Chapter Text
Sai hate's Kaizo
From the very fiber of his being he despite him.
Because how can someone be that cold? How can he be so distant?, even towards his own brother.
Fang never deserves the way Kaizo has treated him, Fang who is kind, loyal and always trying his best, it honestly made Sai's blood boiled to see the way Captain barely acknowledged him, the way he left Fang time and time again, choosing duty over family
Sai can't understand
To him, Kaizo is a self-centered jerk, who cared more about his duty than his own family
And Sai hate's that
He hate's him
So, what changed....?
Sai couldn't exactly say when it started....
When his hatred turned into something....else.
Maybe it's the way he saw Kaizo's shoulder tensed ever so slightly at the mention of Fang, Maybe it was the rare moments when Kaizo's eyes would soften just a little, before his cold mask returned.
Maybe.. It was the way Sai is realizing that Captain Kaizo isn't just some emotionless bastard..
Kaizo felt things, he just knows how to hide them, maybe too well.
And who is he kidding he knows exactly when these kind of thoughts started to bloom...
Sai had been reckless, he always had been, Taking hits after hits, he knows he could take, but this time he knows he pushed himself too far, he was about to retreat. And suddenly the ground collapse beneath his feet, he didn't know what to do.
But then Captain Kaizo was there
Fast and Precise
He had a firm grip on Sai's wrist, pulling him up with strength that didn't falter. And for the first time, Sai saw something different in Kaizo's eyes — not cold indifference, not annoyance, but something deep
Sai didn't know what it was.
Kaizo didn't let him go immediately, his grip was strong, firm, like he never even once considered letting him fall. As if his life had always been something Kaizo was meant to protect..
Sai had always seen Kaizo as a rigid emotionless machine. A warrior with nothing to care but it's duty, being strong, and protecting the galaxy. But in that moment, with Kaizo's fingers wrapped around his wrists, holding him steady, Sai knows he see something else.
Kaizo was warm.
Not physically, of course not, his gloves were thick, and his body was cold from battle, But the way Kaizo held him, the way his grip didn't loosen even after he had found solid ground, the way his crimson eyes flickered over him as if checking for injuries — that was warm
Sai swallowed. "You can let go now."
Kaizo did. Without saying anything Sai expected that. What he didn't expect was the way Kaizo's fingers lingered for half a second longer than necessary, or the way he stare at him, like he was about to say something but decided against it.
Sai never noticed that before.
Had Kaizo always been like that? Had he always been watching? Silently making sure everyone was safe, even when they didn't notice? Had Sai been so blinded by his own anger and belief that Kaizo was nothing but a heartless Captain, that he never actually looked at him?
Kaizo turned away, already moving ahead "Don't be reckless" he said, his tone unreadable as always.
Sai just stared at him, his heart pounding, and he knows it wasn't from the near death experience.
But for the first time, he wondered if maybe — just maybe Kaizo wasn't the person he thought he was.
That's when it started the seed of doubt had been planted in his mind. And it refused to leave.
Sai found himself watching Kaizo more, it wasn't intentional, at least that's what he told himself.
He just started to notice things, the little things he ignored before.
The way Kaizo stood
Always alert, always watching, Not in the overbearing way, but in a way that spoke of someone who is constantly prepared for just about anything. Sai used to think that it was arrogance, but now he wasn't so sure. At least not anymore.
The way Kaizo spoke.
Short, direct, sometimes blunt to the point of being frustrating. But not unkind. Not cruel, like Sai had always assumed. Kaizo just didn't waste words, but that doesn't mean he didn't care.
And the way Kaizo looked at Fang
Sai had been so sure that Kaizo didn't care about his brother, that he saw Fang as nothing more than a soldier under his command. But Sai had been wrong. Now that he is really seeing Kaizo, he saw the way Kaizo's eyes soften ever so slightly when he looked at Fang. How his gaze lingered just a little longer, like he was memorizing every detail, as if he's making sure that Fang is still there.
And for the first time, Sai wondered..
Had Kaizo always been protecting Fang? Just... from a distance?
Sai didn't know what to do with that thought.
Because if he had been wrong about Kaizo this all time... Then what else has he been wrong about?
Sai didn't realize he was staring until Kaizo looked at him directly.
Crimson eyes met bright emerald eyes.
"Is there a reason your watching me?" Kaizo asked, his arms crossed.
Sai froze. He should deny it, his instincts told him to roll his eyes and say something snarky, To insult Kaizo. That's what he should do. That's what he always do.
But for once, Sai didn't find it in him to do so.
For the first time, he wasn't looking at Captain Kaizo the cold, emotionless warrior he had hated for so long.
He was looking at Kaizo.
Just Kaizo.
And he didn't know what to say.
Now that he is really seeing Kaizo, now that he is starting to understand.
The words, The insults that he had thrown at him so easily, none of them fit anymore.
Kaizo wasn't cruel.
He wasn't heartless.
He cared.
Sai had been so blind before. He had seen Kaizo’s silence as coldness, his distance as apathy. But now he saw the truth.
Kaizo wasn’t cold, he never was. He was just… careful. He wasn’t distant because he didn’t care, he was distant because he did.
Kaizo wasn’t unfeeling. He just felt things too much and didn’t know what to do with it.
Sai clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching at his sides. Kaizo was still watching him, waiting for an answer, but for once, Sai didn’t have one.
“…Nothing,” Sai muttered, looking away.
He expected Kaizo to push, to demand an explanation. But Kaizo just gave him one last look before turning away.