Archive of Our Own ^beta

"It has been decided."

The chatter quiets down around the courtroom.

On the top of the stands sits Themis, hand resting on her sword at her hip.

On her right sits Space.

On her left sits Time, averting her gaze. Her hands are shaky. 

All the way at the bottom of the stands, kneeled on the ground and being held to the ground by chains made by Creation herself, is Eki Eveland-- Death. He's knelt forward, head hovering over the ground. He can't look up. Like a dog.

"After reviewing the crimes of human genocide caused by Death, the balance of the Mortal Realm has been thrown off. As decided by Time, Space, and the order of the court."

"I, Justice, Hereby declare Death..."

She unsheathes her sword, and points it down to Eki.

"Guilty."

The chatter returns. Justice has been served. It's time for his punishment.

"Eki Eveland is hereby stripped of his title as Death."

Space raises her hand up, looking down at Eki with narrowed eyes. Time hesitantly raises her own. Only they have the right to officially strip a God as high as Eki of it's being. The effects are immediate, and Eki shakes on the floor, pressing his forehead to the ground. Suddenly, he feels weak. 

"For a final day, Eki Eveland will be held in the celestial cells. The execution will be on the second day. You do not earn the right to walk among the humans for your final life. Justice has been served."

The gavel slams down, calling an end to Eki's hearing, leaving him weak and broken on the floor.

Ike had been forced out of the room before the trial even begun. Any could attest to how close Ike and Eki were, and none could weave their way in between them. If they had allowed Life in the room, he would have protested, and perhaps, nothing would have gone the way it should have. 

As he hears the bang of the gavel from just beyond the doors, he shoves his way through it to come to the unfortunate visual. 

Ike knows. 

Ike can't help but stare at it. 

Eki, his beloved brother, curled against the cold, hard floor of the courtroom. 

Ignoring the guidances of everyone around him, telling him to simply leave Eki there, Ike pushes past every obstacle there was, every person trying to stop him, and rushes to his brothers side. 

But Ike can't touch him. Eki isn't safe from him anymore. Ike can't even comfort him. 

As a child of Creation, Ike can change himself in any way. All he can do is cloak himself in a way that he'd never make skin contact, and grab his brother up from the floor and hold him. 

"I'm sorry, Eki. I'm so sorry." Ike whispers against Eki's shoulder, his arms wrapping tightly around his now fragile brother. 

"I couldn't do anything." 

There's a soft whimper from Eki. He opens dull eyes, now missing their glow. He looks around. They're all watching them. To see what Life would do for Eki Eveland. He looks up to Ike, then closes his eyes.

"... Please do not apologize, My Lord. You need not do anything for me."

Ike pulls him ever closer, his hands shaking. 

"I'm so sorry.."

Heels click as the three judges come down from their stands. Justice looks at them. Then she turns and leaves. Time and Space will move him.

Ivy approaches them and stands a few feet away, holding her arm. She's unable to face them. Not when Eki is like that. Eve stands a bit behind Ivy, arms crossed over her chest as she looks down at them.

"... Ike..."

They need to move him.

Ike's head snaps around to his sisters. 

They're the reason. 

"Don't come any closer."

Eve is the one to speak this time. Her voice is firm as she steps up behind.

"Move it, Life. We're moving the boy."

She's always been like that since the day they met eons ago. She's hardy and has no respect for anyone below her. Ivy gently nudges Eve back. She's not helping.

"Ike... I'm sorry. Please don't... make this harder than it already is."

Ike hands tighten into fists, turning to Eki for a moment before carefully letting him sink back to the ground. 

"You think-- You.. You think I’m making it harder? You can't even begin to understand."

Ike stands, towering over his two elder siblings. 

And, without thinking, he swings a fist at Ivy. 

Ike had never been violent. He doesn't understand the anger he's feeling. 

In this moment, he wants nothing more than for her to feel his pain.

The room immediately sounds out in horror as the punch lands on Ivy. She lets a soft whimper as she is thrown back a bit into Eve's arm. She doesn't have the right to yell as she cradles her injury. She doesn't usually feel pain. And Ike is strong.

But Eve is stronger.

She gently stands Ivy back up on her own and reels back her leg, throwing a kick at Ike and sending the younger God into the stands right next to them.

Ike hit the stands with a groan, lifting his arm to rub off his eyes. They're wet. Is he crying? He's crying again. 

Ike never cries. 

"Ike!" Ivy is the first to cry out, moving to Ike's side. Suddenly her own bruise is nothing.

"Watch yourself, boy. You are as easily replaceable as your brother is. He fucked up and he will pay for it."

Eve steps to Eki with the click of her heels, reaching down and yanking Eki up by his hair. He lets out a soft wince but does nothing else. His eyes flicker over to Ike. He's hurt? No. Eki didn't want that. 

Eve reaches down for Eki's chains and grabs them. They disappear at her command, leaving Eki helpless in her grip.

"He's going to the cells, you can visit him there."

Ike can't recover fast enough to try to reclaim Eki from Eve's grip, and he's forced to sit and watch as she takes his brother away. And all he can do is curl up against the stands and cry. 

All of a sudden, he feels so incredibly alone, and there's nothing he can do.

"I'm so sorry, Ike..."

Ivy melts down to the floor beside him, shaking and using her hands to keep her self up. Her body wracks with sobs as tears drop down to the floor where her hand is. She reaches up to wipe tears on their sleeve.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I couldn't... I can't..."

She couldn't do anything. She is a judge, sitting atop the stands for his trial. She, as a judge, must only see the facts. But... Eki. She couldn't do anything for him. She can't do anything for her baby brother. 

She leans forward, pressing her palms flat against the floor. Then she presses her forehead to her hands on the floor. Completely curled down to Ike.

"I'm so sorry, Ike... I'm so.... sorry, Eki."

Because of her, she'll never have her little brothers back. They'll never be the same.

The Gods in the room turn away, making their exit. They shouldn't see Time like this. They shouldn't see her knelt to another, lower God. So out of respect, they leave.

But they know now that the Eveland family is no more.

Ike stands without another word, covering his face with his arm as he leaves the room, leaving Ivy behind. He can't look at anyone, shoving his way through the crowded halls without a care for if he runs into anyone else. 

Nothing in this world matters except his brother. 

And now he's about to lose him, too. 

So at the very least, he can stay with him until their time is over for good.

The holding cells are in good condition. The demi-God workers at the desk have been expecting him. It nods at him and immediately tells him the direction to Eki's holding cell.

Ike knows he has arrived when he sees Eve sitting on a bench facing one. There are two guards on either side. Now that Eki is lesser, he is easy to guard, regardless of status. Unless it is against Life, of course. 

Eve turns her head to Ike as he approaches the cell and stops away from her. She turns back to the cell.

"Your brother is here. I'll be leaving now so he has time."

She approaches the cell, voice softening a bit.

"Goodbye, Eki..."

There is no response.

She turns and walks past Ike.

He doesn't say a single word to his sister as she walks by him, their shoulders brushing each others.  

Ike doesn't even know what to say to Eki, now. His throat feels dry and he can't speak. All he can do is lower himself to sit down on the floor outside of his holding cell and remain silent. 

He doesn't want to be alone.

The guards don't look down at him. He shouldn't be seen like this. The most they'll do is listen.

"Ike?"

It's embarrassingly soft. Eki slowly pushes himself up from the bed that he was set in by Eve. He looks to the hall. She said his brother was here.

Ike makes a small noise of acknowledgement, but he doesn't turn. He presses the back of his head harder into the bars and covers his face with his hands.

There's the sound of shuffling behind him and a soft thud, followed by Eki's grunt. Then the sound of shuffling approaches and soft fabric is pressed against Ike's head, stroking it.

"Ikey..."

He doesn't need to be formal here. The God's aren't watching him anymore.

Ike squeezes his eyes closed as tears begin to drip down his face again. His throat scratches through his words.

"I'm--... I'm so sorry.."

His words are barely audible, choked out as he tries to stop himself from crying again.

The hand removes itself from Ikes back and slips through the bar, pressing against his cheek, trying to wipe his tears away.

Eki presses his forehead on Ike's back. Now that his hands are out, it's clear that he is shaking. And as he speaks his next words...

"Ikey.... it's... it's okay, Ike..."

It is clear that he's crying as well.

"I don't..I--.."

Ike chokes on his words, pulling his knees to his chest as his body involuntarily curls closer to itself. He feels so fragile. Like he'll crumble under the touch of a feather. "..Please..don't go.."

"... M'sorry, Ike..."

Ike doesn't speak again, his body giving way to sobs that wracked his figure. 

Please don't leave me alone. Please.

Please don't take him away.

"Ikey... I... I love you. And I... want you to keep doing your best. I'll always love you."

Ike presses his forehead into his knees, his body shaking with ever more violent sobs. He can't do it. 

He can't face reality. He can't even speak.

"... I wanna hold you."

He looks up to the Guards. They're not looking back.

"Can I?"

They don't respond.

He looks down, pressing his head back into Ike's back. Of course they wouldn't listen to him. He squeezes his arms around Ike. 

"It's going to be okay, Ike... you'll get stronger... and you'll keep walking... and..."

Even Eki doesn't know.

"...Not without you..” Ike's voice comes out as a weak, muffled whisper, as he doesn't even lift his head.

"You'll... you'll have to, brother... You'll be more busy from now on, because of me..."

...

"Ikey... I'm... a bit scared."

"..I--" Ike takes in a breath to try to steady himself..

"..I know, Eki.."

Eki knows death well. He knows what happens to everyone after death. Including the Gods.

There is nothing for him.

He will cease to be. His soul will shatter into fine grain and be carried away in the wind. He doesn't get reincarnated. He doesn't go to limbo. He won't get to watch over Ike. He will simply never have existed.

"Can't be helped..."

He sets his hand on Ike's shoulder now, then he pulls away. He turns around and presses his back into the bars, facing away again. 

"... I'd do it again for you."

"...Why..?"

"I'd do anything for you."

"...But I'll never..."

"... It's okay."

"... I don't know what I'll do without you ."

"...You'll be strong, Ikey..."

"I don't.... I don't want to be.."

"... I know..."

"..Please don't go..."

"I'm... sorry... I'm sorry Ike. M'sorry."

"I don't want.. I don't..I can't, please .."

"I don't..."

He doesn't want to go either. He doesn't want to disappear.

He curls into himself, whimpering out.

"I'm sorry, Ike."

He won't be able to hold Ike again.

Ike curls closer to himself, pressing further into the bars behind him in a desperate attempt to disappear from view.

He doesn't want to be seen like this. Not by anyone.

Not even his brother.

...

"...I love you, Ike. Please keep working hard."

"Please keep visiting the human world. Learn more about them. They're your creations."

"Try something yummy once in a while... I really missed that strawberry cake."

"And give Vox a big hug for me. I never got to give him one."

