Chapter Text
Dying in a pool of flowers, was there a more beautiful way to go out?
Kaiser didn’t think so.
His sister died from the illness when he was just a young child. Ever since then he believed that the Hanahaki illness was a beautiful way to die. Dying surrounded by beautiful flowers, different kinds. Of which he didn’t understand at the time.
He seemed to be a naive child at the time, he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand the pain nor the choice his sister made. He didn’t know what the flowers around her symbolized.
He didn’t know her very well, she was good at covering everything up. Never showing her younger brother the true pain of the disease that would eventually chip away at her until there was nothing left.
But that was years ago, time has passed, his sister was long gone.
Michael Kaiser was not the same naive child. He now knew the disease was everything but beautiful. Hanahaki was not a beautiful way to die.
Dying all because you couldn’t choose to live without the one you loved. Because you wouldn’t say yes to the surgery that would keep you alive.
Would he find love again? Couldn’t he love someone else?
He didn’t know.
He just had to live and see.
*
The game was about to end. End in Bastard Munchen’s favor as well. The ball was currently in the hands of Michael Kaiser as he quickly made his way to the goal.
While it wasn’t one of the best games Kaiser ever played, he found himself catching his breath more often between goals. And he had yet to prove himself better than Isagi. They were currently tied with one goal each, and Kaiser knew he had to score now if he wanted to prove his point.
He was so close, he could see his goal in sight.
But before he could score, his mind was suddenly telling him he had to leave. He needed to get out of the public's sight.
“No, no, no, not now…” He silently muttered to himself.
He had to continue on. Just a couple more minutes then he could run away from the prying eyes of the public. Just this one goal and he was done. He didn’t have to worry about Isagi, he didn’t have to worry. He would prove himself able to rule Bastard Munchen after Noa or he could transfer to La Real and further prove himself there. Just this one goal, and he was done.
But that didn’t happen. Instead Kaiser felt his legs buckle as he fell, knees hitting the grassy ground. Horror in his eyes, he had his hand placed over his mouth as he coughed. He tried to stand as people started crowding over him, but his body wouldn’t listen to him. He couldn’t be seen like this, nevermind seen in this condition on television.
Was this his maximum…? Was this all he could handle…? After years of hiding it, was this where he faltered, in a game where everyone was watching? His throat felt tight and his coughs were steadily growing more violent. His vision was dimming, and the voices around him sounded far away.
He spent his time at Blue Lock being compared to Isagi. Or more of, put against Isagi. Noel Noa, their coach, decided it would be a good idea to put the two strikers against each other. So he did, not caring how it would affect either one of them mentally.
Well that idea backfired didn’t it? It seemed like Kaiser pushed himself too much, as he found himself passed out. His last thought was about how he had to win. Because he’d be damned if he allowed Isagi Yoichi, a striker from who knows where, to beat him.
But he didn’t have a lot of time to think about that, because he soon had bigger problems than him.
__________________________
When he finally awoke he quickly realized he wasn’t on the green football field. Instead he was surrounded by white walls and blinding lights.
Which basically meant one thing, he had failed.
Failed to beat Isagi, failed to prove himself, failed to hide from everyone. He didn’t even want to know what the media was saying about him. How was he going to come back from this? Could he even come back from this?
How had he not realized he let this go on for too long? Had he pushed this on to himself with no way out? Was surgery even an option anymore…?
Damn it, did Alexsis Ness really mean that much to him…? Was he really worth coughing petals every day?
He didn’t even know his feelings were this real until that eventual day, where he found himself in the bathroom of the Bastard Munchin gym coughing blue rose petals.
His time of thought was cut short when a dark haired man entered the room—dressed in a long white doctor's coat.
“Hello, I see you're awake. You were rushed here when one of your teammates realized you were struggling to breathe.” The doctor cut right to the chase.
Kaiser just nodded, no energy to do anything else. He realized he was hooked up to an IV; he didn’t even know Hanahaki could end this badly.
Well it was true that he had been ignoring the curse for as long as he had it. Only two people knew and they only knew because they caught him coughing up the petals.
