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Smile. Smile, smile, smile, smile.
Pretend that nothing's changed and everything's fine.
(I'm unneeded. I'm useless. What good is my talent if I can't make anyone happy?)
He thought back then that he had left the dark room behind him and stepped through a new door towards the future.
But he knows now that it had been an illusion. A lie. The moon he was gazing up at wasn't just a reflection, but a false one—shattered by the fragments of the mirror that once contained it.
What good is talent that only brings pain to the people around him? What good is power if all it brings is misery to the people he wants to see smile?
The smile of a sister watching his performance, the gratitude of the others accepting his songs freely gifted—those were all that he once needed. The label of genius, pushed onto him by other people, became a badge he once wrote with pride. Using that power bestowed upon him, he wrote and rewrote people's lives and trod upon their prides. He dyed the world in his colour, the amber sunset before the sun gave way to a starless, deep blue night sky.
Sena, tell me one last thing. ...Am I smiling?
Tsukinaga Leo had always lived his life by rules.
One, he was a genius.
Because he's a genius, he wrote good songs. Or was it because he wrote good songs that he's a genius?
(...Which came first?)
Two, he was the King.
No, he reminded himself, that was a rule of the past. It no longer applied now.
Sometimes rules really were hard to forget.
—Two, the King's orders are absolute.
The absolute of absolutes. To disobey meant dishonour. Meant death.
On the cusp of Requiem, by the side of someone he had always been envious of, he had commanded himself to believe in his friends.