"And visit Mysta and Luca once in a while. Clean them off and... leave some flowers."

"And watch over Hikarino and Shu. I think... they'll have a hard time. Especially taking over for me. Remind them that I'm always proud of them."

"And tell Yugo you're proud of him. It means a lot to him."

"Ah, and can you go see the ocean again? At night time. It... reminds me of limbo."

"I don't want you to just live. I want you to be alive , Ike."

Ike is silent, his body shaking with silent, aching sobs. He's cold. 

He's so cold.

Even Eki can't warm him.

All he can do now is cry, and pray to the only higher beings there are that he can move forward from this. 

But he knows he won't be able to. 

I hope that if we're reborn again, we can just be Ike and Eki Eveland. 

No responsibilities. 

No gods.

Just us.

I'll protect you.

And we can spend forever together.

I'll wait for you until then, Ikey.

…

Ike stays with Eki through the night, but come morning, he’s gone. Nowhere to be found by the time of Eki’s demise.

Eki scans the crowd in his last minutes. Ivy is there. She can't look. She's hiding in Eve's hold. Eve locks eyes with Eki, and even she looks solemn. She nods at him, a farewell. He looks around.

Ike didn't come. 

In Eki's last minutes, he wanted Ike to be there. He wanted to see Ike one more time. 

But he didn't come. 

Eki cries, looking down at the ground. Ike didn't come. 

Then he smiles at the ground

Ike is taking care of himself. That's all that Eki could hope for. 

.

Then he's gone in a shower of metallic gold.

…

Immediately following Eki’s death, Ike leaves the public eye for as long as he is able. For as long as he can spare before Hikarino takes Eki's place.

Ike can barely will himself to show up, but he has to be there. And it hurts.

Seeing Hikarino hurts, but seeing him without Eki there hurts even more. 

Ike almost can't do it. He has to stand there, with Yugo at his side, and watch as his brothers existence is replaced. As the balance shifts between the gods. 

Ike is so cold. Yugo can only desperately hope to help, keeping a gentle hold on his teacher's arm as they stand. 

Hopefully, this will all be over soon.

When the ceremony is finally over, Hikarino rushes over to catch Ike before he disappears again. Yugo prompts him to pause to hear Hikarino out.

Clearly, he's going through the grief of Eki as well. And now they expect him to replace the figure that raised him. He has... a lot on his mind. Shu rushes up behind Hikarino, reaching up and taking his sleeve. A familiar action. 

Hikarino looks at Ike. Right now, they are equals. Ike is Life and Hikarino is Death. They are equal standing God's. But Hikarino knows, as he looks his creator in the eyes, he will never be on the same ground as Ike.

Ike fixes Hikarino with a stern look at first, as he always has, but it softens not long after.

"I... I'm sorry ."

For taking his place.

Hikarino is grieving too. Ike is mad, but not at Hikarino.

..Maybe he is mad at Hikarino. Maybe he wishes he could yell at the new God to bring his brother back. But he has other priorities. He just wants to get back to his realm where he can close himself off for the rest of eternity.

Ike can't help but half-lid his eyes as he turns away, his expression turning solemn. Yugo is still holding onto him, keeping him from leaving just yet.

"... Keep doing a good job. Eki is proud of you... both of you."

Hikarino stares at Ike with wide eyes. 

Eki asked him to tell them that. To remind them. That he will always be proud of them. 

That's the least Ike can do before he disappears again.

Then Hikarino tilts his head down, shivering. He reaches his hands up and hugs himself. A drop lands on the floor. Then another.

Shu rushes up to his side, pulling Hikarino into a gentle hug.

Eki always told Hikarino how proud he was of him. He never failed. He would always ruffle their hair and remind them that they're doing a great job.

He won't do that anymore. He won't be around to remind them any more. They'll never feel his warm embrace again. The spot of bright red in limbo's darkness. There'll be no one to eat the desserts that they bring back from Earth. It's just them now.

He must have told Ike to tell them. In his last hours that he spent with Ike, he thought of them. And Ike, despite it all, relayed it to them.

"Thank you."

Hikarino's voice is weak when he says it. He can't look at Ike.

Shu is the one to finally look up. He smiles at Ike, appreciative.

Ike only gives Shu a nod before he turns on his heel, disappearing into a puff of white smoke, leaving Yugo behind. Only for a moment though, as Yugo follows quickly after him. 

And from there, it's near impossible to drag Ike from his study. When he returned, he entered the room and sealed the door behind him. He sat at his desk, for what could have been considered days. Yugo would knock on the door once a "day", trying to get him to abandon his work, even if only for a minute. 

He had never worried this much for his teacher. 

No one could coax Ike out of his office, even if it meant that the work was piling up ahead of him. 

Yugo had no choice but to take over Ike's responsibilities before long, because souls weren't being taken by Life and given their forms as they should have been. He was trained to be able to, but it restricted his freedom. He would sit at the head of the Cathedral, sorting through everything Ike had so far abandoned. 

He wants to do something, anything for his creator.

But he can't think of anything. Nothing he can think of would be effective on Ike.

As the time for Ike's once-a-century descent to the mortal realm approaches, and he still shows no sign of retreating, Yugo makes the hard decision to leave the Cathedral to try to get a chance to talk to Hikarino. Maybe, if he’s lucky, the new God will be able to give Yugo guidance. 

Hikarino is wandering the Mortal Realm when Yugo finds him. Shu had taken on Eki's job of caring for the souls while Hikarino continues to reap the souls. He doesn't wish to subject Shu to the agony of reaping.

He looks to Yugo as he feels the presence of another God.

"... You're here."

Hikarino looks visibly worn. He had been working non stop to take his mind off of Eki, and it shows in his face, his eyes having soft yet defined lines underneath them.

"Hikarino.."

Yugo speaks softly, his steps gentle as he approaches him. Everyone is taking it rough, but Hikarino.. 

"...I think.. you need break. Come sit?"

"... Yeah."

Hikarino’s scythe disappears when he drops it. He droops a bit, his false-confident stance faltering.

"Yeah... Alright."

He approaches Yugo, keeping his head down as he walks.

Yugo sets a gentle hand on Hikarino's shoulder and guides him over to a nearby rock wall, allowing Hikarino to sit first before sitting down next to him, one knee pulled up against him and the other dangling off of the edge. 

His attention is on Hikarino, now. Hikarino leans back, pressing his head on the wall. He sets his arms on top of his knees. His eyes fall closed. 

He knows what Yugo is waiting for.

"... I miss him."

".. He'd be really proud. To see you moving forward despite it. You know?" Yugo tilts his head a bit, looking out in front of them.

Hikarino laughs.

"He'd be proud even if I quit."

"Yeah, he would. You right." Yugo chuckles in response.

Eki would always be proud of Hikarino, even if he chose a different path.

"... So what are you doing here? Haven't you been busy tending to Life?" Hikarino’s attention turns to Yugo, his tone shifting to question him.

"..Very. Ike hasn't left his study. I have to do work for him." Yugo lets out a dejected sigh, closing his eyes alongside. "I don't know.. what to do. For him. I worry he'll never come out."

"... He's got it the hardest. I'm not sure there's much to do at this time for him. The best you can do is.. exactly what you're doing. Keeping up with the work he won't do. The job of Life. Maybe soon, he'll come back to his senses." Hikarino turns his head again, looking out at the horizon.

"...Do you think he will? Haven’t you heard what happened after .. the trial?"

Ike punched Ivy. Yugo will never forget hearing it.

"... Yeah. It's been floating around everywhere in The Realm." Hikarino confirms, gossip floats amongst the Gods the same way it does mortals.

"Ike isn't.. like that. Ever. I worry." Yugo opens his eyes once more, looking out as well. "I don't even know what he's doing in there. He never comes out. I never hear."

"Grieving. In his own way."

"Just be there. In case he needs you. So that he's not alone."

"..Yeah, right.." Yugo sighs again. 

"I'm glad you're doing okay. I know.. it's probably really hard. And you can always come visit. If you need someone. You know.. to take your mind off it.. or talk. Or if you just need company."

"... Thanks. It means a lot.” Hikarino pauses, looking down, “I... still have work to do for now."

"Come visit whenever you need. The bells don't toll in the Cathedral anymore."

"... Good to know. But I hope it returns to normal soon."

Hikarino, too, hopes Ike can recover.

"..I hope so too."

"... I'd better get back to work. You should soon too."Hikarino stands up slowly, pressing his hands to the ground and rising to his feet, summoning his scythe once more.

"There are a lot more deaths than usual with the switch in balance. It's going to be a lot of work."

"I'll stay on top of it. Promise. I.. try to make your job easier." Yugo doesn't want to move from the ledge just yet.

"Heh... thanks. I'll see you soon. Take it slow, Yugo."

"You too, Hika. Don't work too hard."

Hika...

Hikarino smiles. 

"Yeah. I'll consider it."

Then he disappears, gone as quickly as he arrived.

Yugo sits there for a while, though eventually, he lets out a long breath before standing up from the ledge. 

He may as well pay a visit to Limbo as well before he returns to his seemingly endless pile of work. So he, too, vanishes from the scene. It's been a long, long while since last he visited, but it's only fair he pay Shu a visit.

It's a very pretty scene, the souls dotting the otherwise empty Realm like stars in the night sky.  Yugo has long since learned to travel carefully through the realm of Death, watching his every step to make sure he doesn’t crush a delicate soul beneath his feet, to find the person he is searching for.

"Ah-- Yugo?" A surprised voice speaks from the void.

Shu looks up to him from where he hovers a bit below Yugo. He turns back to the soul within his palms and gently blows on it, sending it off to drift into the sea of stars.

He hovers upwards to meet Yugo eye to eye with a smile.

"I did not expect to see you here. Or... anyone... for that matter."

"I visited Hikarino, I decided... only fair to visit you, too." Yugo returns Shu's kind smile with a gentle, small one. That boy seems like he never gets tired. Yugo, that is.

"Hahah. I appreciate the thought. It gets real lonely here. Could definitely use someone to chat with."

Shu continues his work, carefully collecting up souls and tending to their flames, marking them in their queue to be reincarnated before moving on. "Thanks for visiting him. He's... been having a hard time."

"Yeah.. He took a break. For a few minutes, at least." Yugo places a hand on his face, sighing as he runs his hand down his cheek. "Keeping everything in order while grieving.. it seems really hard."

Yugo doesn’t believe he will ever understand.

"A bit. But... it's all we can do to find normalcy. It... works for now." Shu sends another soul off into the void with his words.

"Looks like work's been slowing down, huh? Ike hasn't picked up many souls lately."

"..Ike won't leave his office. I haven't seen him."

..

"Eh? He was just here recently."

"..He was?"

"Yeah! He picked up a soul!"

"Did he..?" Yugo didn't even know he left. Maybe he was too immersed in the backed up work to notice his exit.