One of them ironically enough was Ness himself, and Kaiser knew there was no point in covering it up. Since Ness was with him 24/7, it was impossible to give another reason as to how he could be coughing up flowers. As the second party to figure it out, Noel Noa was the next to figure it out but he didn't envision himself throwing up flower petals in the bathroom would be the way he would figure it out.
Noa also served as his parental figure when he was away from his biological family, which was basically the whole season. This meant he was responsible for Kaiser. Kaiser just realized it also meant he was probably going to scold him for overworking himself.
“You’ll be staying here for the time being. But you need not to worry because you’ll likely be released within the week.” The doctor informed him, also serving as a reminder to Kaiser that he was still there.
“Will I be able to continue as normal?” Kaiser finally asked.
“Perhaps, but you should start thinking about what you want to do, cause it is likely that your body will force you into early retirement unless you have the surgery immediately.” The doctor answered as he fixed Kaiser's IV strip.
Kaiser nodded.
“I’d give it a month or so before you’d be hospitalized for Hanahaki; a month and a half until you need to make your final decision.” The doctor added, “if that is all your questions, I’ll leave you for now. Expect a couple visitors, and call me right away if you feel something is wrong.”
Kaiser just nodded again, not knowing what to say.
It was likely still early in the day since Kaiser could see the blinding sunlight peak behind the curtains.
He could imagine the game going in anyone's favor, though PXG having their own new gen 11 made him think it could’ve ended in PXG’s favor. Kaiser thought of his own career and how he was doomed if he could ever return to the sport. There’s a part of him who believes Isagi goaled his supposed goal. Yet there was also a part of him who wished he was wrong.
It made him think; did he really want Bastard Munich to win? Or did he prefer for his own team's loss for the sake of his broken pride?
His pride that now resembled something like a shattered teacup. Something so beautiful, yet could shatter in a million porcelain shards with just a simple misstep.
Did he want to see Ness? Kaiser was sure he was going to figure out a way to get out of Blue lock to come visit him. Ness was just that kind of friend.
But did Kaiser want to see him? Could he see him and act all nonchalant, as if Ness wasn’t the reason why he felt this way? Why was Ness the reason he’s losing sleep? The boy who sucked up to his every word, did whatever he was asked without question. What was so special about Alexsis Ness that allowed Kaiser to let himself suffer in a bed of blood and flowers?
Why wouldn’t he just confess? Would Ness say yes just to make him happy? Ness always said what he’d assume would make Kaiser happy. Whatever Kaiser wanted to hear, Ness would say. Ness is who royalty would call a perfect servant. But would Ness still serve a fallen emperor? One stuck in bed with nowhere to go?
No he wouldn’t.
No one would.
The sun no longer shines from Kaisers curtains, instead the moonlight took its place. Kaiser probably had a hundred unread messages that he hadn’t had the energy to check. Instead the fallen emperor laid in his dim light hospital room, letting his thoughts take over. It was probably past dinner time now, he hadn’t done anything but lay and think.
“You lost , Isagi beat you.”
“I’m disappointed in you Kaiser.”
“I would never stay with someone so weak .”
No one would serve a fallen emperor.
It was like how it was back then, when he was only a child. Except, now he didn’t even have his soccer ball. And it was all his fault.
How could he allow himself to continue until now?
“Just say the words and you’d stop it all. Just tell the damn doctors you want the surgery, and this would all end here. Before the thorns punctured your lungs until you couldn’t breathe. End it now and you can still build yourself back up.” Kaiser thought, yet he couldn’t.
He was too damn weak.
Too weak to ask for help.
Too weak to just confess.
Instead he laid there and allowed his thoughts to win.
“They’re all so disappointed in you, why wouldn’t they be? I don’t deserve any of which they have given me over the years; I never did. I can’t even stand up and play the game that gave me purpose . What do I do now? I’m useless , I can’t do anything but continue to build peoples hopes up just to let it crumble into the ground.”
Michael Kaiser, the once prodigy striker. One born with his very own weapon, one that couldn’t be re-created. He was once on the top of the world, just an arms reach from his goal. Now laid below the stars in a bed created by blood and petals. From a prodigy to a disappointment . Fate left in the hands of his lowly servant, Alexsis Ness.