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It was done. Towa City had been saved, and so was Byakuya. While it had been far from ideal for him to have gotten captured, it didn’t matter anymore. Makoto’s little sister and her had saved him, along with the rest of the people that had gotten captured, like their loved ones.
Well, most of their loved ones. Not all of them hadn’t survived, like Aloysius. Though, that didn’t surprise Byakuya all that much- the butler had already been getting frail in the memories he still had, and that was a few years ago by now. Because of that, he hadn’t gathered any hope in his heart of the man still being alive, so his death was expected. It didn’t hurt.
It didn’t hurt.
It didn’t hurt.
But… it did seem like Byakuya’s friends- yes, he was calling those idiots that now. It was hard for himself to believe that, but it was the truth- had been reunited with their loved ones. Hiro had gotten his mother back, Kyoko her grandfather, Makoto and Hina their siblings, and… Toko her pet bug.
There were also some others, loved ones of the people who hadn’t survived. Like Leon’s cousin, Celeste’s pet cat, and Sayaka’s idol group.
And also… him. Chihiro’s father. When Byakuya had first seen the man, still a bit disoriented from his capture, his breath had caught in his throat because as it turned out, father and son looked alike a lot. All Byakuya had managed to say was a curt greeting before leaving.
“Hey, kid…” A soft and awkward voice came from behind him, swiftly pulling Byakuya out of his thoughts. He didn’t even need to look up to know who it was- even their voices sounded alike.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear…
Byakuya wouldn’t say it was luck though- he had a feeling that this meeting would be happening for a while now. The man- Taichi- always seemed to stare at him whenever the two happened to be in the same room. It was always the same stare, one that held a certain fondness Byakuya wished wasn’t there.
He didn’t know Taichi. However, he had. While his memories were still gone, he and the others had been finding… things that had their memories. Diaries, photo’s, yearbooks. It had given them an idea of how their actual time at Hope’s Peak Academy had been.
And apparently, he had been friends with Chihiro. Close friends even. It made sense that Taichi would know him them. But that didn’t change the fact that Taichi was simply a stranger to him.
But slowly, Byakuya lifted his head up. He was currently in the library of the Future Foundation, trying to catch up on all of the books he had missed or forgotten. He hadn’t been reading for a bit now though; his thoughts having been elsewhere.
He let out a hum, lips twitching slightly at the nickname. “Taichi,” He greeted in response, looking the man over with his eyes. “Is there anything I could do for you?”
His question was one out of pure politeness- when had Byakuya ever cared about being polite to a commoner?- and far from sincere. What he wanted was to be left alone, to not be stared at by the man that shared a face with his dead classmate.
The classmate whose body he hung up without a care in the world, whose body he used as a tool to suit his needs, to ensure his own survival-
Taichi sat down in the chair next to Byakuya, an awkward smile on his face. “Just, um, wanted to see how you were doing. You… seem to be alone quite a bit.”
“I like being alone,” Byakuya responded in a harsh tone. He didn’t see what was bad about that- what was oh-so worrying about him just being alone.
Surprisingly, Taichi wasn’t taken aback by the harsh tone. Instead, he just kept smiling, though it became slightly sadder. “I know… You and Chihiro often liked getting away from the masses, unless it was at a business party. Then you were always in the spotlight…” He mumbled, a soft sigh escaping his lips.
What?
That second part was… surprising. It wasn’t something that was said, it was something that had to be seen.
Byakuya’s lips thinned. “What do you mean with that? Were you… at these business parties?” It was the only explanation. However, it wasn’t a logical one- why would Taichi get invited to one of those?
Taichi’s widened in realization before he nodded. “Oh, yeah… Not often, but I did some small things for your father.” Then, his gaze softened. “He was a nice man.”
Byakuya wasn’t sure if he would’ve ever called Father nice, but it sure was how the man had always presented himself. Always smiling, and as charming as he could be. But behind closed doors? He had been cold, calculating, money focused.
There had only been an edge of care, one that was only reserved for Byakuya. He was the perfect heir after all.
But all of that was in the past because his father was dead, murdered alongside the rest of his family.