"Mm! Though he only took one soul. Inconvenient way of working." Shu hums, glancing over the everlasting Realm. The speckles of differently colored souls stretch on forever.

"I wonder what he did with it." Yugo mumbles this, under his breath, evidently not even aware Ike had done anything to begin with. That soul had not been put into the cycle with the rest.

"Not a clue. It was a lovely little one though. A nice and bright red ."

Shu reaches for a similarly colored one. It's a rare color when most souls are cool colors, but it's a nice contrast all the same.

Yugo looks at it for a moment, and it's like something clicks in his mind. He leaves these words unspoken. Whether it’s for his own safety, or someone else’s.

"It is pretty."

"I agree."

Shu holds the soul close, smiling at it softly. Then he releases it, letting it drift on ahead.

"... I appreciate your insight, Shu.”

"Mm! Did ya not know?"

"Not a clue."

"Huh. Wonder what he's up to if even you don't know."

"I think I have a hunch, but I don't press it."

"Ah. Fair. Gotta check in on him soon, though.” Ike will rot away in his office if no one checks on him.

"It's almost time for him to go to the mortal realm. I know he has people waiting, but I don't think.. I think I can't get him to come." Yugo speaks hesitantly, as though worried his words were being judged by a higher being.

"... Maybe he'll go on his own anyways. Hika did say it was a pretty important tradition for them."

"..I hope he does."

Shu nods, as if agreeing with Yugo’s concern.

"How have you been, though? Stressed with the load?"

"I keep up with it, I think.. Tiring. It's tiring work, but.. I think I'm getting a handle on it." 

"..Yourself?" Yugo turns his head to Shu.

"Lonely. Adjusting to Limbo being so... cold is odd." He shudders as he speaks, as though the cold hits him all at once just for mentioning it.

"Is it cold? I think... Ike mentioned it once. That the realms were geared to their hosts. To make them the most comfortable, because they can't regulate their body temperature."

"He taught you well! Yeah, it does do that. But... it's a different kind of cold." 

Shu smiles at Yugo, his eyes closing a bit.

"Mm..yeah."

Yugo smiles back, closing his eyes alongside him.

Shu sighs and shakes his head. Never mind that. "Anyways, you'd better go check in on him and get to the Cathedral. You're falling behind on work every second, y'know?"

"Uuuugh.. Yeah, you right."

Yugo sighs. 

"Come visit if you need anything, Shu. You know where I am."

Yugo doesn't wait for a response before disappearing once more from Limbo to check in on his teacher.

Ike wouldn't emerge from his study for days after, until the day finally came for him to leave. He finally leaves while Yugo rests in the large, colorful window, fast asleep with his head against the frame. He can go.

So he leaves, returning to the mortal realm as he always has. He is alone this time.

Ike rests by the river for a while, his knees resting in the soft soil at the edge. Minutes pass, maybe hours, he isn't quite sure. He doesn't believe that anyone will meet him there, now. Eki is gone. But a flicker of hope is still there, that maybe it was just a bad dream. That his younger brother will come back. But even Ike, as desperate as he is knows that isn’t not possible. And it hurts, as he kneels ever closer to the water. At first, he sees only his reflection.

And then he sees a soft flicker of black and red in the water looming behind him. For a moment, he wonders if his brother really came.

"Ike." A deep voice comes from behind him.

Oh.

Ike’s head snaps around at the voice, locking eyes with someone he hadn’t quite expected. Vox Akuma.

Ike's soft-toned eyes are dull when Vox meets them, as though he had been crying for days on end. The remaining shine was broken like shattered glass, and he couldn't help but stare for a moment. 

"..Vox.." His voice slips out, quiet and broken. He hadn't spoken in a long time. 

He stands to greet him all the same, though, as that is just the courtesy. You don't sit and stare at someone. When he stands, however, something inside of him breaks, and he collapses into Vox's arms with a soft sob. Ike doesn't want to be alone anymore. 

When Ike's skin meets Vox's hands, he's cold. Cold as though like an ice sculpture. 

He's so cold. 

Ike doesn't want to feel like this anymore.

"Ike..."

Vox's eyes soften. He has no idea what happens in the Realm of the Gods. But clearly, nothing good happened.

Eki didn't come.

Vox closes his eyes and wraps his big arms around Ike, pulling him in close. He sets his chin on Ike's head. He tries to warm him up.

"Oh Ike..."

What happened to make you this way, my love?

Ike tucks his hands against his own chest, his smaller figure hidden almost entirely by Vox as he leans his weight onto him. He feels smaller than ever right now, his body shaking. 

Ike had never even let another person see him this fragile before. He hadn’t even let Eki see him like this. This, now, is the only place he knows he won't be alone. 

But even Vox is unable to break that unrelenting chill. No one can bring Ike back down. 

Ike feels like he's going to break at any moment. Like his body is going to give out beneath him and he, too, will meet the gentle hands of Death and rejoin with his brother again.

Ike knows he can never truly die, not like Eki did, but he can't seem to accept it. As he stands here, his weight being entirely supported by the other, tears fall down his face and drip down towards the ground, sobbing silently. He doesn't know how to cope with these emotions.

He doesn't even know how to feel them to begin with.

Vox squeezes Ike in his arms, pressed against his chest. He brings one of his hands up to stroke Ike's hair, tucking Ike into the crook of his neck.

He says nothing, only holding Ike close for the longest time. He's unsure Ike would even hear him if he spoke. He's clearly mourning. And likely, it's for the most beloved being to him.

Vox opens his eyes, lidded as he looks at the ground. He whispers softly against Ike's hair.

"Let's head home, Ike. You can tell me everything when you're ready. If you're ready."

Ike doesn't have to tell him anything. Vox will find a way to help him no matter what.

"...Home....'kay.. " Ike mumbles against Vox. Wherever the other takes him, he'll go willingly, but right now? 

Ike doesn't know what home is anymore.

Vox moves slowly the entire way back to his house with Ike in his arm. He eventually decides to simply carry Ike, as the poor God was stumbling over everything in a poor attempt to walk.

He carefully pulls Ike's head to his neck and walks along. It's the same house. Vox no longer had a reason to hide his immortality, thanks to Nijisanji. So he's kept the same house over the passing centuries. So that the twins can always return to him.

He sets Ike down when they reach the door, placing a hand on the doorknob. He turns it, opening the door, and nudges it open, lifting Ike back up to bring him to the couch. 

It looks almost identical to how it did in the last century. The furniture style has changed, but it's all in the same location. It's well kept.

The walls are lined with photos. So he never forgets. 

There's Mysta and Luca's selfie from when they got their house together nearby. It's still standing, surprisingly. 

There's Shu and Hikarino. The latter is asleep with Shu taking a devious selfie above him.

There's Ike and Vox in an amusement park. Vox is taking the photo. He has his lips pressed against a very pouty Ike's forehead. 

There's Luxiem, as they all finally graduate as streamers and decide to move on from it. Nijisanji congratulates them on a wonderful decade of raising a generation. They're tucked in one another's arms in front of their own billboard.

There's a well aged and well loved Dish Soap, laying his head on the paws at the docks to the ocean. It was a fun final trip. 

...

There's Ike and Eki. Curled up in one another's arms on Vox's couch. They're buried into each other, fast asleep in the comfort of their brother. It was one of the first photos he ever took of them.

Ike rests carefully against Vox on the couch, his body weakly pulled close to itself, arms wrapped around his torso. He's visibly shivering, even though they're in the comfortable warmth of Vox's home. His eyes flutter closed, leaving only a small gap where he stares down at the carpeted floor beneath them. 

His body temperature hasn't shifted, and he looks as though he had just exited a warm building into cold air, a small puff of white air with every weak breath. His face, and notably the skin around his eyes, nose and lips, is flushed with a soft red tone. The tips of his eyelashes have small dots of frozen liquid on them, the remains of his tears essentially freezing from the intense cold temperatures. Whether it’s from the cold, the tears, or both, he looks horrible.

And his hair. Once nice and well kept, it now looks like it's been roughly pulled into a ponytail for weeks on end, the hair having a kink in it where a hair tie would have held it up. The rest of it is messy, nearly knotted. 

Ike is falling apart.

Warm hands cup Ike's cold cheeks. They feel like nothing against him. But regardless, there's pressure there. Vox has knelt down before Ike, looking up to his face. 

"Ike..."

He leans forward to Ike, bringing his hands down to take Ike's. He replaces his hand with his lips, mumbling against his freezing skin.

"I'm sure... it's been really hard for you. You're in pain." He moves to kiss his temple. "I won't pretend I know what happened. What it is like."

Then he kisses Ike's forehead.

"But I'll be here to listen to you, I promise. I'm always here for you."

Ike's eyes begin to fill with tears all over again. He looks up to Vox, their eyes locking, and a droplet rolls down his face. 

Vox's eyes.. 

They are warm, painted in soft rose-gold tones.

..But it hurts.

He can't do it. He can't look at Vox. Ike tears his gaze away, pulling his hands to press over his eyes as he lets out an audible, choked out sob. With the backs of his hands covering the upper half of his face, he pulls his knees to his chest and tucks himself away from view. 

He can't look at Vox without seeing his brother.

When he locked eyes with Vox in that moment, he saw Eki. All of the details, the careful, handcrafted details, that made Vox Akuma who he is, faded away. His image was entirely replaced by the brother Ike missed so dearly. In a desperate attempt to escape reality, his mind replaced the man he loves with the man he would end his eternal life for, just to see again. 

It floods his heart with guilt.

Ike feels like he’s going to fall apart any minute. He can't do it.

"Oh, Ike..."

His heart is breaking. Vox hadn't seen the twins in a century. It may not have been terribly long to the Gods, but to him, that is a mere eighth of his life thus far. 

He had looked forward to seeing them every time spring began to approach. Their presences never failed to make his house feel lived in. Like home. Just him, his lover, and brother(in-begrudging-law).

And yet, here they are. One missing member of that family and the other one breaking right before him. The worst of it being that he, a mere demon residing in the mortal realm, cannot do anything to quell his lover's grief. 

Vox closes his eyes and moves up to sit on the couch. He leans against Ike, offering his shoulder. There is nothing more to say. He will be Ike's pillar until he can stand on his own. Even if that takes all year. Ike shifts a bit, moving closer to Vox, sitting down alongside him, pressing his forehead weakly against Vox's shoulder.

Vox is warm. Ike knows he could probably fall asleep in his embrace if he weren't already so cold. 

They sit in silence for a while, Ike's eyes are nearly closed, but he is clearly not asleep. The way that his body is still shivering violently is a perfect tell, and his breathing is still as shallow as it has been since he got here. He's not crying now. His body gave up on that a while ago. The skin of his cheeks is raw and his eyes hurt to open, but at least he isn't crying anymore.

Vox opens one eye to look down at Ike, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on Ike's leg. He lifts his head to turn to Ike, kissing the side of hiss head, mumbling into his hair. "Would you like to head up to bed? It'll be warmer there."

