Chapter Text
When the two were young, both were forced into alien stage, not together, they met in ANAKT.
Ken was alone often and struggled making friends. One day, in the middle of an anxiety attack, he heard Kazutoshi singing the chorus of (what is now: My Clematis), which calmed him down more easily. From the moment he heard Kazutoshi, Ken knew that was someone he admired. He’d listen from afar, until joining in by accident.
Something about Ken just clicked within Kazutoshi. Thus, this encounter started their friendship, and the two stuck together from then on, since they trusted each other more than the rest. They’d stargaze together, play, sing, talk, rant, and pick flowers. Whatever one did, the other would usually partake in.
However, neither were fully aware that it would be up for survival. Ken found out only after the audition round. Right after he and Kazutoshi passed the auditions, both succeeded. Ken did not tell Kazutoshi about this, so that he wouldn’t scare him. With this knowledge, he kept their situations as bright as possible and tried to keep Kazutoshi’s knowledge away from the whole dark reality. Once the presence of ALIEN STAGE became harder to ignore, Ken had to try even harder to keep Kazutoshi’s awareness away from the approaching demise that awaited the two.
Kazutoshi had learned that Ken had been hiding this truth one night, as he was listening in to a conversation between him and Ojima. He was terrified of dying, despite trying multiple times in ANAKT. Yet again, he didn’t know what to do, since he didn’t want to die a meaningless death onstage. So, when he found the opportunity to, he tried killing himself once again. Only to be stopped by Ken, who had been clinging onto both a tree, and Kazutoshi himself, until Ken was eventually able to lift Kazutoshi up.
Ken didn't know just why Kazutoshi could try that. Why would Kazutoshi leave him now? It didn't make sense. No matter how smart Ken was for his age, Kazutoshi trying to kill himself would never make sense to him. No matter how long he lived.
In their last practice competition, they sang alongside each other as others were taken away and executed for not performing. Both had survived, as they gave outstanding performances, leaving them safe.
But then again, they still had their final performance together.
The beginning of the song is a flashback to when Ken had first sung with Kazutoshi. Where they had first officially met. They began partnering up with each other from this encounter, which is why it's so important to both of them.
This memory doesn’t last for long as they’re reminded of being onstage together, set in such an oceanic, yet starry-like theme, they’re competing against each other shades of blue and brown illuminating the stage. Beautiful, but so heartbreaking to Ken nonetheless.
Loads of memories overtake the two, such as when they both passed the audition round, and how they were so happy to be together, Ken practically tackling Kazutoshi to the ground in joy, hugging him so tightly. Another of the two chasing each other around ANAKT, to a hideout they’d spend time in, yet every time they’d run, Ken would have to stop for Kazutoshi, and he’d carry him there on his back. The time Ken had caught a robotic fish in one of the rivers, and how hard it made Kazutoshi laugh. When they’d watch the sun go down, as ships would depart and arrive in a far city... Pure moments of joy, that they’d treasure, before dealing with such a tragedy.
As they continued singing, it's shown that Ken and Kazutoshi are indeed, against each other, and their song is bound to finish soon enough. The words they had sung, all the time they had, was ending, and this would result in such a cruel and heartbreaking fate.
Hoping that they could tie, Ken remembered one of their conversations from back when they were still children.
“Do you believe in god?”
This had been the faith humanity once had, neither Ken nor Kazutoshi had seen it, but he’d heard of it through classes. How humanity fell out of love with the idea of god, and into a depression. They had both never believed in it, but to Ken, (and his basic idea of what god was,) he believed Kazutoshi was his everything, his love, his god, his universe.
He could never let go of him, and he wasn’t ready for the eventual demise one of them would have. In humans’ old faith, there were places called “Heaven,” and “Hell.” Heaven was for the good souls who believed in god, and Hell was for the souls who deserved to be punished. Ken hoped and tried so hard to believe that once he would die, he’d go to heaven, and Kazutoshi had lived a better life and fell to a safer death, they could reunite.
Still, the hope for a tie lurked there.
They could live together.
They’d be safe together.
He kept his eyes on the score for a split second, 86 and 86. They actually had a chance of a tie... So he looked away from the board, and onto his dearest Kazutoshi. Both smiling and beside each other, neither cared about winning, or outshining the other. They simply loved each other. There was no need for competition when they loved each other. At least they could look at the other, and know that the love was there, felt, and received by both sides. The whole song was about finding hope in the darkness, and how they’d feel safe together, never leaving the other’s side.
Yet that hope was all ripped away.
Whilst admiring Kazutoshi, both his love and hope were shot down. Kazutoshi was dead. He’d been shot in the neck from the damned aliens, who made a final vote. They made the wrong choice.
Ken dropped to the floor, Kazutoshi’s blood all over him. All he could do was stare, and stay near his love, who once was so alive. Sitting near his corpse, he could only attempt to cradle Kazutoshi's limp body. The final lyrics must have been altered, because what he sang wasn’t a tune of hope, it was a tune of mourning and desperation.
“Please stay by my side.”
Hope was no longer there for either of them, it had taken its time to bloom, and then it had been crushed, like a flower withering away. Ken was dragged off, as the aliens cheered. If this was such a great moment as they portrayed it, then it should’ve been Kazutoshi that won, because now he didn't know what to do without him.
Everything was going to be worse.