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1.
“Toya. From this day forth this boy will be your personal guard and knight.” His father points to the ginger boy in front of him. Toya stares at his knight, he seems to be the same age as him. The knight gets down on his knees and dips his head. “Shinonome Akito at your service. Prince Toya I swear to protect you with all my life.”
At the time neither one of them knew just how important this moment would be for the both of them. It marked a beginning and a seemingly infinite end.
—
“Your father was also a knight?” Toya was trying to get to know Akito more. If the boy was meant to constantly stay by his side it was only right he familiarized himself with his knight. “Yeah he was pretty well known before he decided to retire.” Akito’s answer was somewhat stiff as he walked besides him. “Are you planning on following in his footsteps?” A scowl appears on the knight’s face. It disappears almost as quickly as it came.
“Not really. He was a general in war and it messed him up. I’m just a personal knight.” Toya nods in understanding. Although he has no personal experience with war even he knows about the gruesome scenes that can take place out on the battlefield.
They stop in front of his personal study. Akito opens the door. “I’ll be outside if you need anything Prince Toya.” His voice is formal and clearly an act of politeness is being put on. “You can come inside. Pick a book of your choice, since I’ll be in here for a while. I don’t want to bore you to death.” Akito looks a little caught of guard and he hesitates. Toya moves in a bit more and gestures him inside.
The knight moves carefully through the study as he looks over some of the books. Long after Toya has settled down at a desk, Akito is still looking through the books with a frown on his face. “Nothing catches your eye?” He tilts his head curiously. Akito shakes his head and mumbles. “I’m not a big fan of reading.” Well that was a little awkward.
“I think we have a few books on swordsmanship on that shelf.” He points towards a corner of the study. Akito grabs a book off the shelf and flips through it. He shrugs and places it back on the shelf. Now Toya is trying to search through his memory to find if there are other books that might interest the knight. Akito seems to notice as he walks over and hesitantly sits in a seat across from Toya.
“You don’t gotta go out of your way to make me feel more at ease. I’m your knight and I’m supposed to be protecting you. Not enjoying a luxurious life.” Toya shakes his head. He never really approved of nobles and royalties who mistreated those who served them. It felt wrong seeing as how they were human as well. “You’re my personal knight sure. But you’re also a human being and I don’t just want to view you as a tool. Maybe a friend instead?” Akito looks taken aback as he scoffs. “Do whatever you want to Prince Toya.” He says that but Toya can sense that there was no malice behind his words. Toya smiles. “Then when we’re alone, just call me Toya.” The knight nods. “If that’s what you want Pri— Toya.”
Toya wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he tried and befriend his knight. Over time he found himself trusting the knight more and more. Oftentimes Akito would help him sneak out or accompany him during his little midnight adventures. He claimed it was to make sure he was safe, but Toya could tell Akito was having fun too.
“Toya.. you should be asleep it’s late.” Toya only giggles as Akito exasperatedly follows him. It always starts with Akito complaining before he follows along. “Your father is going to kill me.” It’s the same lines over and over yet Akito never actually stops him. Tonight Toya wanted to go to a nearby creek and just enjoy the cooling feel of the water beneath his feet.
The two of them sit side by side as the water runs beneath their legs. Toya finds himself admiring the stars. Akito although had grumbled about the cold, also ended up taking off his shoes and was looking up to the sky as well. His knight nudges his side and points up. “A shooting star, quick make a wish.” Toya smiles, he had noticed the shooting star as well. He closes his eyes and for a brief moment his mind stills. What did he want to wish for? A hundred things come to mind yet one stood out to him.
I wish I could stay by Akito’s side forever.
He stills the moment he opens his eyes. When had his knight become so important to him? Was it the way Akito would light up on the training grounds when he say Toya? Maybe the way Akito would just stare with a small smile as Toya worked on paperwork? Or was it the way Akito would accompany him everywhere, no matter what? He feels his heart race slightly, an unfamiliar feeling grows in his heart.
His thoughts are interrupted by a loud sneeze, his own sneeze. Toya sheepishly rubs at his nose and prepares for a scolding from Akito. He hears a sigh and rustling. Before he knew it a warmth enveloped him. He looks at his shoulder in surprise and sees that Akito had place his cloak around him. “Don’t catch a cold.” Akito is looking away in embarrassment. Toya smiles softly and wraps the cloak around himself. He wouldn’t trade moments like this for anything.
They say nothing good lasts forever. Akito wished that wasn’t true, but as he ran through the burning halls of the castle he fears that fate will always play against happiness. He prays that Toya is safe. The people of the kingdom had enough with the royals and had launched a fierce insurrection. The attacks had started when he was away from Toya. He was training with other knights and Toya was at a private lesson.
Akito curses and internally blames himself. Word of possible rebellion had floated around for weeks yet he had foolishly left Toya alone. Out of all the Aoyagis, Toya was least involved in any sort of royal affairs. But he knew the angered people wouldn’t care about that. The moment they recognized his blue hair and silver eyes they would attack and kill him.
Akito coughed as he tried to move through flames and debris to where Toya should’ve been; at his personal study room. He slams the door open and is created by more flames and debris. Part of the roof had crumbled and the flames licked away at the shelves and books. He hears a hoarse voice call out. Akito whirls around and finds Toya and—
No. Please no.
Toya is stuck under piles of debris as flames edge dangerous closed. He rushes over and tries do pull off the debris. He hiss in pain. The wood was so hot he could feel it through his gloves. He could tell the wood was pressing down on Toya’s lower half. “Hold on Toya— I’ll get you out of here.”
“Akito. Stop.” His voice is hoarse and dry. Akito thinks about how long he must’ve been here under the heat of flames and smoke. “You need to escape while you still can. Thats—” A fit of cough wracks his prince’s body. Akito tries once again to pull away the debris but it’s far too heavy for one person alone. The woods burns away his gloves and sears his hands.
A hand feebly reach out to his. It’s Toya’s, his hand was covered in soot and burn marks. “That’s enough. It’s useless, I can hardly feel a thing below my waist. And I’ve inhaled so much smoke as well.” Akito knew that, of course he did. As a knight he was well trained in first aid and medical emergencies, he knew better than anyone that Toya was in a completely hopeless situation.
He slumps back in defeat as tears stream down his face. Toya’s hand trembles as it attempts to touch his face, Akito leans down as his cheek makes contact with Toya’s hand. “Don’t cry Akito, if you do that I’ll cry as well.” He can see the tears sitting in the edge of Toya’s eyes as his eyes shine with yet to be shed tears. Akito reaches out with both his hands to hold Toya’s hand. “That night during the shooting star.. what was your wish?” Toya speaks calmly despite being in the verge of death.
Akito nearly chokes up as he thinks back to that night. “I had wished for you to be happy Toya, and I failed.” He had one job and he couldn’t even do it properly. He had let the person he loved most get hurt. A short laugh bubbles out of Toya’s chest as he smiles, genuine and pure. “I was happy Akito, and I still am. I’m so happy to have met you. And I can’t thank you enough for all they joy you have brought me.”