Even if just a bit.

Ike is quiet for a moment, before nodding against him with a small noise of acknowledgement. He lifts his head up from Vox's shoulder after that, raising a hand up to rub his eyes. 

As long as he isn't alone, Ike will go anywhere.

"Can you walk? I can carry you if you don’t think you can."

"...I'll... ..try."

That assertive voice Vox knows so well from Ike really is gone.

Vox stays still for a moment, looking at Ike. Then he turns and nods, standing up and offering both of his hands out.

"I'm here."

Ike carefully places his hands within Vox's, holding them tight, as tight as he can when it feels like he can barely move his fingers to begin with, as he stands shakily from the couch. That seems easy enough, but his legs still tremble beneath him, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Vox pulls Ike to his side, wrapping his arm protectively around Ike's waist to hold him up. His other hand holds Ike's in front of him, moreso for moral support. He takes the lead in the walk to the stairs.

The trip up the stairs is difficult and slow, as Ike would get lost in his thoughts and nearly stumble back to the start. It takes almost five minutes. Vox is patient with him the whole time all the same, though.

Then they get to Vox's room where he pushes the door open.

Ike looks around the room, his eyes falling on the scenery around it.

It's exactly as it was before. The only thing that has changed is the computer setup, which has been upgraded to match modern technology. It’s almost an eyesore.

Vox guides Ike to the bed and gently sits him down on the edge of it. Ike looks around the room, his eyes falling on the scenery around it. The room itself was essentially identical to the last time they had met. That's for certain. The warm red tones are comforting.

When Vox sits him down, he doesn't move. Ike just sits still, his eyes half lidded as he stares across the room. He isn't very sure what to do with himself at the moment. He feels useless.

Vox reaches over, pulling the blanket open and nudging Ike over under it.

"Here... lay down, Ike."

The weight of the blanket on his shoulders brings Ike back down to the present, closing his eyes for a moment.

Yeah.. okay. He'd like to lay down.

So he does, carefully, lay himself down on Vox's bed, pulling the hem of the blanket close to his face.

Vox pulls back, turning to the nightstand and opening the bottom drawer up. He pulls up a  heavy blanket and a cord, plugging it into the outlet by the foot of the bed. He flicks the switch the other direction and unfurls it before draping it over the comforter resting over top of Ike’s shivering form.

A heated blanket. Vox had gotten him it during their first year together, to keep Ike warm when Eki would go away to visit Shu. It later became more void, though, as he turned to using Vox to keep warm instead. 

Now Vox is glad he kept it. Always set aside in case Ike would one day need it, no matter how low the chances are. Vox finally slides out of his shoes, sitting down on the edge of the bed and finally turning his attention to Ike. 

He reaches over and gently tucks a long strand of hair out of Ike's face, stroking his cheek with the palm of his hand, quiet. Only sitting there with Ike.

Ike flicks his eyes open, tilting his head a bit to partially face Vox. 

At first, he barely seems to register that there was another blanket added on top of him, but it becomes more noticeable as it warms the blanket he has pressed against him. That isn't to say it can fully penetrate Ike's natural cold, but it helps him stop shivering, at least a little. 

Ike misses being warm.

Vox turns a bit, propping his back up against the headboard, reaching down to take one of Ike's hands in his own. His other hand continues to stroke Ike's hair, massaging his scalp. He tilts his head back into the headboard and closes his eyes.

"... What happened, Ike?"

Ike flinches, and closes his eyes, pulling just a bit closer to himself at the question. He isn't even sure he can put it into words. Not without falling apart all over again. Vox doesn't know? 

"...Eki.." His voice breaks a bit as he speaks. He wants Vox to understand. But he doesn’t think he can tell him.

"... It's okay, Ike. I can wait as long as you need." Vox tilts his head back down to Ike, smiling softly at him. However long it takes, Vox is willing to wait.

..

"...'m never going to see him again.." Ike whimpers, pulling himself into a weak ball under the blanket.

"...You know he wouldn't let that happen, Ike... Not for long."

Ike whimpers, again. Eki wouldn't let that happen. But Eki isn't..

"...Vox.." Ike peeks out from under the blanket, looking at Vox with tear-filled eyes. 

"Vox...they--.."

He chokes on his words, biting back a sob.

"...th..   they killed him, Vox .."

".. he's not coming back .."

...

"What?"

Ike squeezes his eyes shut and pulls away, falling silent. 

He's never going to see him again. 

He's never going to see Eki again.

"No, he..."

What?

Vox droops his head forward, staring down at Ike wide eyed. No. Ike would never lie to him. Not about this.

Is Eki...

It'd make sense. Nothing could set Ike off like this more than his brother. In this case... the loss of his brother.

Eki is dead. Eki Eveland is dead. He hadn't even considered it. He didn't even think it was possible.

Vox squeezes Ike's hand.

"How could..."

Is he really? Just like that?

He thinks back to his interactions with Eki. They got along well, but Eki always kept his distance from him. And Vox never pushed him out of his comfort zone. He'd tease the God to no end. But he was loving. Eki was one of the most loving people he knew. 

He saw his interactions with Ike. He saw how he'd play longingly with Dish Soap through the glass. He saw how Eki treated Hikarino. How he never treated him any different than his son. How he extended that affection to Shu. Shu also spoke quite fondly of him, like how he'd ruffle even his hair along with Hikarino.

He thinks of Eki's desire to learn more about the mortal world after having been secluded. He was curious about everything he saw. He fell in love with the flavors of the world. He saw how his eyes would light up at the sight of something delicious. He thinks of his pantry downstairs, already filled to the brim with things that he thought Eki would like. 

He loved learning about their world after having been afraid of it for so long. And now he's dead?

Eki? The God of Death? They killed him. Who? Who has so much power that they can kill Death itself. He can only think of two possibilities off the top of his head. 

Vox slowly turns his head to Ike. 

And it would never be this one.

...

Ah. Now Vox is tearing up too. Not yet. He needs to be strong for Ike.

"Ike, I..."

" I'm so sorry ."

Ike tugs on Vox's hand, pulling closer to him. His body is shaking again with sobs, cold tears running down his face and onto the bed beneath him. He's crying again. 

He can't do it. 

Ike wants to disappear. 

He doesn't want to be seen like this, falling apart like a broken doll. 

He just wants to be back in the loving arms of his brother. The comfortable warmth. Where Eki would always play with his hair, braiding it gently while they sat by the river in the forest. Ike hasn't had his hair touched by another person since Eki died, not before now, and he misses it. He misses the weight being lifted as Eki would pull it into a neat style strand by strand.

He misses the gentle hands as Eki would hold him in his arms, as they would talk idly with each other in a shared, comfortable embrace. Where they would both doze off in each other's arms. Ike hasn't been able to sleep since the sentencing. He misses that. He misses that comfort.

He misses his brother.

"Ike..."

Vox is frozen for minutes. He can’t seem to will himself to move. Then, finally,he reaches down to pull up the blanket and tuck under it. He pulls Ike closer to him under the covers. Vox tucks Ike's head into his chest, lightly sniffling above him.

"Ike, I'm so sorry." There's nothing else he can say. There is nothing that Vox can possibly do to help Ike recover from losing Eki. He doesn't think that anything in this world can.

He'll try. He'll try his damn hardest to help Ike. But first...

They need to mourn.

…

Yugo observes Ike throughout the following year. Watching as he mourns with Vox alongside him. Watching as he tries to work through his pain, even if it doesn’t do much for him in the end.

Vox is making Ike happier. Even if only by a little bit, it was enough.

Yugo kept a careful eye on Ike’s realm while he was gone, making sure the work got completed in good time in Ike’s absence. Even if that wasn’t his job to be doing. All so that when Ike returned, at last, from the mortal realm, there would be nothing left for him to do. Nothing to stress him out any further.

..But Ike eventually left his study, and out with him came a small boy. One who looked terribly familiar. 

Yugo couldn’t help but stare from his seated spot in the window at the boy standing next to Ike. He was only a small child, like even Yugo had been at one point in his long lifetime.

Is this what Ike did with the soul he collected from Shu? 

Has he been experimenting this entire time?

Yugo disappears from the window before Ike can spot him, and lands moments later into the mortal realm in search of Hikarino once more. This is something Yugo feels he cannot handle on his own.

Hikarino perks his head up a bit at the sensation of a God approaching him. Of course, he recognizes that aura well.

He turns his head to the side from where he stands on the edge of a skyscraper above Modern New York. His arms are crossed over his chest. Like he's waiting for something. 

"Yugo? Good to see you again."

“Hikarino.”

Yugo steps up from behind him, falling beside him at the edge, and he nods. He doesn’t speak any further.

"You sound urgent. Is this not a visit?"

“..I don’t think I can explain now. I just need to show you. Come with me.”

Hikarino stares at Yugo. He is never this insistent on something, not like this. He sighs and nods, looking back down once more. This soul can wait, after all. 

"Very well," He resigns, awaiting Yugo’s guidance.

With this, Yugo places a hand on Hikarino’s wrist, and the two return to the Cathedral in silence. Yugo instructs Hikarino to not make a single noise once inside, pulling them in and quickly tucking them out of sight of Ike, who was sitting on the windowsill that Yugo had been occupying only minutes prior. 

In front of him stands that small boy.

Hikarino widens his eyes immediately. He'd recognize that head of red anywhere. He quickly raises his hand to shut himself up. Yugo surely has a reason for keeping quiet, as he now understands.

Is it really? Could it really be?

The boy is rubbing his hands on the wall, feeling its cold texture. He quickly pulls his hand away. It's a bit too cold. He looks around The Cathedral more. He looks up at the bells above with his mouth open in childish curiosity. Then he spots movement in the corner of his eyes. The stained glass window. It looks like it's moving. He reaches to Ike's sleeve and gently tugs it, pointing his finger up at it. What is that?

Ike speaks in quiet tones, unheard to the Gods hiding from him, explaining the things the boy is seeing. There are things happening outside the window, Ike’s view of the mortal realm. He isn’t sure how to explain it to the boy, though, so he softens his wording.

Ike gives him a gentle explanation of everything he’s seeing. Something geared to a child. Something he would understand. 

Yugo narrows his eyes a bit at the pair. He doesn’t like where this is going, alarm bells ringing within his head as he watches the interaction.

The boy blinks up to him and nods. He climbs up onto the window with Ike, sitting across from him. He sits down, his legs folded into an uncomfortable position, pressing his hands on the window to peer through it. It's colorful there. He's never seen so many colors.

Ike hooks his arms around the child’s torso to adjust his sitting position to something more comfortable, all without making skin contact. He sets him back down quickly, and he lets him look. He watches out the window with him. 

Ike seems so content.

The boy stares up through the glass with his mouth hanging open. Curious. He is curious.

