness. And then he heard the faint but familiar sound of Yuno’s magic, the swirls of wind he liked to summon to make the leaves dance around them in the fall.
The pressure around his throat suddenly disappeared, leaving Asta on the ground, confused and disoriented, clutching at his own throat reflexively.
He cracked his eyes open, hardly able to see through the dark spots in his vision. Yuno was standing, frozen to the same spot he’d been at, holding his hand out.
“What the heck is that?” the stranger asked, laughing menacingly. “What do you expect to do to me with magic like that?”
Asta couldn’t hear Yuno respond, couldn’t see anything that was going on. Everything sounded so far away, too far away. His eyes slipped shut again.
But then the man asked, clear as day, “You want to fight me… and die?” and Asta heard the quiet whimper that Yuno let out.
Something inside of Asta snapped at the sound. His heart clenched. His chest was tight. He tried to push himself off the ground again, his arms trembling under the weight of his body.
“Oh? What’s this?” Something heavy landed on his back, knocking him down into the snow again. “Still got some fight left in you after all, huh?”
“Leave… Yuno… alone.”
“Look, Yuno, your friend here is still fighting for you. Isn’t that sweet?” The syrupy tone of his voice sent chills down Asta’s spine, followed by a sharp pain in his neck as the man grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head up. "How pathetic," he spat.
“Asta!”
At the sound of the panic in Yuno’s voice, Asta fought to open his eyes again, wishing that everything would stop swimming. He caught a glimpse of Yuno running towards him, and then his head dropped abruptly.
Blood rushed in his ears as he gasped for air, trying and failing to hear what was going on. He used what little strength remained to roll onto his side, and what he saw made him feel sick to his stomach.
The man was crouching down in front of Yuno, too close. Yuno's body lay crumpled against the wall in the distance. He looked small. Helpless.
Lifeless.
Not yet…
“Yuno…”
Asta's fingers twitched in a desperate but fruitless effort to reach out to Yuno, but he couldn't move.
I’m not… done…
“Asta—”
Not yet...
“Asta, wake up.”
I’m not done yet.
“Asta!”
Asta’s eyes snapped open, his heart pounding in his chest as his hands shot up to his throat reflexively. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he scrambled out from under the blanket, trying to—wait, blanket?
“Asta, hey, it’s okay.”
Somebody grabbed his wrist, and he pulled away on instinct, not wanting those hands anywhere near him. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping for air.
“Look at me.”
He shook his head frantically, but then felt a hand land on his cheek. The touch was careful.
Gentle.
Warm.
He finally blinked his eyes open, finding Sister Lily kneeling in front of him. When their eyes met, she smiled, though her lips were trembling. Her cheeks were wet too, as if she’d been crying.
“S-Sister?”
“Asta.” She breathed a sigh of relief before reaching out and pulling him into her arms. “I’m so glad… you’re okay…”
For a single moment, Asta enjoyed the fact that Sister Lily, the love of his life, was holding him so close. Her hugs were rare, but always comforting and warm. He wanted to melt into her touch and stay like that forever.
But then cold surged through him as he remembered.
Remembered the snow, and the blood, and Yuno’s face, and—
“Yuno!” he called out, wrenching himself away from Sister Lily and running to the room he and Yuno shared. The sound of footsteps from behind told him that Sister Lily had followed, but he didn’t care.
The door knocked harshly against the wall as he flung it open, and he ripped the covers off the bed the two of them shared, revealing nothing but perfectly tidy sheets.
“Asta, you need to rest right now.” Asta turned on his heels to face Sister Lily.
“Where is he?!“
“Let’s go back to the fire.”
“But Yuno… Is he—“
“Father and some of the other villagers are out looking for him.”
“L-Looking?” Asta asked weakly. “You mean, they don’t… He’s…”
Sister Lily looked to be at a loss for words, mouth opening and closing. She quickly reached up to wipe at the corners of her eyes, but not before Asta saw the tears that threatened to fall.
“Don’t worry,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Asta let her guide him toward the fireplace again, no longer fighting. He was helpless to do anything else, feeling empty. “They’ll find him. I’m sure of it.”
Asta wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe it more than anything. But as he forced himself to relax in Sister Lily’s arms, he couldn’t help but feel wrong.
That feeling lingered, heavy in the surrounding air. The pair sat in silence, neither of them moving from their positions. Sister Lily’s arm remained a firm presence around his shoulders, and she’d give him a squeeze every now and again as if reminding them both that he was there.
Not that it stopped his mind from drifting, repeatedly. Each time, he felt the harsh sting in his lungs from the cold air he so desperately fought for. Each time, he heard that faint whimper, the one that left him feeling like someone had ripped his heart out.
He fell in and out of sleep, but only for seconds at a time. Each time, he’d barely close his eyes before he was seeing Yuno laying in the snow, unmoving. Each time, he’d wake with a start, only realizing he’d been shaking after Sister Lily steadied him.
Hours later, they both jumped up when the door opened but found that they couldn’t move. It wasn’t just because of the stiffness in their legs after having not moved in hours. They watched Father enter, not saying a word as he closed the door and leaned against it.
Alone.
Asta still asked, “Did you find him?!”
Father looked up at him then, and without saying a word, moved to stand in front of him. He didn’t say anything, but then, he didn’t have to. Asta knew when he saw the shake in Father’s hands as he kneeled down and put his arms around him. Asta knew when he saw the tears shamelessly running down Father’s cheeks.
Asta knew when Father came home alone, without Yuno.
Deep down, Asta had known from the moment he woke up and wasn’t next to Yuno. He knew then already that Yuno wasn’t here—that he was—
It didn’t make it any easier to accept.
He opened his mouth to say something, to say anything. That’s when he heard this pitiful, whining sound. He looked around for the source of the sound, only for Father to hold him even tighter. It was then that he realized he’d been the one to make that sound, and it was then that he registered the wetness on his own cheeks.
“Asta,” Sister Lily said, her arms wrapping around him too. “It’s okay.” Except, it wasn’t okay. How could this be okay?
“It’s okay! I’ve got your back, Yuno!”
“I tried to—I couldn’t—I’m sorry, I—“
“It’s not your fault,” she said, running a hand through his hair. His legs suddenly felt weak, everything in him deflating.
He wanted to sink to his knees. He wanted to go out there and find Yuno himself. He wanted to let himself crumble. He wanted to scream. But he did none of those things, only staring blankly out the window over Father’s shoulder.
Yuno...
Asta couldn’t protect him. He’d failed.
The snow had stopped falling.
The sun was rising.
Yuno was gone.