Akito doesn’t deserve Toya, after all this. He still loves him so much and never once blamed him. He holds tightly onto Toya, there was so much he had to say. So much left to do. Yet—
“Akito! Behind you—!” Toya’s eyes widen. Akito turns around but the smoke and flames has slowed his movement and he doesn’t react quick enough. “Urk—!” A piercing pain is felt in his abdomen. A crazed lady is looking at him with a spear in her hand. “Down with the monarchs!” She rips the spear out of him and prepares to plunge it back again but this time Akito moves before she can. He grabs ahold of the spear and overpowers her. In an instance he stabs her through the neck and her eyes dim as she dies.
The adrenaline doesn’t last long and he collapses as blood seeps out of him. The flames ironically help him as the blood flow slows ever so slightly. There’s a ringing in his ears and he can nearly hear Toya’s panicked calls. That’s right… Toya.. he has to get to his Prince… He attempts to crawl over with one hand over his wound. Toya’s eyes are filed with worry and panic. “Akito! You have to get out and treat that wound.” He stares down at where he’s been stabbed. It’s likely no use, he’s probably been stabbed through some vital organ.
He reached out for Toya’s hand with his free hand and weakly smiles. “It’s no use Toya, at least when we die.. I’ll have you by my side.” The tears escape Toya’s eyes. “I told you to run away. Why didn’t you listen?” Akito tries to edge closer to Toya, the burning flames around them hardly matter anymore. “I couldn’t leave you here to die alone Toya.”
Akito has always thought about what regrets he might have when he dies. In the moment the only regret that filled him was all that he never got to do with Toya. As if thinking the same thing Toya begins to sob even more. “I don’t want to die. There was so much more I had wanted to experience with you Akito.” Akito lets go of his wound, disregarding the fact he was bleeding out. He pushes his body closer to Toya. The debris stings but he ignores it all. He tries his best to hug Toya as tears stream down both their faces.
“Toya. I promise I’ll find you again. In our next life, no matter what it takes.” Toya clings onto him as brings their faces closer together. He continues. “It doesn’t matter where you are, or who you are. I’ll walk to the end of eternity for you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
“Then in that next life. I won’t ever let you go either. Just as you made me so happy in this life, I want to be able to meet you again, and give back that happiness.” Toya weakly laughs. “Okay?” He smiles back. “Yeah.” They close in on one another and close the distance between their lips.
The flames erupt around them, but to the two boys all that mattered were each other. They would hold onto to each other until their very last breath.
2.
The commanders of the Daylight Kingdom and Nocturne Kingdom were sworn enemies. Every person within both kingdoms knew that. The kingdoms were always at odds with one another about something. Be it land, resources, or money. Generations after generations the heirs would take up their swords to fight in an age old conflict.
It was no different for this generation. Shinonome Akito of the Daylight Kingdom and Aoyagi Toya of the Nocturne Kingdom. Just like how their fathers had fought they would meet on the battlefield as well. “Both commanders are unmatched in strength and speed.” “Neither can afford to give an inch.” “Watching them battle is truly a spectacle they say.”
Akito scoffs as he hears the same old gossip from the maids and servants within the castle. Their battles were useless spectacles that’s what they were. It always ended the same, a pitiful tie. Akito massages his forehead in annoyance. Aoyagi Toya. Famed dark knight and commander of the Nocturne army. In terms of strategy and flexibility, Toya certainly held the advantage. The only thing Akito had going for him was his raw strength and speed. It was just push and pull between the two.
Lately his father has been pressuring him for some remarkable win against the dark knight. “Bunch of bull that old geezer is made of. Why doesn’t he pick up a sword himself and head to battle instead of blaming me every damn time.” He mumbles in frustration.
Akito paces around some more before signaling a nearby servant. “Tell my father I’m going out for a bit.” The servant hastily nods. “When will you be back sir?” Akito shrugs. “Dunno, just tell him.” He waves the servant off before going to the stables.
—
Anybody else would be a complete fool to travel to the border between their two kingdoms. Especially as the sun sets and it gets more dangerous outside city walls. Akito was no fool, he simply trusted his own abilities enough to trek out into the night. He ties his horse up behind several thick bushes and trees before walking further into the forest. There’s no worries about being lost, after all it wasn’t the first time he’s trekked through this same path.
…Akito would be lying if he said that he didn’t hold back when fighting against the dark knight. Because the truth is that he really did. Be it by subtly moving his foot more predictably or by holding back a bit when going down with his sword. These little differences in their battles are what makes them draw every time. To the average soldier their battles surely did look impressive. But for instance if someone as experienced as his father watches their battles long enough, he’d most certainly realize that Akito and Toya both held back.
Akito stops in a small clearing and sits down on a familiar boulder. His minder wanders to the first time he found himself in this forest.
It had been a complete accident. Akito was maybe 7-8 at the time and he was staying at a nearby town with his father for some boring business. In his boredom Akito had decided to sneak out one night and explore a nearby forest. His father warned him about the dangers since the town was so close to the Nocturne Kingdom but he chose to ignore his father’s word.
It was fun at first but as the night grew on Akito became lost. Wherever he turned he was just met with trees and more trees. He had no idea where he originally came from. The smart thing to do might be call for help, but at the time he worried that some monster might find him if he made too much noise. So he silently cried as he walked until his legs were tired. Eventually Akito came across the small clearing and boulder. Too tired to even move Akito just collapsed onto the rock.
Quietly he sniffled int he cold, dark forest. That was until he heard shuffling that really scared him. He expected a big wolf or something but instead was greeted by a boy his age. The boy had two toned blue hair and silver eyes. He look around him curiously before noticing that Akito was crying.
“Are you okay?” The boy edged forward bit by bit, carefully trying to not alarm Akito. The ginger tried wiping away his tears and looking away. “Are you lost?” There was no malice in his voice just genuine concern. Akito nodded. “I don’t know where I came from.”
The boy looked like he understood. “Are you from the Daylight Kingdom?”
“Mhmm.” The boy brightens. “I’ve never had the chance to talk with anyone from the Daylight Kingdom!” Even Akito could figure out that meant this boy was obviously from the Nocturne Kingdom, their sworn enemies. In the moment however, he could care less. Akito was just glad to not be alone in the forest anymore.
The oh reached out his hand. “Here, I’ll show you the way back.” Hesitantly Akito reaches out and takes his hand. He jumps down from the boulder and walks behind the boy. Surprisingly enough it only took a couple of minutes for them to reach the edge of the forest. Akito’s eyes widened it surprise. “You’re amazing! How did you find your way out so quickly?” The boy giggles and puts his finger to his lips. “It’s a secret.”
Akito laughs and hugs the boy. “Thank you.. uh what’s your name?”
“My name is Toya! Aoyagi Toya.”