There's no doubt about it in his mind. That is supposed to be Eki.

Hikarino turns his head to Yugo and only then does he realize that his soul is churning. Or... lack thereof, soul. He misses Eki so much. And Ike went and created a replacement. And he's treating it well. Soft spoken words, gentle hands, hidden in his sleeves... No bells. No demands. He's just letting it explore at it's own pace. The treatment that all creations of Life should have.

Hikarino realizes with a jolt that there's a heat in his cheek and he reaches up. He's tearing up. 

Is it because he misses Eki? Or because he's jealous of the life he could have had. That'd be selfish. He blinks the tears away quickly, wiping his eyes. He can't cry here. They'll be caught. 

He sets a hand on Yugo's shoulder. What do they do?

Yugo reaches up and takes Hikarino’s hand, quickly leading them out of the main room of the cathedral in silence until they reach Yugo’s bedroom, situated at the end of the hall. 

His room is quiet. They’re safer there than anywhere else. 

Yugo lets Hikarino enter the room first before shutting the door behind them, closing with a click. 

“…Are you okay, Hika?” Concern radiates through his words.

"... Yeah... Yeah, I'll be okay." Hikarino rapidly wipes at his eyes. What a pathetic display. What is he, a lost child?

... He feels like it, that’s for sure..

"What was that?"

“I don’t… know. He closed himself off in his study. And earlier, I saw him leave. And saw him.” Yugo folds his arms against his chest, looking at the floor. “I didn’t know. So I went and got you.”

"... Shu mentioned it. He... He said that Ike arrived and took several souls. All red in coloration. It must be..."

Yugo speaks, albeit it out of turn. "...He did it more than once..”

Hikarino tucks his head in his hands, gently tugging on the ends of his hair.

"He's been experimenting on the souls." For personal gain. Has he gone mad?

"... Was that... a demi-god? It felt so weak ."

"..I think he created a human.." Yugo unfolds his arms and gently pulls Hikarino's hands from his face, holding them within his own to prevent him from hurting himself. His hands are shaking in Yugo's.

"A human..."

It'll pass in no time. He can't watch it again.

"How is it here? How can he... create a human here?"

"I don't.. know. Maybe he had no choice.." Yugo releases one of Hikarino's hands and wraps an arm around him. "..I don't know. It's not God-like at all. Small. Fragile."

"... Is... is it bad ? That he created that?"

"Ike... doesn't make human. He sends souls to the mortal realm for that... I think... that boy won't survive here.."

Hikarino widens his eyes to Yugo, jumping up. "Then... we need to talk to Ike? No... maybe... Ugh... what is he thinking ?"

"I don't think he would listen."

"... What do we do?"

"..I don't know."

"Let me think...." Hikarino sits down on Yugo's bed, falling into thought.

That boy is going to die if he stays here. A human is not meant to be in The Realm. A human is not meant to be in The Cathedral. All beings made by Life are born to human parents in the mortal realm. With the exception of Gods and Demi-Gods. But Ike made a human here. In the form of Eki. His late brother... Hikarino's...

Hikarino shakes his head.

They need to get the boy out of here. Ike isn't in his right mind if he has been experimenting with the souls to try to recreate Eki. If they try to talk to Ike, he'll take the boy and flee or he'll punish them. He doesn't want to think about what would happen to them if Ike thinks that they're trying to take Eki away from him. Again.

He heard that Ivy was injured. He doesn't want to think about what Ike would do to him.

He could mind his business. But... He can't watch that boy die. Not that poor human boy that was only just created.

He... He can't watch Eki die. He was there for the execution. He can't see it again. He can't bear to watch it again.

... 

They need to bring the boy to the Mortal Realm. Without Ike.

"We take it. Before he notices."

"He'd notice. How would we..?"

"Children are curious beings." Hikarino raises his fingers. A shikigami appears.

"... You want to lure him ?"

"Have we any other options?"

Hikarino really doesn't want this either. But he needs to save the boy, first and foremost.

"...It’s our only option, really. If you think it will work. I'll help you."

"... I'll lure him down the halls. You grab the boy and head straight to Earth. You can exit easier. I'll meet you there."

"Got it."

Hikarino nods and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes to erase his presence. It would work on lower tiered Gods. He's not sure about Ike yet.

He frees the shikigami and it flies off, sliding under the door. 

He turns and opens the door, motioning for Yugo to head towards the end of the hall to wait. Hikarino goes on ahead, disappearing down the hall.

The shikigami disappears.

The boy perks up. As if he hears something. Was that the mister? He looks up at Ike with big, rose-gold eyes.

Ike is still staring out the window, but he soon looks back over to him. "You can go look. Go ahead." 

Yugo has since left his room, just waiting now. Just beyond the wall. He's silent as ever.

The boy turns back to the window, tilting his head backwards as he carefully slides feet first backwards off the window. He stumbles and catches himself. Walking is still difficult.

He looks back to Ike one more time. He must love that window.

He turns and begins to walk towards the hall they had come from. What is that sound? It's pretty. It goes low and high. 

Soft feet pat on the cold tile of the Cathedral as he disappears down the hallway.

As against Yugo's morals as this is, he lets out a sigh as he snatches the child while running, placing a gentle hand to the boy's lips to keep him quiet, before they nearly immediately disappear from the Cathedral and enter the grounds of the mortal realm. 

To the forest. 

And from there, Yugo lifts the boy into his arms, pulling him close to his chest, and runs. He doesn’t know where to go.

Ike has no clue. Ike believes he's just curiously searching the Cathedral as Yugo once did when he was young. So he lets himself continue to watch out through the painted window view.

The sound of the Cathedral's front door closing knocks Ike out of his trance.

...Was someone here? 

And why did they need to use the door? 

Ike snaps his head to face the now closed door, and realizes that the Cathedral is quite empty. That's not good. That's not right at all. 

He stands from the windowsill almost immediately and begins his search.

Hikarino descends down to the Mortal Realm. He closes his eyes to feel for Yugo. Surely he's fled from the forest. Not too far. He feels him.

Hikarino dematerializes and takes to the air to catch up to Yugo. It doesn't take long.

"Yugo."

Yugo finally stops in his running, taking a moment to catch his breath, panting lightly. He's holding the young child close to his chest. 

"Hika. You got away?"

Hikarin nods, landing before Yugo at last. "He was very distracted by that glass. It was easy."

"..Where do we go?"

Hikarino looks down to the boy who is clinging to Yugo's arm for dear life, curled up a bit against him.

He shivers, staring up at Hikarino with familiar wide eyes. And in that moment, Hikarino is frozen.

Eki is before him, now looking up to him in nothing but a white gown. Moreso a nursing gown. He's hugging Yugo's arm tightly to keep his shaky legs from giving out. 

These are the same eyes that gazed at him softly, and ruffled his hair, and told him he was proud. The same one that tried to offer Hikarino bites of his cake. And just learned Twitch lingo. And the same one who took Shu in as his own, Hikarino's half. He sat through years and years of training with Hikarino, always making sure he was safe to continue, no matter how hard it was.

The eyes that Hikarino once looked up to. On a pedestal higher than anything. These same eyes were now looking up to him in fear. They lack Eki's softness. His age and wisdom. His Godhood. But they're the same eyes.

... Ike is a wonderful artist.

Hikarino starts to shake. He can't move. Please stop looking at him like that.

Yugo lowers himself down to Eki's level, gently putting a hand to the boy's cheek and guiding his eyes away from Hikarino. 

Yugo runs a hand through his hair, keeping Eki's eyes on him this time. 

"..You're alright, Hika..."

...

Yugo. 

"... Right. You're right. I'm... okay. I'll be okay." 

Hikarino looks down, clenching his fists. 

Eki looks up at Yugo with big, unblinking eyes.

Yugo looks back to Eki with a quiet sigh. "I think.. We need to visit Vox. He might know. But we can't stay long."

"Yeah... yes. Let's hurry there. Let's go." Hikarino looks back down to Eki, who has turned to look back at him. He quickly turns away and begins to hover towards Vox's residence. 

He wishes he could hold Eki. 

He looks down at his hands. Then he keeps going.

Yugo lifts Eki once more, and follows Hikarino quickly behind.

Ike is nearly finished searching the Cathedral. They need to move.

Hikarino knocks on the door frantically when they arrive. Vox opens the door within a few seconds, widening his eyes at them.

"... Hikarino? Yugo? What are..." Vox freezes up when he looks in Yugos's arms. Big eyes are staring at him from behind fluffy bangs. He knows those eyes. That hair. He... knows this boy.

Eki. That's Eki.

Vox squeezes the door knob.

“ What’s going on ?”

"We don't have time. What do we do? Where won't Ike look, Vox? Where do we take him?" 

Yugo has never been in this much of a rush. Never in his life.

... They're hiding from Ike. The God of Life. And they have a young Eki Eveland with them.

What have they gotten into? 

...

What has Ike gotten into?

He has to stop himself from reaching out for Eki.

"... Nina. Nina Kosaka. The old Luck Goddess. She'll understand. She's in Russia. You'll feel her."

Yugo knows who he's talking about. Hikarino likely does too. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you-- please don't tell him. Please. It won't be long before he's here too."

"... I'll hold him off. Go fast. Tell me later."

Hikarino nods, jumping to the air and materializing. He turns and waits for Yugo to follow. Don't drop Eki.

Yugo nods to Vox before joining Hikarino. 

He tightens his hold on Eki and follows to the best of his ability while holding a human child.

And they can't go very high in the air, Eki is young and any altitude without some kind of balancing out, like a plane would have, will kill him. Yugo is very consciously aware. 

But they'll make it to Russia safely all the same.

Eki removes his arms from around Yugo, reaching up to cover his ears tightly. His mouth is open as if he is yelling. He buries his face into Yugo's chest, curling.

Hikarino glances back at them. Then he moves so that he is flying directly in front of Yugo, trying to block out as much wind as possible. He should have given him his cloak.

Yugo mumbles a quiet apology to him, holding him a bit closer to block the air more than Hikarino can. 

It'll be over soon. I promise.

They're in Russia within 15 minutes and immediately, Hikarino can sense the aura of a Domainless God nearby. He looks back at Yugo and nods. They descend more as the approaches the source of the aura. 

And they can see Nina. She is on the porch of a large home, dressed modestly in a full kimono that covers her skin.

She's looking up. She felt two Gods coming and came out immediately to greet them. She didn't expect this pair.

"... Hello."

Yugo lands carefully on the ground, looking down to check on Eki. To make sure he's doing alright after the trip. He doesn't know her well. He's far more worried about Eki than he is about figuring out who this woman is.

Hikarino lands gently and nods. "Greetings, Lady Kosaka. May we have your time?"

"... No need for the formalities, honey. Remember. You are Death."

"... You heard."

"Realm gossip doesn't escape me."

"..."

"Come inside. It's too cold out here for the boy." Nina turns around and opens the door for them.