“Oh…” Was all Byakuya managed to say, lips twitching slightly before settling in a frown. He… wasn’t sure why this was affecting him so much- was it because he didn’t know Taichi? That this man was practically a stranger to him while he seemed to know Byakuya so well?
Or was it because of who Taichi was related to? The boy who shared Taichi’s face, the boy whose body Byakuya had altered without a care.
A silence followed after. Byakuya had nothing to say- what could he even say?- while the man still seemed to be gathering his thoughts, trying to think of the right words.
Eventually, he found them. “So… about Chihiro,” Taichi began, his voice soft, softer than it had been moments before. “Was… was his death… painful?”
Of course he had to ask just Byakuya that. Not Toko who had saved him or Makoto who was always there if you needed him, but exactly the one who was more involved with Chihiro’s murder than anybody else’s.
“No,” Byakuya responded with a shake of his head, doing that motion in such a way his gaze wasn’t aimed towards Taichi. “I believe it was quick. Mon- there was only one wound, he most likely died immediately after receiving.”
“T-that’s…” There were tears in Taichi’s eyes by now, one he wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt after removing his glasses. It didn’t stop new tears from coming. “That’s a relief. I-I can’t imagine how he must’ve felt…” Byakuya then felt the man’s gaze on him, so filled with sympathy that wasn’t deserved in this situation. “How all of you must’ve felt.”
Byakuya felt his lips twitch again at that. “It wasn’t exactly fine. We… we weren’t close though…” He admitted before adding, “Chihiro and I, I mean. Things were different in there.”
That was true… yet, why was he admitting all of this? His annoyance from before had almost completely faded, instead being replaced by some childish sadness almost. It was disgusting and unlike himself, but Byakuya couldn’t stop himself from feeling it.
“I… I know…” Taichi muttered before pausing, looking down at his lap slightly before a sigh left his lips. “It surprised me you two were friends in the first place… but… I’m glad at least one of you two made it out of there.”
Rather Chihiro than him, though. Even if that wasn’t said, Byakuya knew that was the case. Of course it was- every parent would rather have their child survive than a friend of said child.
“Thank you.” The words left Byakuya’s mouth before he knew it. He finally managed to look back at Taichi. He then opened his mouth again… before promptly closing it.
Taichi was so full of sadness, so filled with loss… Yet there was also something else there, there was still a little light in his eyes. And Byakuya couldn’t put that light out, he couldn’t tell Taichi what he had done to Chihiro. Not now. It would break the man.
Why he cared about this stranger’s feelings, Byakuya did not know. It didn’t make sense for him to, yet he still did. Maybe there was a part of him that remembered Taichi subconsciously.
But Byakuya did know what he could say. “Chihiro helped us greatly in the killing game, even from beyond the grave. It was because of Alter Ego that Makoto survived… which is the reason we’re here now.”
“That sounds like him,” Taichi muttered, the light in his eyes becoming slightly brighter. He then shook his head. “I’ll leave you to your reading now though, already took enough of your time.”
“Right,” Byakuya responded, his voice curter again. “Until later.”
Taichi smiled slightly. “Until later,” He repeated before leaving.
Once he was gone, Byakuya let out a deep sigh, moving a hand through his hair as he looked down at the book that was still laying on the table. He hadn’t even read the first page of it, and he doubted he would do so anytime soon now.
“Byakuya.” Came Kyoko’s voice as she entered the library, immediately making the blond sit up straight as he registered it.
He really couldn’t even have one moment of privacy here, huh?
He crossed his arms, his gaze cold again. “Kyoko,” He greeted in return. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to grab a book, but didn’t want to interrupt your conversation,” Kyoko responded as she walked towards the many bookshelves. The implications of her words were clear- she had heard some of it. “Seems like you’re finally learning from your mistakes.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Byakuya asked with a frown- how did he always being the one asking the questions whenever he talked to her? He was quite sure she was doing it on purpose.
The girl turned to him; the ghost of a smile present. “You’re finally beginning to understand emotions. You omitted the truth to Taichi.”
“He would’ve broken if I told him what I did, I rather have that be avoided,” Byakuya bit back.
“Exactly.”