Now Akito might’ve only been a kid but even he recognizes the name of the enemy is meant to one day meet on the battle field. Sharply he retracts his hug and stares at him. “You’re the prince of the Nocturne Kingdom.”
A confused look appears on Toya’s face. “Yeah..?” A bitter feeling arises. Akito seriously cried in front of his soon to be enemy? He clenched his fist. “I’m Shinonome Akito.” He studies Toya’s face awaiting a reaction. Toya looks surprised and then a bit sad. “Do you not want to be my friend since I’m meant to be your enemy?”
Friends… as heir to the throne he’s hardly been allowed the luxury of friends. Yet as quickly as it came his anger disappeared. Toya is meant to be his rival and enemy one day. It would do no good in becoming friends with him. But seeing the look on his face, Akito felt bad. In all honestly he cared very little about the useless quarrels between the two kingdoms. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to do what he wants to?
“You’re the first person to ever want to be my friend.” He says it very bluntly. Toya looks a bit nervous. “You’re the first person I’ve asked to be my friend. It just felt right.” A smile appears on Akito’s face. He holds out his hand. “Kay! Let’s be friends.”
A surprised yet excited expression forms on Toya’s face. “Really?” Akito nods. “I don’t care about this whole being enemies thing. Why be enemies when we can be friends?” The other boy enthusiastically nods.
Of course Akito eventually has to go back to the inn they were staying at. His father never finds out about his midnight expedition. The two boys had promised to become friends but Akito couldn’t stay at the town forever.
The next time they would meet would be as young teenagers experiencing a battle against one another for the first time. At first Akito thinks Toya might’ve forgotten about him. Until when the clashed their swords pressed together and the boy flashed a quick smile. A glint of mischief twinkled in his eyes. Akito couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face either as he predictably moved towards the right and swung down his sword. The battle ended in a draw that day.
Footsteps jolt him out of the flashback. He sees Toya approaching him, still fully dressed in his armor. But the usually serious face is casted aside for a small smile. “You did well in our last battle Akito.” Akito blushes and just holds his hands out for a hug and Toya leans in and kisses his cheek. The two boys spend the first couple of minutes basking in each other presence as always.
After a couple of encounters in battle the two boys had eventually decided on meeting here at their spot once a month. Usually the date would be communicated through an earlier battle. Now both old enough to go wherever they pleased to the agreement was easily upheld.
Their friendship overtime would morph in a shy love. Until one day both boys had blurted out their feelings to the other. The two “sworn enemies” of the two kingdoms being lovers would probably be the most scandalous thing ever if the truth ever leaked its way out. Both of them would be placed in immense danger. So while Akito wished he could spend more time with Toya, he was content with what they had nonetheless.
“My father has been really pushy lately about me winning against you in battle you know?” The two commanders has moved onto the soft grass as the laid and cuddled next to each other. “My father has been thinking the same thing.” Akito snickers. “They’ve been enemies for so long they start acting exactly like one another.” Toya chuckles as he presses another kiss onto Akito’s forehead.
Akito doesn’t consider himself very clingy but spending weeks away from his lover did make him more touch starved at times, and it seemed like Toya was the exact same. “Any big battle plans?” Akito leans back and thinks. “Just an attack nearby Vivid Mountains.” Toya nods. “I’ll patrol there more under the guise of enjoying the view.” Akito laughs and presses his lips against Toya’s. “Whatever you want to do.”
The two of them continued to laugh and bask in one another’s presence until the sun began to rise. Akito groans as he and Toya both stood up. “I wish the night could last longer.” Toya hums in agreement. He grabs Akito’s hand and kisses if. “I’ll be going then Akito. See you soon?” Akito blushes and nods.
Toya nimbly moves around the countless bodies lying dead on the floor. Battles liked these disgusted him, it was really just unnecessary bloodshed. He moved around trying to find Akito amidst the chaos of the battle. He’d likely be nearby some trees where they could fight with some seclusion and cover. Both commanders had long spreaded the message about wanting to battle the other commander in a fair and honorable one on one battle.
No one thought of the request as strange, after all they weren’t the first generation to request such battling conditions. Toya sidestepped to the left and sliced through an enemy solder before moving forward.
He spots Akito’s ginger hair quite quickly. The knight had just killed three of his men in one fell swoop. “Shinonome.” His voice was cold, sharp, and a stark contrast to the way he speaks when alone with Akito. The ginger’s eyes narrow as he smirks. “Aoyagi.” It’s just an act for the battlefield. Both of them knew, they had gone through the same lines over and over.
His holds out his sword. “Today, victory will be mine.” Akito only laughs. “You can try Aoyagi. You can try.” Akito makes the first move as he launches himself forward and their swords meet with a loud clang. Air dances between their blades as they clash over and over. To the average outsider it might look like neither of them were giving an inch.
Akito is suddenly able to knock him back slightly and he brings his sword down, slowly so Toya has just enough time to block it. Akito has a seemingly annoyed look pass over his face as he tries to press down more but Toya presses back. They’ve done this exchange before. Toya will push him back, slightly catching Akito off guard so he stumbles back. But he regains his footing quickly enough to defend against Toya’s next strike.
Just before Toya could fully push back, Akito jerks as a surprised look appears on his face and blood spurts out from his mouth. Toya freezes in shock as he looks down and sees a dagger piercing through Akito’s chest. There’s a strange noise ringing in his ears as he think deliriously to himself. This can’t be happening. “Akito—?”
The ginger collapses on top of him as he tries grabbing at his chest. The blood is all over the both of them. Toya looks up and sees a solder wearing the Nocturne army uniform. He has a victorious look on his face. Toya realizes all too late that they both had been too focused on the other and didn’t sense the soldier approaching. “What did you do?” His voice is chilling as he looks at the soldier.
His elated look falters as he looks on confusedly. “He was in a vulnerable position so I took him by surprise and—”
”My orders were to leave me and A—Shinonome when battling. So we could have an honorable battle.” He’s shaking now. Akito is bleeding out beneath him and it’s all because he had been too careless. The soldier looks really confused now. “But the whole point was to kill him right?”
There was so much raw anger seething through him. “You think you have the right?” The soldier could tell there was something off with his tone as he nervously stepped back. Before he could say anything else his head was sliced off in an instance. Toya shakes as he looks at the sword in his hand and he toppled back over to Akito. “Akito. Listen to me… just hold on and I’ll get some help.” He’s crying, Toya belatedly realizes that there’s tears falling out of his eyes. Around them the battle continues but all that mattered was Akito, his Akito was dying.
Akito tries to grab at Toya but his hands miss and pathetically collapse besides him. He opens his mouth only for more blood to splurt out. His eyes are filled with pain and panic. “It’s okay Akito. I’m here alright? I’ll fix this.” They’re useless empty words, because they both knew that there wasn’t anything Toya could do. Akito tries once again to reach out to Toya, this time he manages to grip onto Toya’s forearm.