It is quite cold. 

"..Thank you." 

And Yugo enters the home without another word, Eki still close to him. 

It won't be long before Ike approaches Vox and begins his search of the mortal realm.

Nina closes the door behind them and leads them past the living room to a family room. Here is where the comfortable furniture is. Soft feathered couch surrounding a kotatsu and a wall mounted tv above the fireplace. She slips her sandals off and urges them to do the same. 

She stops Yugo and points to Eki. "May I?"

Yugo hesitates for a moment, setting Eki back down on his feet again. Vox guided them here, she'll know what to do. So, with a gentle hand, he turns Eki to face her and guides him over, his hand placed on the boy's back. 

Eki is still having trouble walking on his own, but that's okay. Yugo would guide him every single step if he had to.

Nina gently takes his hands, backing up slowly to guide the extremely shaken Eki to walk on his own. Between being young, being in The Cathedral, being kidnapped, and flying at extreme velocities in the cold, Eki is barely functioning. He depends a lot on Nina to help him walk.

"There we go, baby. Good job."

Her voice is soft while she addresses him. It's maternal. Nina is a natural. 

She leads Eki to the kotatsu and sits down with her legs crossed. She gently pulls Eki down to sit the boy between her legs, and pulls the blanket of the kotatsu over their legs. It's already heated. Eki nearly melts into her on the spot, eyes drooping. She knows Eki's weakness too well.

Her tails burst out behind her. She curls a few around Eki, setting his hand on her fur. He opens his eyes to look down at her tails. Ah... it's... nice to feel.

He strokes the fur and becomes completely invested in playing with and hugging her tails. He smiles. He seems content now. He begins to visibly calm down, shoulders sagging.

Nina looks up from Eki to the Gods and invites Yugo to sit. Hikarino has already sat himself across them, watching Eki play with Nina's tail like a stuffed toy.

Yugo joins Hikarino, kneeling down next to him. Kneeling at a kotatsu is something he grew familiar with after his time with Shu and Hikarino all those centuries ago.

He folds his hands in his lap, looking to Nina."Thank you for letting us in. On such short notice.."

"No worries. I must say... I didn't expect this when I felt two Gods approaching me... But... when I saw Death and... Eki... I had a feeling..."

She looks down, reaching up to stroke Eki's hair. "... Tell me everything."

"I'll explain. Ike-- er.. Life, has been.. ... experimenting with souls. I guess.. to create a new version of Eki. He recently emerged from his study with this one. We took him here. He wouldn't have survived if we didn't."

Yugo pauses, though he picks up again quickly. "...Right, I don't know you... I am.. Yugo Asuma. Life's apprentice. Sort of."

"Oh? So he took one on after all. It has... been a long time." Nina sighs and smiles.

"I am Nina Kosaka. I was once ruling over Luck before being exiled."

She looks down to Eki in her arms. "Experimenting, huh?"

"I believe that... he was attempting to..."

"Revive Eki. Or recreate him."

"... Precisely. He has been collecting souls from limbo with similar traits to create him."

"... Sounds like taboo."

Hikarino hesitantly nods. It does. This is beyond taboo for Life.

"... They were close."

"... They were." Hikarino agrees.  Anyone who knows them would know that. 

"... I still can't believe he's gone. When I heard about it..." Nina reaches up and hugs Eki closer, gently pulling his head to her chest. He closes his eyes, reveling in the comfort of a mother's warm hold. "I couldn't believe my ears. I... never expected that would happen."

"... No one did."

Eki was sweet. He was a great, kind God to a fault. His love for his brother was his most prominent trait. And it was his downfall.

"... Are you alright, honey?"

"What do you mean?"

"They shoved you into his place without thinking about how you feel. Are you alright?"

Hikarino looks down to the table, squeezing his nails into his palm. It was the God that no longer roams the Realm that actually asks how he feels about it.

Hikarino hates it. He knows he was training to take over if anything happened to Eki. He never wanted that day to come. It would mean he failed his mission. He wasn't there to protect him. He couldn't do anything. And all he can do is replace him. He was a vessel for the Gods to act like he never existed. 

But Eki was real. And he was his Master. And he was... his Father . And he was the best damn God in that Realm.

Hikarino's voice breaks. "... I miss him."

"Oh baby... I know. I can only imagine your grief..."

Yugo turns to Hikarino, and raises his arms to wrap them around the other, using his more-free arm to pull Hikarino’s fists apart, letting him squeeze Yugo’s hands instead of his own.

Yugo will never understand his brother’s grief. He barely knew Eki. But he'll be there for him every step of the way. Whatever Hikarino needs. 

…

And Ike was beginning his search. Eki was nowhere to be found in the Cathedral, Yugo was missing, and someone had entered and left the Cathedral without him noticing. Kanade and Nekozeno were still there, so he knew who it had to be. He is pissed. 

He will stop at nothing to find his brother, god damnit.

Hikarino shivers suddenly. 

Nina looks down at Eki, who looks  down has well. What was that? He sets little hands on his stomach. It rumbled.

She laughs, leaning forward for a clementine in her fruit bowl. She wraps her arms on either side of Eki and peels the clementine carefully, much to Eki's amazement.

She peels a piece apart and hands it to him. He holds it in his little fingers. She takes another piece for herself and pops it onto her own mouth to chew slowly, making sure he sees her do it.

He blinks back down to his piece and pops it into his mouth. He rapidly shakes his head, squeezing his eyes together. Sour! Aa- it is sweet now. She laughs, ruffling his hair and peeling more bits for him.

"... He'd be proud of you, you know."

Hikarino lets out a weak smile, watching Eki eat. "I know. I remember that every day."

Yugo watches, too, for a minute, holding onto Hikarino all the same. But the longer time goes on..

He sighs. "..Hika, we need to leave soon.."

Hikarino lets out a weak whimper. He knows. He shakily looks down to their hands. He knows.

Nina watches his expression. She knows his dilemma. "... I'll keep him here. I'll take care of him myself. He won't check me. You can check any time. You work on Earth, don't you? Stop by once in a while. He'll be safe with me."

"... Thank you. Thank you so much, Lady Kosaka." 

It means a lot. So much more than he could ever say.

Yugo nods to her, a way of saying thanks without speaking over him.

The boys leave quickly, parting ways from each other at Nina's house. They need to separate to make it harder for Ike to track.

Hikarino returns to New York to continue his work. Yugo returns to the Realm, though he's not quite sure he is ready to return to The Cathedral.

The house is quiet when they leave.

Nina looks down to Eki and hugs him to her chest once he's done eating the clementine. He doses in and out consciousness against her chest.

"Let's get to bed, baby. You've had a long day. You can sleep with mama tonight."

Mama...

He grabs the fabric of her kimono in a little hand. Nina flicks off the kotatsu and slowly rises with him to turn and head up to her bedroom where she gently lies him under her comforter. Then she crawls in with him, pulling him to her chest and layering her tails around him for him to hug to his own chest. She closes her eyes, pressing her lips to his head. 

This is the least she can do for him.

Ike slams his fist against Vox's door, his hand shaking as he does so. 

Answer the fucking door. 

Answer the god damn door, Vox Akuma. 

Yugo returns to the Cathedral after a bit of hesitation, calling out Kanade and Nekozeno. Find Time is his only order to them. He can't let Ike find Hikarino, if it’s the last thing he does.

He can't let Ike find Eki. 

Ivy is the only one who can stop Ike now. 

Ike lifts his hand and slams it back down. 

Answer the fucking door.

There's the sound of the lock clicking and the door opens. Vox stands on the other side, his hair a mess and his clothes disheveled. Looks like he just woke up.

Regardless, he looks at Ike with concern. "Ike? What's the matter?"

" Where is Yugo. " It’s not a question.

It’s a demand.

"Yugo? Is he missing?"

"Vox.." Ike clenches his hands into fists, reaching up and grabbing the collar of Vox's shirt, pulling him closer. 

"Don't play stupid. You know. I know you know. They were here, weren't they?"

Vox tenses up, putting his hands up in a poor attempt at defense. This is dangerous for his life.

"What are you talking about?"

"Answer the fucking question, Vox."

"Let's talk normally here, Ike. Come on." Vox reaches up to Ike's hand on his collar, setting his warm hand on it gently. His voice falls soft. 

Regardless of Ike threatening him. Regardless of what he has done with Eki. Regardless of his fear of Ike...

This is the man Vox loves. He'll be soft with him, even if Ike crushes his windpipe here. And even in the end, he'd forgive him. 

"Come inside, tell me what's going on, alright?"

Nekozeno and Kanade are running. 

Hand in hand through the realm of the gods, pressing equally on either side of the gates of Time, pushing their way into her realm. 

They need her. 

and soon . 

" LADY TIME !" A male voice calls out into the vast realm, voice echoing as he awaits a response. 

Please answer.

The voice echoes through the library, bouncing off of the shelves lining the walls. There is no response. Everything continues to work as normal. Files and books are floating around, shuffling themselves on their shelves. An owl gazes down at them. 

Then, by the grace of the gods, a soft voice echoes around the library loudly with no clear source.

"Izuru? Shin? What brings you two here?"

" It's Ike ."

Ike's hand tightens even further on Vox's collar, before lifting him up and throwing him hard against the wall directly behind him with a scoff. 

"I'll be fucking damned if you hold me back this time. If you won't tell me, god dammit, you're not worth anything ."

Vox gasps as the breath is knocked out of his lungs. He pants lightly. Ah. It's this bad. Vox won't be able to do anything, after all. Ike is far beyond his ability. 

"You don't really think that, do you?"

He has to at least buy them time. He has to make sure they have more of a chance to get away. Vox reaches his hand up to Ike's cheek to cup it.

"Because to me, you're worth everything."

Even now.

Ike's hand shakes as he grabs Vox's wrist, pushing him to the ground. When Vox is on the ground, Ike doesn't even give him room to speak.

The god of Life refuses to get blood on his hands.

But that doesn't stop him as he pushes Vox's torso onto the floor, digging his heel into Vox's sternum and collarbone, and pressing harder and harder until he tears through skin and meets bone, pressing Vox even harder into the ground. 

Vox lied to him.

He doesn't deserve to live .

Vox is wide eyed as he's punctured through on the floor. His fingers dig into the wood of the porch, mouth gaping open as Ike presses down on him. 

He wants to yell in agony as he feels his spine cave in under Ike's heel, vision falling blurry as he loses access to his body movement and diaphragm. He feels like he's bending in half as rib after rib starts to shatter.

He feels his breath fading, as he drops his head to the wood. In the corner of his vision, he sees Ike, expression as cold as his hands. How lovely.

Regardless of his lack of air and time, he gasps out. He has to try. One more time. 

"I--"

With a final crack, his voice cuts off, body going completely limp on the floor in front of his own home. His eyes lid, but remain open, staring into the night.

The last two words go unsaid.

Ike takes a few minutes to step off of the now-limp body, breathing heavily. He's not shaking anymore. 

And he knows exactly where he's going next. 

He abandons Vox on the ground, not giving the demon a second look. He's going to find Hikarino. Leaving the scene behind, he begins his search, and he knows exactly where to start. 

New York City.

Hikarino jumps as he feels the shockwave shoot through him, knocking the air out of him and almost causing him to lose his footing.

... No way.

There's no doubt about it. That was Vox. 

His hand shakes on his scythe. 

Ike got Vox. He didn't... preserve himself. Why? 

I'm sorry, Vox.

And I'm sorry I can't come to you.

Hikarino squeezes his eyes shut then opens it to look down at the city.

...

He needs to move. He needs to get out of here. It's dangerous for those little people below. This will be a battle between Gods. One Hikarino will lose. The death of a God is no pretty feature. Nor is a war between two.

Hikarino drops his scythe. It disappears.

He has to do his final job as his short lived term as Death.

Hikarino jumps off the edge and takes to the air, moving up in altitude westward as fast as he can.

Save as many human lives as he can. 

And buy time. Yugo needs Time.

He shoots above the clouds, rapidly leaving the ozone to the stratosphere. The same ozone that Ike and Eki created eons ago.

He stops here. Midwestern America, 31 miles above the Earth. This is the least populated part of this country. If he goes any further, he won't be able to get far. Ike could catch him directly over the most populated state of California. 

He can't let that happen.

So he waits, eyes closed and he tilts his head up. Then he finally opens his eyes to look at the stars. Each star represents a God. They fade out millennia after a God dies.

Hikarino wonders if he ever got one.

He looks northward. He still can see Eki's star. He remembers Eki showing him it when he was little, gasping for air on the grass as he recovered from training. Eki was trying to distract him, so he showed him his and Ike's star. The twin stars high northward. 

It was meant to be a little story to distract Hikarino from the pain. But Hikarino memorized it. Learned its location and looked up to it every night, even now. 

He raises a hand up, wanting to hold Eki's star. He prays that when his star is born in a millennia. And when it dies soon after...

He can be next to Eki's.

Ike places his hands on Hikarino's shoulders from behind, towering over him in that moment. 

"Hikarino."

Hikarino doesn't turn around. He doesn't even flinch. He slowly lowers his hand from Eki's star. He turns his head to look at Ike with tired eyes.

"Ike."

"Where is Yugo." 

Or, rather.. 

"...Where is Eki."

"..."

Hikarino smiles, tilting his head to the side.

"Hey, Ike? Do you think I ever got a star?"

He looks back up to the twin stars. He'd like Eki to be the last thing he sees, if he is to die here.

Ike narrows his eyes. 

"You don't deserve one." 

He places a rough hand around Hikarino's neck, the other entangled with his hair.

And without a second thought, as he places not even all of his strength, the world goes silent. 

...

Death is dead.
Only Life remains.

There's one last place he needs to go. 

Nina Kosaka, the only God in the world who would take care of an abandoned child. 

But Ike didn't abandon him. 

As he approaches the house she resides in, his arms resting over his chest, his eyes are heavy. 

Ike really hates the smell of blood. Of ichor. 

He shoves the door open without another thought.

Ivy sits on top of the kotatsu, legs crossed. She locks him with a stern expression. Though you can see the pain in her eyes.

Yugo stands a bit behind her. He needs to be here at least. He flinches at the sight of blood. Of Ichor. He widens his eyes. Hika.

And finally, Nina sits at the kotatsu, peeling a clementine in hand. She looks up at Ike with tired eyes as he enters.

Eki is nowhere to be seen.

Ike narrows his eyes at his sister, sitting on the table. He has no intention of speaking to her.Nor to anyone else in the room.

Well, not until he sees Yugo. 

His eyes lock onto Yugo, and the calm blues of the boy he once considered his son are replaced with red. 

"Why did you take him ? He wasn't yours to take , Yugo." Ike grits his teeth, stepping ever closer. "I put so much time-- so much effort -- and you just... you just took him from me."

Yugo freezes up under Ike's yelling. His breath stutters. Hikarino is still fresh on the mind. But he was asked a question. He needs to answer it. 

"... He wasn't yours to keep."

"I created him."

"...Not to keep. You'd kill him."

"He's human. He belongs on Earth."

"...Are you--.." Ike laughs, a little bit. In disbelief. "Are you telling me that you don't think he belongs with me, Yugo?"

Yugo twitches. 

Ivy looks back to him. She'll speak up for him if he needs it. But he steels up quickly with a gulp. "Yes."

"H..Hah? You don't have that authority. What makes you think you can just tell me that one of my creations doesn't belong with me ?"

"You. Humans stay in Mortal World. Gods stay in Realm. You taught me that."

...

"Did I? Really?"

"You did."

"...You're funny." 

Ike takes a few steps forward, closer now to Yugo. Ike is already covered in blood. He clearly isn't beyond doing it again.

Yugo steps back instinctively. Ivy and Nina both stand up, prepared to fight Ike to protect Yugo.

"Teacher?"

Ike keeps his hands close to himself, stepping forward again. 

And again.

And again .

Until Yugo is just within arms reach.

Then a familiar, soft voice comes from the hallway.

"Mama?"

Ike's body stills. 

He knows that voice. 

He.. he knows that.

That's Eki. 

That's ... that's Eki. He's here. Mama? 

Who..

Their mother is Creation. 

...

Ivy flinches, quickly turning her head down the hall.

Eki. Exactly how he looked several eons ago. She steps back. Away from him. Really...?

"Eki, baby. Did we wake you up?"

Nina crouches down as Eki makes his way to her and into her arms. She stands up with Eki in her arms. He clutches onto the fabric of her kimono. He finally turns to fix his gaze on the others in the house. He looks first at Ivy. 

Then he locks eyes with Ike.

Ike can't seem to focus his eyes. 

His eyes lock with Eki's, and his entire form softens. 

He can't help but force himself to step away. 

Eki-- ..

Eki went to Nina.. 

Eki went to Nina first.. 

..What did Ike do wrong...? 

He tried so many times to perfect it... 

..What happened..?

He raises his hands shakily, looking down at them when he tears his gaze away from the child. 

His hands are covered in ichor. 

He is covered in ichor.

...what has he done..?

"He's human, Ike. Not your brother. He belongs here. Not with you." Yugo’s words break Ike’s stunned silence.

..

He's human.. 

... What have you done , Ike..?

He starts shaking, staring down at his hands as he backs himself into a wall. 

You killed Eki's son. You killed Hikarino. 

You killed Vox. The only person that's ever loved you. The person that helped you through your grief. That mourned with you. That kept you warm when all you could feel was the bitter cold. 

You were going to kill Yugo, too, weren't you? 

..what is wrong with me..? 

What... what have I done..? 

Ike collapses to his knees, a single tear dropping to the floor. And then another, and another after that.

..You're as bad as your sisters.

A soft hand rests on Ike's shoulders. Ivy kneels down next to him.

"... Ike."

Ike's mouth is open, breathing heavily as tears run down his face. 

"Can't--.. Ivy.. Ivy, please-- can't you.. can't you do something..? Anything...? For th--..for them.. Hikarino.. and Vox.." Ike can barely even get the words out, his throat threatening to close up as he speaks.

Yugo winces. He looks away from Ike. He confirmed his fear.

Ike killed Hikarino. Ike killed his brother. Hikarino... 

Yugo hugs himself, looking down. He squeezes his eyes shut. So this is the feeling of loss.

Ivy frowns. "You know I can't do that." If she could've, Eki would be here.

But death is irreversible. Even she can't step there.

Ike places his hands on the ground, and then his head, kneeling on the ground to his elder sister. His body shakes with weak sobs, hiding his face behind his arms. 

Ike failed.

All that comes from him are strangled, whispered apologies. "I'm sorry." Repeated over, and over again.

Ivy says nothing. She sets her hand on his back, rubbing circles into it. Her other hand is in his hair, stroking it.

This is the second time she has ever seen him like this. This is how it should have been the first time.

Maybe if she had just stayed with him... Maybe if she had reached her hand out as he left her. Maybe if she had visited him to check on him...

She could have changed their reality.

Eki watches them on the floor, unblinking. Then he looks up to Nina. She smiles at him. He shouldn't see this. She won't take him far. "Let's get you something to drink, baby. I bet you'd love orange juice."

She gently shakes Eki on her hip and turns to go to the kitchen. The light flicking on. Her soft voice talking to Eki can be heard.

Ike only cries a little harder, his body still shaking. 

Eki was never meant to stay with him, was he? Ike created him, but... he wasn't meant... 

...He'd be.. he'd be safer here.. it's so selfish of him. 

He just wants to see his brother again..

..And he can't even do that. He can't... 

..

Ike failed him. Ike failed Eki. 

"..I'm so sorry.." 

He whimpers out a final apology before falling into silent sobs, his forehead pressed hard against the floor.

Ivy whimpers softly. 

Ike...

She curls up a bit, feeling herself tearing up. Stop apologizing, Ike.

Please.

Ivy breaks into tears, silent sobs wracking her body. 

I'm so sorry, Eki.

She wails above Ike, tears dropping on the floor beside him. She's no longer rubbing circles on his back, body frozen as she cries.

"I'm s... so sorry, Ike. I'm sorry."

For what I'm going to have to do.

" I'm so sorry ."

…

"It has been decided."

The chatter quiets down around the courtroom.

On the top of the stands sits Themis, hand resting on her sword at her hip.

On her right sits Space.

On her left sits Time.

And at the bottom is Ike Eveland-- Life. 

Hey...

"We have reviewed the crimes of Life. From the death of a Mortal to the death of a God. The Lord of Death has been slain. The taboo of creating life for selfish desire. As decided by Time, Space, and the order of the court."

Isn't this...

"I, Justice, Hereby declare Life..."

Familiar?

She unsheathes her sword, and points it down to Ike.

"Guilty."

"Ike Eveland is hereby stripped of his title as Life."

Space raises her hand up, looking down at Ike with tired eyes. Time doesn't move for a full minute. She looks down to her hands on her lap. Droplets fall onto pale hands. 

Eve looks over to Ivy. Then, slowly, inch-by-inch, Ivy raises her own hand.

"For a final day, Ike Eveland will be held in the celestial cells. The execution will be on the second day. You do not earn the right to walk among the humans for your final life. Justice has been served."

The gavel slams down. The judge rises from her seat and the jury joins. They file out of the room quickly this time, no idle chatter. 

When the courtroom is clear, only four figures remain. 

Ike, chained to the floor below.

Eve, standing behind Ivy.

Ivy, remaining seated, tears dropping on her hands.

...

And Yugo Asuma, in the jury stands. He looks at Ike with exhausted eyes. They're red sunken, like he'd been crying.

He turns and slowly leaves the courtroom, leaving only the Evelands behind.