His mouth trembles as they part. “T-Toya..” The hand in his forearm continues to tremble as the light in Akito’s eyes dim and fade away. The grip loosens and Akito’s hand falls down.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Where did they go wrong? The ringing in his ears won’t go away. Everyone is just battling around him, all while he’s holding a dead Akito in his hands.
Akito is dead. So what’s the point of anything? He’s never truly felt a passion for battle, he’s hated the roles thrusted upon him. Akito had been the one good thing in his life. And now Akito was gone.
Gone. He’s gone.
Tears blur his vision as he presses one last kiss onto Akito’s lips. They’re already cold. He grabs his own dagger.
He plunges the dagger into his own heart. And everything stopped.
7.
“Akito you scared off another family. They have only been living here for a few weeks”
“I just told them they needa pay some protection money. The town can get dangerous at night y’know.” Akito is smirking as he chews on a piece of jerky. Toya sighs and shakes his head. “The poor family probably thought you were threatening them.”
The ginger shrugs and offers a piece of the jerky to him. Toya halfheartedly scowls and pushes it away. “We don’t have enough young capable people in this town as it is and you aren’t helping.” Akito just sticks his tongue in response. “You’re acting immature.” Now he’s really glaring at Akito. The ginger puts in hand up as if surrendering. “Alright, alright! To make it up to you.. I’ll uh.. help out at the farmers market alright? Do some heavy lifting or some shit.” Toya nods in satisfaction.
From a distance an elderly couple quietly watch the situation unfold beneath their eyes. “Those two are at it again.” The elderly man nods and lets out a hoarse cough. “I don’t know how Toya puts up with Akito.” The elderly lady smacks her husband’s shoulder as he doubles over in another coughing fit. “Don’t say that. He’s the one helping around our house because your sorry ass is too old!” The elderly man only glares as he continues to cough his lungs out. Eventually he says. “He probably only does that because Toya is tellin him too.”
The elderly lady doesn’t deny that statement. “It’s quite cute how he’s a big tough cowboy until Toya comes along and scolds him you know?” The elderly man scoffs. It was true and they both knew it. Akito and Toya were a truly odd duo in their small town. Everyone knew who they were. Shinonome Akito; a hooligan cowboy and Aoyagi Toya; the town mayor’s third son. Complete polar opposites but where one of them was, the other was likely not too far behind.
Their small humble town mostly consisted of old geezers such as themselves. Only about 1 in every 6 people here were actually below the age of 50. Quite a predicament considering how they lived a really rural and self sufficient life. Which is why while Akito is probably the town asshat, he’s also well appreciated for his youth and strength.
Then of course there’s Toya, a very hardworking young man. He’s dedicated a lot of time in organizing all sorts of events over town in order to make life easier for the elderly here.
The two of them have known each other since childhood, Akito had always been a somewhat troubled boy but upon meeting Toya he seemed to have toned down quite a bit. The elderly lady lets out a sigh. “Oh to be young and in love again.”
“What you saying you don’t love me anymore?”
“Shut it you.”
—
“Akito, tomorrow I’m heading over to Weekend Farm to help them move some vegetables and other produce.” Akito nods as Toya cards his fingers through Akito’s hair. “Cool.”
“Would you like to come and help me?” He withdraws his hand from Akito’s hair and the boy lets out a soft noise of protest. “Do I have to? I could care less about some shit ass carrots.” Toya snorts at Akito’s disdain for carrots. “You don’t have to. I just figured it would be easier if there were more hands helping out. It would certainly lighten my workload.”
Akito grumbles and glares at Toya. “I know what you’re doin’ here.” Toya innocently blinks back. “Is that a yes?” Akito scoffs. “Yeah fine.”
Toya grins and pecks a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
—
“Fucks sake it hot. Can you guys all move it goddamn!” Akito was irritatedly yelling at the other people at the farm as the moved boxes onto carriages being drawn by horses. Toya walks besides Akito with a box of eggs in hand. “Akito everyone is being affected by the heat it’s not just you.”
The ginger huffs and grabs a stack of boxes. “Knew I shouldn’t have agreed.” Toya stares in exasperation as Akito stomps away. He was seriously hopeless. One moment he’s nice and gentle, and before you know it he’s letting loose a string of profanities at a 5 year old.
Toya walks over again to Akito who had just sat down his stack of boxes. He leaned in and his lips grazed Akito’s ear. “Want a kiss as compensation?” Toya started uncontrollably laughing and giggling as he saw Akito practically jump to the sky. He held his ear as his face became as red as a tomato.
“Hey you youngstas’ can be lovey dovey later! We gotta move the dairy produce before they get spoiled!” Toya yells back. “Alright!” He nudges Akito and tilts his head over to the farm as a silent ‘let’s go’.
“Finally that hell is over.” Akito is stretching his neck in annoyance as they load on the final box. “It wasn’t that bad.” Toya had ran inside to get them a glass of water. He took a sip and passed it on the Akito who downed the entire cup.
“You’re too positive about stuff.” Toya chuckles. “Better then—” A voice suddenly yells out behind them. “Hey watch out! The horse is outta control!”
Toya glance back and sees a full grown stallion charging straight towards the two of them. Instinctively he pushes Akito out of the way in a panic. A yelp escapes the ginger’s lips as he falls back and the last thing Toya hears is Akito calling out his name before he’s hits full on. The world is spinning and ringing before he promptly feels the world go black.
The town doctor sighs and shakes his head. “Is it that bad?” Akito is looking worriedly at Toya. He was lying in bed covered in bandages and cast. “Bruised ribs, a broken arm, and I’m most worried about the way his head was hit.”
Akito clenches his jaw in frustration. He had froze for a second and Toya had to pay the price for that. If only he had reacted quicker and threw the both of them aside. He was strong enough if only he wasn’t a dumbass. He angrily brought his fist down on the table. The stupid horse and his stupid reaction time.
The doctor cleared his throat. “I’ll give you some time alone with him. Akito, I’m not an expert in consoling others but.. it’s best not to blame yourself alright?” Akito keeps his mouth shut, he feared that if he opening his mouth he’d let out some redirected anger towards the poor doctor. The doctor awkwardly nods and leaves Toya’s room.
Akito sits on the edge of the bed and holds up on of Toya’s hand. “Wake up soon okay? You still owe me a kiss.” He presses a kiss to his hand and with that he stands up and leaves.
A week later a nurse barges into his house. Nobody in this town actually locks their door and no idiot would try to rob Akito. “Akito! Toya’s woken up! The doctor is with him and I figured— eep!”
The ginger pushes past her before she could finish he sentence. He bolts towards Toya’s house, adrenaline pumping in his veins as he prays Toya is perfectly fine.
He slams open the door and everyone inside jumps. Toya’s dad alongside with his brothers and the doctor are sitting by his bedside. All that matters to him is that Toya was sitting up in his bed. Akito moves over quickly. “Toya! You’re awake?” His eyes shine as he looks happily at Toya. However the other simply looks confusedly at him. “You are..?”
Akito could literally feel his heart break. The doctor looks pitifully at him. “Sorry about that, it seems the injury on his head has caused some memory loss. As it is right now Toya can only remember his own name. He has a vague notion on who everyone should be but he doesn’t directly remember anything.”
“What do you mean by vague notion?” His voice betrays him as it cracks. The doctor sighs. “He’s pretty sure that his dad and siblings. And he thinks I’m a medical profession of some kind. As for you…” The doctor glances at Toya who was still scrutinizing Akito. “Were you a close friend of mine?” His voice is gentle and god has Akito missed it. He only wished he wasn’t hearing it in these conditions. “We were more than close friends— we…” His own voice trails off but Toya seemed to pick up on what he’s trying to imply. “Ah. I’m sorry.” He looks genuinely disappointed and Akito can’t find it within himself to get mad.
“It’s fine. This sort of thing.. can it be repaired? The doctor looks over a piece of paper. “The mind is complicated. Maybe he will get his memory back or maybe he won’t. It’s out of my control.” He looks at everyone in the room. “My best advice is to try and spark back some of his old memories but try not to overwhelm him with information.” The doctor nods and takes his leave.
Toya awkwardly looks at the rest of the occupants within the room. “Sorry, I know you guys must be disappointed that I don’t remember anybody.” His father places his hand on Toya’s shoulder. His usually stern face shines through with a glimpse of worry. “What matters is that you’re alive and well.” One of his brothers chimes in. “And the doctor said we could possibly spark back your memory.” Toya nods hopefully and casts a shy glance at Akito.
“May I ask what your name is?” Toya has only ever asked that question once and it had been years ago as kids. “Shinonome Akito. But just call me Akito.” He tries and fails to put a smile on his face. “Akito. Akito.” The name rolls off his tongue so naturally. Toya seems to notice that as well but shakes his head. “Sorry. I still can’t remember anything.”
Akito inches towards Toya but doesn’t touch him. “We’ll figure it out.” Toya hesitantly nods.
—
Word about Toya’s condition spreads fast throughout their small town. Everywhere Akito goes he sees the hesitant glances and whispers. The townspeople always knew Akito was a quick fuse and with Toya’s current state they were even more worried about Akito.
Akito himself doesn’t lash out. The last thing he wants to happen is for Toya to regain his memories only for him to find out about what Akito did during his ‘absence’. He copes by curling up at night and silently letting the tears fall as he wishes it was Toya next to him in bed and not a pile of makeshift pillows.
It’s about another week before the doctor gives the go ahead for Toya to leave his house. Akito is waiting very impatiently out on the porch as Toya’s mother walks him out carefully. He’s leaning on a stick to aid with his still hurt ribs and his other hand is in a cast. Toya’s mother passed him to Akito and glances at him and nods before retreating back into their estate.
Akito carefully wraps his hand around Toya’s shoulder. The other doesn’t flinch at the contact. Akito had been constantly visiting Toya maybe twice a day to make sure he was okay. At this point even without his memories Toya was pretty used to him. “Where should we go first?” He stares at Toya as he thinks. Eventually he lets out a defeated sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe somewhere that’ll get me back my memories.” Akito nods enthusiastically.
He tries and brings him all over town. Lots of the townspeople approach and greet them and in their own way try and bring back Toya’s memory. He can vaguely remember a few if them that he was closer to. Like; “You sold something to me a lot right?” Or “Something about clothing..” Toya ends up apologizing a lot when he can’t remember anything about someone.
Meanwhile Akito would try and steer them to places they visited constantly. “You loved the black coffee here. You had a phase as a young teenager where you couldn’t go a single day with at least two cups. It was terrifying.” Or “You got sick once as a kid from eggs here and ever since then you never shop here. We joke about it all lot.” He brought him to the edge of town as well. “We use to hang out at this small creek a lot. You couldn’t swim back then and I had to coax you into the shallow end of the water.”
They go all over the place yet the result was always an apology and a shake of the head. The sun was beginning to set as he took Toya back home. They stopped at the porch and Toya looked at Akito. “You and I must’ve had a really special relationship.” Akito forces his eyes close as he tries not to cry in front of Toya. “I could tell by how much you had to show me and everything you talked about.” His breath hitches. “Yeah. You really meant a lot to me.” Toya looks sadly at him. “I’m sorry Akito. I really wish I could remember something. Anything.”
Akito tries to gently bring Toya into a hug without harming his ribs. “It’s not your fault.. we’ll figure this out.” Toya nods against his neck and if he really pretends, then if almost felt as if everything was normal and they were just randomly hugging. He pulls back and gently pats Toya’s head. “We can try again tomorrow if you’re up for it?” Toya agrees. “Yeah.”
Akito would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed and feeling more and more defeated with each passing day. Nothing he did could bring back Toya’s memory. As the days passed, some days Toya would walk around with Akito. Other days he would spend with his family and others. The days morph into weeks and gradually the other wounds on Toya’s body begin to heal. First his arms the his ribs. It’s hurts even more when Toya is more or less fully recovered. He walks around normally, and some days when he catches glimpse of Toya he almost thinks everything is normal. But it’s not.
His memory is still messed up, and he can’t do any physically demanding tasks. Some days Akito just sits on a random porch and just numbly stares at the town. Toya meant so much to him, yet now the boy hardly knew him.
He can tell Toya is frustrated too. His memory might not be intact but his habits are. From the way his eyebrows twitch in annoyance or the slight clench of his jaws in frustration. Akito could tell it was killing him just as much as it was to him.
“Akito?” There’s a soft rap on his door. He jolts out of bed and is vaguely aware of the still wet tears on his face. He tries wiping them away. It should be practically midnight. Why was Toya stopping by his one bedroom ‘house’? He opens the door and sees Toya wearing his usual nightwear.
“Toya you shouldn’t be out this late at night.” Toya sheepishly looks around. “I couldn’t sleep and something in me was telling me to come here.” Those words should affect him as much as they did. Even without his memories Toya was still unconsciously thinking about him. He wipes away more tears that threaten to spill out. “Come on on first.” He moves to the side and then closes the door behind him.
Toya glances around his one roomed house. His lips part ever so slightly in awe. “It feels so familiar here.” He points towards the bed and looks at Akito for approval. Akito nods and Toya sits down on the bed. They still in silence until Akito notices a few tears silently drop down Toya’s face. He’s hugging the blankets now. “I don’t get it. Something in me is screaming at me, all of this is so familiar but I just can’t remember anything.”
Akito sits down next to Toya and wraps the blanket around both of them. In a situation like this, he has no idea what to say. It’s not like words were his strong suit anyways. Toya leans into his shoulder. “It hurts Akito. It’s not like an actual wound, it feels like my heart is aching for something and I don’t know what.” Almost immediately Akito feels his own heart throb. He knew exactly what Toya meant. It was their hearts both aching at not being able to fully be with one another.