There's the sound of heels clicking and approaching him. His chains move and break behind him. 

"... Let's go, Ike."

It's Eve. 

Ivy stands right next to her, still crying. She hugs herself tightly.

Ike slowly rises to his feet on his own. Eve takes one arm in her strong hand.

Ivy takes the other, hugging it close to her chest. 

And together they walk out. 

As they exit the courtroom, they see a crying Yugo, being comforted by a colorless being. Grey eyes flick to them, hair flicking to the side. Shu Kurano.

He only looks for a second. Then he turns his attention back go Yugo.

When they get to the cell, the twins sit Ike on the bed before exiting and sitting outside it. Eve crosses her arms, lightly tapping her feet. Ivy still has her head down, silently sobbing.

They're silent. For a long time. 

Then they hear the door at the end of the hallway open. Eve looks over to the door. Her feet stop tapping.

"You're late." Eve sounds impatient.

"My apologies. He saw a cafe on the way and wanted to pick something up."

Nina Kosaka.

...Nina? 

Ike isn't even sure he has the strength to look up, but he weakly lifts his head anyways. It's the least he can do for a guest, right? Especially one of a higher status.. it would be rude. Incredibly so.

Nina appears in his vision. In her arms is little Eki, dressed cutely and holding a small case of  strawberry cake. Truly spoiled. 

Nina gently takes the cake with her free hand and sets Eki down, giving it back to him.

Eki looks up to Nina. She nods at him with a smile and she sits down next to Ivy.

Eki turns to the cell and approaches it, standing right outside the bar as close to Ike as he can get.

He blinks at Ike.

...She brought Eki? 

But he isn't.. 

"...Lady Fortuna.. why..?"

"He wanted to see you."

What..?

..Why..?

Ike stands from the bed weakly. He wouldn't even dare come close, but he knows Eki can't stay for long. If he really wanted to see Ike, who is he to refuse..? 

He approaches the bars, staying a little under a foot away, kneeling down. Ike is even shorter than Eki when he kneels.

And he doesn't deserve to stand before the Gods anyways.

Eki holds out the case of strawberry cake. There's exactly two slices. He pulls two packaged plastic forks out from his pocket on the side.

"... Cake?"

Ike's eyes immediately well up with tears, rolling down his face as he looks up to Nina, and then Ivy and Eve. 

And then back to Eki. 

He's offering it to him. He's offering it to him with such soft, sweet eyes. Ike could never say no. 

..But he doesn't feel like he deserves it.. 

..not after everything..

Eki sets the case down on the floor between the bars, sitting down next to it in that same, uncomfortable position.

"Eki, baby. Fix your legs." Nina calls from her seat on a nearby bench.

Eki quickly adjusts his sitting position to sit cross legged instead. 

He carefully opens up the case of cake, setting the lid down. He sets Ike's fork on the lid and opens his own up. He looks back up to Ike, waiting for him to pick up his fork too. He's shorter now.

Ike can't allow himself to refuse. Even though he has a distaste for food, and can sometimes still smell the blood and ichor that coated his body not even days earlier, he picks up what he was offered by the child. 

If it will make Eki happy..

..then by all means, Ike would do it over again. 

Eki waits for Ike to take his first hesitant bite and smiles. He then excitedly takes his own bite. 

They're silent while they eat. Eki practically flies through his cake while Ike is on his second bite. 

Eki blinks up to Ike then sticks his fork into Ike's piece of cake. He raises it up through the bars to Ike's mouth.

"Ahh."

What? 

Ike's eyes widen a little. Why is he..

..Why again..? 

He doesn't refuse, though, and takes the piece of cake from him. It brings back a comforting memory of their first year with Vox. Where, in the background of their first stream, Eki shared his cake with him. That's how they met the Kindred. And everyone they spent time with from back then. 

He can't help but let another tear roll down his face. 

He misses Vox.

He misses his brother even more.

Eki continues to do this until Ike's cake is gone. His bites slow down with each one, and Eki adjusts to this. Until their cake is completely gone. Eki closes the case with the cakes inside and sets it aside, sitting right by the bar again. 

Ike cries a lot. That's okay. Crying is okay. Mama said so.

He waits a few seconds. Then he looks up to meet Ike's tearful gaze.

"Mister Ike?"

"...Yes..?"

Ike tilts his head a bit, to face Eki. The same way he was trained to face a higher being.

Eki's eyes close from his bright smile. 

"Thank you for creating me."

He'll live his life to the fullest. That’s a promise.

"...I'd do it again for you." Ike’s voice doesn’t rise above a whisper, closing his eyes soon after. Eki is happy.. that's all Ike could ever ask for.

…

Eve, Nina and Eki made their exit several hours ago, leaving only Ike and Ivy. She didn't have the will to leave his side. She barely talks, unable to form words. 

Then the door down the hall opens up. Ivy slowly looks up down the hall and her eyes widen. She slowly nods and stands up from her spot at last. She approaches Ike's cell and whispers softly to him. 

"I'm going to get a bit of air. I'll be back soon, okay?"

She gets no response. 

She turns and heads down the hall, the clicks of her heels fading. Then soft footsteps approach the cell and stop by it. There's a long pause. Then a familiar voice.

"Teacher."

Ike is still kneeling about a foot away from the bars of his cell, quiet as ever with his hands folded in his lap. It takes him a moment to even register that Yugo entered the room, finally tilting his head up from the floor. 

In this moment.. he isn't sure how to address Yugo.

Addressing him by name would be wrong. Ike lost that right the moment he killed Hikarino. 

So Ike just looks at him.

Maybe Yugo has his own harsh words for him. 

Ike would understand.

Yugo stares down at Ike. Then slowly, he sits down, pressing his back against the bars and lightly pressing his head into it. He's quiet for a while. 

"You know... when you made me... it was peaceful. You treat me nice and were always patient when I learn." 

"I hear about your training from... from Hika. He say you have it very hard back then. And yet you move slow with me. I was never stressed. Never hurt. Because you taught me well."

"Even... even though we have... moments. Where we're not good people... I think I saw the better in you."

"So I guess... I wanna say... Thank you, teacher. You taught me a lot."

Ike's silence continues for a while, many minutes passing. His hands clench into fists in his lap, soon unfolding again. 

"..I'm..really proud of you, Yugo... and I know you'll.. do a good job where I couldn't." He closes his eyes, tears running down his eyelashes and dripping onto the floor beneath him.

Yugo widens his eyes, staring at the wall across from him in shock. Slowly, he turns his head around to face Ike. 

What? Ike said he was proud of Yugo. 

He had never said that to him.

Did he really mean it?

He looks at Ike, through blurry vision. Why is his vision blurry again? Ah. He's crying once more. He thought he had run out earlier. He sniffles and turns around fully to kneel before the bars. He presses his forehead on them.

"Teacher..." Yugo's voice breaks, and he sounds like the same young God that Ike created all those millennia ago. Like a crying child.

He reaches through the bars for Ike's hand, seeking something-- anything from Ike. Just once more.

Ike flicks his eyes open again, lidding them slightly, but still seeing Yugo's hand peeking through the bars.

..Is it even okay to touch him..?

He holds his own hand out for Yugo to take regardless. It's a God's instruction. 

..But Yugo deserves it, too. He's had everything ripped away from him because of Ike, and he's about to lose Ike as well. It's all he can do. To give the God a final, proper goodbye.

"Teacher... I don't want you to go. I don't want to be alone. Please..."

"..You won't be alone, Yugo, I promise. Even if you.... feel alone. I'll be your guiding light."

Ike looks up to him, his eyes filled with tears. "Even if.... I'm not there. I'll be with you for as long as you need me."

Yugo sobs against the bars and nods. He slides down more, sitting down fully. He cries in that ball for what feels like hours. Right. He'll always be there. No matter what happened, Ike is his father. So, he'll guide Yugo. Yugo will learn and grow stronger.

"I... I'll work hard for you."

"..You'll do great. I know it." Ike lifts a hand and rests it on Yugo's head, giving him a gentle hair ruffle. 

"I'll always be proud of you."

"I.. I couldn't have asked for a better son." Ike closes his eyes with a soft smile.

"I love you."

…

After the execution of Life, Time flees to the Realm of Space. Her tears drop off of her cheek, then floats off into no where. She grips her sister's hand.

"Eve... I... I can't..."

"I know, Ivy. Come here."

Space takes Time into her arms, holding her close. She looks out to the space surrounding them. She turned north. There are the stars of Life and Death, still glowing brightly. Time presses her face to Space's shoulder.

"They're... really gone. Forever. I... I don't want this. It hurts... Can't we... do something for them, Eve? For our baby brothers. I want to give them... a second chance."

The Gods do not get second chances when they die. If they were born as anything except a God, perhaps Ike and Eki could be reborn in another life. But they're not. 

When a God dies, they will remain dead. Soul shattered to oblivion. They cease to have existed in the first place.

"Is that what you want, Ivy?"

Unless Time and Space will otherwise.

"I do... please... please let them have another chance. To be happy. They can be human. They can..."

Time wipes her tears away, looking up to her younger sister.

"Ivy, are you SURE. The burden of this is great."

"... Let's do it."

"... Very well."

Time and Space have an ability that they share with no one. When combining their powers and their being, they are capable of becoming something else. It is highly taboo in the eyes of Creation.

Together, Time and Space become Reality. The ability to shift the very being of existence itself. But the burden of shifting reality is a painful one. The price to pay, imposed by Creation herself.

But they place their hands together over the void that is their world's very existence. One wrong move could be detrimental to them. And time and space is rewinded, morphed into something new.

And the pain comes. Space can handle the split pain. Time suffers.

Space looks the little world they are creating. Then to her sister. She pulls a hand away from the universe. And she pushes her in.

Time looks up to Eve with betrayal in her eyes. Eve smiles back to her. It's a soft one.

For the minute that Time is trapped, Space speaks to her.

"I will do it alone. The burden of Reality will be mine to bear."

"Eve, wait!"

"I want you to be with them. Be happy."

"Please wait!"

Space puts her everything into the little universe.

"So live."

"Eve!"

With a cry from Time, that little universe is gone. Ivy is gone. This leaves only Eve behind.

She stares at the universe. Then she turns and leaves that little universe alone. This burden will be her own to bear. As the new God of Time and Space. The God of Reality.

She looks up to the stars. Mother is weeping. But that's okay. All of her little siblings will be freed from this reality, even if she stands alone. 

Ivy wakes up crying. Where is she? Ah, it's cold. It's so cold. She reaches a hand out. It's taken by a larger one. They're talking softly. Who is? Ivy slowly opens her eyes. She is in the arms of a woman with blue tinted hair. Beside him, a man with ash grey. She is small.

Where is she? Where is...

...?

Where is who? Who was she... just thinking about?

She doesn't remember. 

...

It's cold.

She can’t help but cry.

end.