He brings his hand up to Toya’s heart and feels the gentle yet fast beating of his heart. He grabs Toya hand and presses it against his own chest right where his heart was. Their hearts were beating in sync. Toya’s heart still remembered him.
He thinks back to something he once said to Toya. ”I probably sound lame. But I think no matter what, my heart will always recognize you.”
“My heart.. will always recognize you.” He whispers the words but Toya hears them. The other freezes and stares at him. He clutches his head as if it hurts and Akito looks worriedly at him.
All of a sudden Toya starts laughing. He holds his ribs as if they hurt which they probably did. Finally Toya looks warmly at Akito. “You were right, those words do sound lame.” Akito looks at Toya in awe and for a moment he dared not to hope. “You remember?” Toya doesn’t respond and only leans him and gives him a kiss before backing away. “I owed you a kiss right?”
Akito brings his hand up to his lips and blushes furiously. “The first thing you do is—” He jolts forward and crashes Toya into a hug. He could be angry later. Right now he’s just glad to have Toya back. Toya weakly hits at his back. “My ribs! Ow ow ouch..” Akito weakens his grip slightly but still holds into Toya. “You really remember everything right?”
“I do. I can’t even imagine not remembering you anymore.” Akito buries his face into Toya’s shoulder. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I was so fucking worried I’d never get to normally be with you again.”
Toya gently combs his finger through his hair like he always does. “I’m sorry for worrying you.” Akito just melts under Toya’s touch. “And I’m sorry for not being able to react quick enough to get both of us out of the way of the horse.”
Toya hums. “It’s not your fault.” His nightwear is damp from the fresh tears and roll down Akito’s face. There was a lot to go over, and they would have to tell the rest of the townspeople as well. But for now they’ll just enjoy the moment.
“So, what trouble have you caused while I was mentally away?”
“Shut up.”
25.
In a world of advanced technology, Akito had probably a really depressing job. His job was to spend time with cyborgs that were due to be terminated within a couple of days. His official job was to make sure these robots didn’t misbehave or try and escape. But in reality he just spent days letting the cyborgs roam around for a bit before their inevitable demise.
It sucked really, some of the robots were better off than others yet they were all doomed to the same fate. When he first started his job Akito had made the mistake of getting a little too attached and friendly with some of the cyborgs. When the day of their termination came it messed Akito up having to send them off to the chambers where they would be shut down and dismantled.
He’s been doing this job for a few years now and he was experienced in putting on a fake facade when doing his job. It was better for his own sanity anyways.
“Shinonome, you have another mission.” His boss slides a hard drive across the table. Akito picks it up and inserts it into his arm. Yeah, having mechanical arms mean he didn’t need to carry around any sort of device. All the technology he needed was attached to his own body. An accident had blown off both his arms hence why they were now mechanical. A screen pops up in front of his arms.
Aoyagi Toya, Code 525AkTy. A male combat cyborg. “What’s his problem?” His boss opens a pack of cigarettes. “Go figure it out yourself. Just watch him carefully, central headquarters says he’s dangerous.” Akito scoffs. “Well you’d expect that out of a combat cyborg.” He stands up and stretches before making his way over to where the robot should be waiting for him.
As he walks he looks over some of the information. If the cyborg was human then they would’ve been the same age. Their company typically only got housekeeping, medical, or more tame robots. A combat cyborg was once in a blue moon kind of thing.
He stops in front of the resting chamber for the cyborg and punches in the door code. The cyborg is standing stiffly as if he was waiting for Akito to arrive. He nods when Akito walks in. “Right. Hello there, I’m Shinonome Akito you could just call me Akito. I’ll be watching over you until termination.” Once upon a time he would’ve hesitated to talk about termination in front of his clients but he’s learned that all the cyborgs already knew about their fate and hardly appreciated him beating around the bush.
Toya nods. Akito glances over his file one last time before pulling the hard drive out. “Mind me asking why you’re on the termination list?”
“Emotional instability, as a combat cyborg I shouldn’t be able to feel any sort of positive emotions. It hinders my abilities and makes me a liability to others.” Akito crosses his arms and frowns. He’s had clients with some sort of emotional stability before. A babysitting cyborg that was unable to convey love and warmth. A teaching cyborg that constantly lashed out in anger. But it’s the first time a cyborg was being terminated for having positive emotions.
“What do you combat cyborgs aren’t allowed to be happy?” The blue cyborg nods. “That is correct.” Talk about depressing, Akito couldn’t imagine being made for the sole purpose of combat.
“Okay well the files say you have nine days until termination. Consider yourself lucky most clients only get five.” Toya stares his expression doesn’t change at all. Was this thing really being terminated for positive emotions? It doesn’t seem to be showing any sort of emotion. “Anywhere you want to visit or see?”
The cyborg shakes his head. “I have no knowledge of this city. My memory card only involves details necessary for combative missions.” Akito was becoming more aware as to why their company handled more domestic cyborgs. What was he supposed to do with something that didn’t even know what it wanted? Normally his clients would at least have some vague idea of what they wanted to do with their remaining days. This guys was just a blank slate.
The cyborg was surprisingly intuitive and was able to pick up on his confusion. “How about you show me around places where you humans normally go? Maybe where you enjoy spending time at.” Well that certainly wasn’t a bad idea, it’d be like giving a tour to a random tourist. “Sure if that’s what you want.”
There is no way this cyborg is actually broken and emotionally unstable. Akito has spent the entire day bringing Toya all over the city, to his favorite restaurants, parks, and shops, but nothing. The cyborg just waddles around following Akito with a blank face. He hardly looks around or reacts at all.
He groans. The day was almost over and it was nighttime at this point. He’s spent an entire day and hasn’t gotten a thing out of the cyborg. The only thing Toya has been doing is asking long strings of questions but other than that it was a hopeless dead end.
“Alright this is our last stop for today.” They’ve stopped in front of an old looking building. “This is a karaoke place.” Toya tilts his head. “What is karaoke?” Akito sighs. “Here just follow me, it’ll be better to show you.”
The place is pretty run down and small but it wasn’t Akito’s first time here so he nodded to the lady at the counter. “A room for two please.” She bows and hands him a key. Akito gestures for Toya to follow him. The two of them enter a small room with an old television and a pair of microphones. Akito points to the television. “You choose a song up there and then lyrics pop up for you to follow.”
Akito scrolls through familiar songs and picks on he’s sung before. He grabs the microphone. “This song is called Cinema. You can just listen and observe alright?”
The familiar melody begins to play.
“A delusion of dawn
Invaluable escapades and a misunderstood hero play-pretend
Traffic's already jammed up now - oh well, nothing I can do about that anyway
"It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"What's it supposed to be like then?"
The more I thought about that
No, it can't be this, not this. This is a bad fit for me
I'm not suited for it - should I quit it now, or—
But that's not right, right! I wonder, when will I get to be
The leading star of this show?
Laughing every time I fall short,
Crying every time I count my growing baggage
Feeling disappointed when things aren’t as I hoped
I can't even blame anyone else, and it bothers me
The lights of the brilliant shining city
Passing by a defeated expression
The time to start is now!
Yes, that's right, let’s try again...”
The song comes to an end and Akito looks over at Toya to gauge his reaction. The cyborg has his lips parted in awe as he stares with an almost excited look on his face. Well that was certainly unexpected, Akito had thought Toya would react with his bored face again but he didn’t.
“That.. was music right?” Akito nods and picks up the other microphone. “You wanna sing a song with me?” Toya hesitants and then slowly reaches out for the microphone. Jairo begins scrolling though songs. “How about Fragile? The lyrics are color coded so you can take the blue lines and I’ll take the orange.”
The song begins playing, this had been Akito’s first time actually singing this song. He’s heard it before but the song usually sounded better as a duet so he never sang it. Surprisingly Toya’s voice actually sounded pretty decent considering how much of an amateur he was. The song started off awkwardly as Toya was more so speaking the lyrics rather than singing them. As the song continued he became more comfortable with the beat and actually began to sing.
Their voices melded together quite nicely as well. Akito is throughly impressed by the end of the song. Toya himself looks positively giddy throughout and after the song. He’s staring at the screen proudly as if realizing that he was the one to sing that. “That’s the first time I’ve seen such emotions pop up on your face.” The cyborg looks confused and then touches his own face to feel his smile. “There’s no point in trying to hold them back anymore right? No matter what I’ll be terminated so..” An even bigger smile springs up on Toya’s face. “I’ll just enjoy these last few days of mine.”
After that night at the karaoke bar, Akito is filled with newfound vigor. For some reason he couldn’t get the cyborg’s stupid smile out of his head. Akito was determined to help this cyborg enjoy his last few days.
He’s learned a bit more about this somewhat strange cyborg. He enjoys artificially made coffee and cookies. He likes reading actual paper books. He’s not fond of tall sightseeing areas. And so many more tiny details that make him almost feel human. Akito can’t catch himself in time before he realizes he’s stupidly admiring and falling in love with a cyborg who was doomed to die soon enough. He just couldn’t help it. The cyborg felt so human at times. It was as if Toya automatically put him at ease. It was a foolish thought but they almost felt destined to meet and be together.
That was a really foolish thought, and it branches off into even more foolish thoughts. Ones that Akito knew he should be plotting about.
“Say Toya, what were like the exact reasons they decided to terminate you?” There’s three more days until Toya’s termination, normally he doesn’t feel this way but the day of demise was approaching all too fast for them. Currently they were sat in probably their millionth cafe as the ate cookies and drank coffee.
Toya carefully sets down his coffee as a faraway look crosses over his face. “I disobeyed orders and prioritized the life of a fellow cyborg over the mission. Because of my actions the mission ultimately failed.” My emotions and empathy costed us and because of that I was sent to be terminated.”
“That’s it? But you didn’t do anything wrong! If I were in your shoes I would’ve saved my comrade as well.”
Toya sadly shakes his head. “Our priorities are human lives, then the mission. Cyborgs are simply tools and easily replaceable. No one will commend you for saving the artificial life of something they only view as a scrap of metal and wires.”
Akito clenches his hand around his mug. “That’s not fucking fair. Cyborgs should be treated just the same as humans.. so why—” Toya reaches across and pries Akito’s fingers away from the cup as he pats his hand. “You and I both know the world doesn’t work that way.”
Who gives a damn what the world thinks? All his life Akito had been following the rules, even when he disagreed with them. But he couldn’t just stand by and let someone like Toya innocently die. Even if he wasn’t human.
Termination day rolls around and strangely enough, Toya feels oddly at peace. His last nine days had been happily spent with Akito. They might’ve only briefly know each other but the other showed a lot to him. It made him happy, Toya was fine with dying. To cyborgs, termination just meant one final mission; allow yourself to ‘die’ for the sake of this world. But can you really die if you were never considered alive in the first place?
Toya looks at the wires of electrical energy running all over his body. He had no heart, only a central circuit board and masses of deadly weapons within him. He was everything but alive. But in the last few days Akito has made him feel as if he really was alive. Something human.
The door slides upon and Toya looks up. A sullen and grim look rests on Akito’s face. No words were exchanged but the both knew that it was time.
Akito’s pace was brisk and neither one of them spoke. Perhaps it was better this way, so Toya wouldn’t end up hurting Akito’s feelings in their last moments. Akito was furiously swiping through a screen on his artificial arm likely filling out last minute confirmation forms. The screen fades away and all of a sudden Akito grabs Toya’s hand. “Let’s go.”
They move quickly through the building and out a back door. Something wasn’t right. Toya was well familiar with the termination procedures. There should be a vessel waiting by the front of the building. It would take him to the termination factory. But Akito was taking him somewhere else. The logical thing to do would be to resist and inform someone of Akito’s possible fugitive acts.
However seeing as how the whole reason he was getting terminated was because of how illogical he could get… it just meant Toya would happily follow Akito.
They’re reaching the edge of the city where huge walls loom across them, they were purposely built to prevent cyborgs such as himself from escaping. “Toya.” Akita is looking back at him.
“You’re no idiot and you’ve probably figured out what I’m doing here so listen carefully.” They swerve through huge crowds and nearby patrol cyborgs and the continue towards the walls.
“I know the code to opening one of the side doors. The moment the door opens we run. The guards have probably already figured what we’re doing even as we speak.” Akito is punching in a code and the first door swings open. “This action makes us both fugitives so from here on out we don’t turn back.” Akito looks at him for confirmation and Toya nods. The ginger tugs him inside and they both begin to run.
The sound of Akito’s breathing is the only noise to be heard. They reach the end of the corridor and are met with huge gate. Quickly Akito pulls out a cord and connects his arm to the keypads by the door. There’s an intense look of concentration on his face as he types away.
Toya was a combative cyborg, hacking systems weren’t his specialty and it amazed him at how efficiently Akito was able to work. He was doing all of this for Toya on top of that. A strange feeling overcame Toya. He was a cyborg there should be no way for him to feel like this yet—
Was it love? “I love you?” He speaks aloud before he could stop himself. Akito halts his movements and looks back at Toya in shock. There’s a slight tint of pink on his face. “You.. what?” Toya shifts, he shouldn’t have said that out loud. But judging from Akito’s reaction his response wasn’t exactly negative.
Akito’s free hand reaches up to cover his face, he definitely was blushing. Toya could sense the rise in temperature on his face. “Toya. We can talk about these feelings later. First we have to—”
The hand not connected to the keypad suddenly opened up a screen. There was an unfamiliar man on the screen but Akito seemed to recognize him. The man had a stern look on his face. “Shinonome we know what you are doing. Cease your actions immediately.” Akito scowls and goes back to working on the keypad. The man’s frown deepens. “Shinonome we have forces moving quickly towards you. They will stop you two. Even if you make it out of that door they will follow you and swiftly capture you two. Hand over the cyborg and I will send in an appeal to lighten you punishment. If not.. you and I both know what will happen once you are caught.”
Akito only clicked his tongue and waved away the screen as it fades. Toya blankly stares at Akito. “He’s not bluffing Akito. They’ll keep following us outside of this city. We’ll only have a couple of minutes as a head start.” Akito grimaced and sighs. “I know Toya. I know.”
There’s a loud click and creaks can be heard as the gate slowly slides open. “Quick get through!” Akito pushes Toya through the gate as he taps some keys on the pad. Toya stumbles through as he takes in the view around him. It was mostly empty plains and he could see a few buildings in the distance. He hears a loud boom behind him as the gate closes shut. He turns back only to see that Akito wasn’t there with him.
In a panic he goes back over to the gate and pounds on it. “Akito?!” Why had the gone through as well? Did something happen? His comms suddenly beep, alerting him that someone was calling him. He pulls up the screen and sees Akito. He has a sad smile on his face.
“Akito what’s going on?” For the first time in his existence Toya feels something akin to dread. “I’ve placed a complete lockdown protocol over this entire city. No gates will be able to open for the next 12 hours. Air vessels in accordance to lockdown protocols will not be able to leave either.” Toya knew what a lockdown protocol was, but someone like Akito shouldn’t have access to such power.
“How—?”
“I had been working on the code for accessing the protocol for a few days, ever since I decided I couldn’t just let you die.” Toya blinks. Why would Akito go to such lengths for him?
As if he knew what he was thinking Akito laughed. “I’m glad to have met you Toya. I spent all my life following useless rules and doing a job I hated. But that job led me to you. I got to meet such an amazing person.”
Person. Akito thought of him as an actual person. Not just a weapon or scraps of metal. Suddenly filled with more vigor than ever, Toya pulled out a weapon from his body and aimed it at the gate. “Toya. The protocol has already been activated. That gate is so heavily reinforced you could spend years blowing away at it and nothing would be damaged.”
The realization suddenly hit Toya. Akito had planned for this to happen? Akito nods. “You’ve figured it out right? The lockdown can only be activated within the city. So I had to stay behind. My only goal was to make sure you got out of here after all.”
Akito looks behind him and then back at Toya. “I’ve given you a 12 hour head start. With that time I need you to run. Keep going north until you come across a Weekend Garage. Tell them Akito sent you. They’ll take care of you from there on out.”
“I can’t leave you behind. You’ll..” Toya’s voice trails off. They both knew what would happen to Akito once he was caught. Not only did he release a dangerous cyborg meant for termination, he had hacked into the system and activated an annoying protocol that couldn’t be overwritten. Such actions would only mean one thing for Akito, death.
A small chuckle makes its way out of Akito’s mouth. He brings his hand up to the screen. “Look at your face Toya. If you weren’t a cyborg you’d probably be crying right now.”
“Why would you do this Akito? Such reckless actions for an easily replaceable cyborg such as myself.” Akito’s eyes soften. “Maybe I’m foolish Toya, but some strange part of me cares so much about you. A random cyborg I’ve only known for nine days yet they felt like a lifetime to me. I want to see you live Toya. Do things you never got to do, explore places you’ve never been to before.”
He almost couldn’t believe his ears. A human, wants him to live. To be alive. Akito closes his eyes and leans in closer to the screen. “Sorry Toya, there was so much I wanted to show you as well.” For the first time in his existence, Toya wish he couldn’t feel these emotions. The grief and pain as they welled up in him.
“There’s a lot that I owe you Toya. I’m afraid I’ll have to pay it back to you in our next life.” Through the static of the screen he could see tears roll down Akito’s face. Toya couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He just nods silently. Akito smiles one last time before the screen flickers away and Toya is left all alone.
Those last words keep ringing through Toya’s head. Our next life… he’s felt as if he’s heard those words before.
Our next life.
A strange promise is heard in his head, one he’s certain he’s never made before. Something is hurting, it was somewhere in his chest. A stinging pain. Toya gasps and grabs his chest, he feels a pulse. A heartbeat? That wasn’t right, he shouldn’t have a heart.
He wasn’t simply himself anymore. He was Aoyagi Toya not of just this life, but many others. And in each life he met Akito. Again and again they found each other—
73.
Akito didn’t believe in mermaids but only shit he’s just seen one.
46.
How are you suppose to apologize to someone you’ve smacked over in the head thinking he was a robber?
124.
“When I saw you skating in the ice it was breathtaking.”
267.
We’re gaming rivals not buddies.
83.
Their arrows are knocked back and aimed at one another.
498.
“What will you be having today, a coffee, or maybe tea?”
702.
“Here. These sunflowers are for you.”
300.
The piano felt like it was a part of his soul.
921.
Maybe he was destined to be an artist.
577.
“Will you marry me?”
222.
“I’ll never leave you.”
112.
The rocks beneath him give away and he feels himself plummet to his death as voices scream at him.
525.
“It’s too late, the poison has already started spreading. You can’t save me.”
1112.
“Just take my hand Toya, I promise you I won’t let you fall.”
743.
2776.
93045.
672.
88.
2174.
4951.
Infinity. Until the end of time.
“You promise?”
…
???.
Akito snuggles closer to Toya. They had both just showered after coming home from another performance. “You did amazing out there partner.” Toya smiles and kisses Akito on the lips. “So did you.” Akito blushes and reaches out to ruffle Toya’s hair as revenge. The other giggles and hugs Akito tighter.
A moment of silence passed as the two simply bask in each others warmth. Suddenly Akito speaks up. “Toya?” The blue haired boy hums and looks at his partner. “Do you believe in multiple lives?” Toya scoots up into a sitting position, Akito grumbles but sits up next to him. “Where’s this coming from?”
“I don’t know. Do you just ever think about how in another life we might’ve never met one another.” Toya lets out a shudder. “I’d rather not imagine something like that.”
Akito nods, he felt the same way. “I think no matter what we would’ve met each other. It just feels as if we were meant to you know?” Toya thinks about what Akito says for a moment and nods. “Like soulmates?” A blush crawls up on Akito’s face. It was cheesy but he liked the idea of being soulmates with Akito.
An arm wraps itself around Akito’s should as Toya brings the two of them closer together once again.
“If other lives really do exist then… I’m glad you found me in this life.” He says it softly as he snuggles his face into Akito’s hair. Akito smiles. “Well in that case, I’m glad you gave me so much happiness in this life.”
He brings his arms around Toya and lets out a happy sigh. “Will you find me again? If we do have a next life?” Toya asks hesitantly. Akito nods. “I will. And in that next life I hope you’ll make me just as happy as you make me now.”
“That’s a promise you know?”
“Yeah. It’s an eternal promise between the both of us.”