The outcomes of Judgements that he lost resulted in him staying in Knights and eventually ended with him moving overseas into a small room within a small share house.
On the day of their final performance of <<MM>> vs Trickstar, his totally unfair, selfish King had commanded him to stay as the center of their showdown.
(Who raised this kid? Who? Who exactly does this kid take after to demand something so outrageous and yet totally in character?)
Three.
ĩ̸̢̨̨̧̙̳̝̥̙͙͕̟̙̯̣̱͎̼̟̙̙̩̥̜̤̪͈͇͈̣̱̬͚̩̤̮̟̊̑̍̄̈́͂̊͋͑͐̏̽̒̚͘͜͝͠ͅf̷̨̡̨̬̙͖͎̟̱̳͕͉̗̱̥̞͎̳̝̲̻͉͙͖̪̮̱̠͓̹̣͈̰͉͍͎͇̱̰̆́̅͗͊͂̂͛̽̄͆̈͗̀͒̊̉͑̇͗͌̄̍̍́͒̓̀̔͋͌̇̍̀̈̚͘͝͝͝͝͝͝ͅ ̵̢̡̢̡̛͎̘̥̟͈̱̥̠͔̦͔͍͈̹̮̙͍͉͎̟̠͓͙̭͚̦͔̪̝̪̩̥͙̖̻̲̣̖̽̈̒̊͛͛̾͐̊̅̃̍̀͌̋̒̽̀̄͂͋͐̄̆̇̍̈́̚̕͠͠ͅͅI̵̧̨̧̨̪͓͎̞̤̦̼͈̫̫͉͎̝̦͍̤̓́̂̀̽̎̽̉̈́͂̀̀̉͊͑̑͆͛͊̏̆̾̾̀͒̕̕̚͘͝͠͠͝͠ͅ'̴̛̜̪̟͚͉͖̑̆̑̽͆́͂̋̽̏͘m̶̧͒̔̄͌͋̑͆͑̽̇̅͛̓̉͘̚͝͝ ̶̛͚̤̪͚̄̄͒̀̉̅̊͋̓́͊͋̓͠n̴̘̪̜͈̥̮͓͇̜͇̟̟̤͛͆͑̀̿͗̅̂̋̽̄̇̿̈́͘ö̸̡̨̨̤͔̠̭̪̩̯̥͚̤̼̻͍͚͇̮̮̭̯̲̟̹͍͖̤̺̝̭͕̮̈͆̂̓͂͜t̵̛̳̃̃͊̀̓̍̐̀̑̀̿̿̓͌̈́͋̀̈̇̇͗͑͑̽̃̿̋͛̿̋̎͛̆͛̚͘͠ ̴̢̧̧̢̨͈͙̘̹͎͎̭̻̤̼̥̞̳̩͔͈̮̋̏̎̈ͅu̵̡̼̟̻̩͍̜̣̯͕̠͍͇͉͂̈́͋̔̈́̉̀̎̄̂̐́͒̃́́͗̅́̓͘͠s̷̛̛̱̖̳͖̝̤͇͇͙͎͕̹̬̹͉̤͖̬̄̊͆̈́̀̍̈́̐̾̆̇͛͛́͐̂̐̉̅̀͑̈̎͑̇̄̑̀͋͗̎̋̕̚͝ẽ̸̡̛͓̞̫̖͕̤̠͇̔̎̇̀̅̎͑̍̅̑̓̽̒͠͠f̷̡̧̦͚̝̜͎̹̝͓͍̭͎͚̲͓̍̋͑̈́̊͝͠͝ͅu̶̧͙̝̬̬̼͗͂́́̽̔̔̔̓̋͂̃̈̾̆̆͊͆̈́̆̽̿̀͊̕͘͝͝l̸̨̼̩̦̙̼̞̬̦̹͇̓͐̀͆̏̍̐̒̀̿̽̓͒̀͌̿͌̉͊̉̅̕͝ ̴̨̧̛̟̥͉̞̫͍̳͔̘̞̦̘̺̖̬̣͎̟̜̺͕̥̮̯̞͚̳̬͙͔̥̹̀̌̇̅̌̏͐͗͑̃̐̈̀͋͋̒̓͂́̾̽̉͌̀̿̒̀͊̑̃̃̕̚͠ͅI̴̛̠̥̝̙̘̟̜͈̠͕̤͚̗̙̍͌͆͒͂̐̏̈́̑͂̄̀̓͊̈̆̃͂̂̊̉́̐̍͐̂̓͂̒͌̅̿͆͒̎̍̾͘̚ͅ'̶̛̛̘̦̫͓͕̫̦͈̣̩̝̠̉͗̔̏̑̋͋͗̃͆̿̒͆́͗͒͑͊̊̿̀̄̌̀͋̔̓̈́̊̑̔͒̉́̇͋̈́͘͜͝͠͝l̷̢̛̛̰̥̠͎̫͇̰̺͙̻̰̈́͒̌̈̈́̆̽͗͘͝͝l̶̲̖̲̇̈́́͒̈́͐̊̋̆̐̊̎̐̈͛͑̆̈́̒̇̾̐̿̓̈̄̀̾̎̀̆̓͂̃̐̓͒̚̚ ̸̢̼̗̣̣̫͒̏̎̀̏̃b̵̨̡̰̤͎͚̥̜̱͈̙͙̲͖̙̩̫͉̖̱̤͕̠̌͐͌̒͌͒̑͗̽̊͋̏͒̕͜͝ȩ̷̡̧̡̨̛̛͉̫͔̼̜̲̼̲̘͎͍̱̦͈̯̳͔̠̦̙̜̜̞̦̞͉͖̹͓̹̜̰̱̣͖̯̮̩̹̓̈́̌̎͊͌͌́̀̿̈́̈̋̓͌̓̆́̒̓̾̃̀͆̎͘̚͜͠ ̵̢̧̧̛͍̺̫̦͎͉̣̞͍̺͙̞̫̠̥̟̗͙̗̘̲̮̫̟͕̦̜͋̿̐̿̈͆̀̆̍͗͋͗̈́̓̆́͑̍͘͜͠͝͠͝ͅa̷̡̢̛̭̰̥̙͓̯̰̟̼̜̪̻̯̙̣͈̳̼̳̜̙̝̦̺̝̯̩̪͍̪̖͔̩̩̼̅͒̏́̔̄̓̾̾̈̉́͛̄́̑̾̔͛̈͐̈́̔͘͝͝ͅͅͅb̸̨̛̛̯̜̞͇̤͚̥̤͉̮͓͕̹̠̟͔̤͙̖͙͔̘̯͔͕̽͆͌̓́̀̔̆̄̊̊̇̃̎̄̏̽͆̊͛̓̅͐͂̈́̓͆̄̅̚͘̕͘͠͝͝͝͠͝͝͠ͅą̷̧̡̡̛̤̝͈̤̝͔̳̯̣̘͕̳̙͓͉̠̺͈͉͉͕̟̬͚͚͔̳̘͛́̆͂̑̽̌̽̈́̾̏̓͒̇̎̾̇́̃͛̒̒̚͘͜͜͜͠͝͝ͅņ̶̡̡̢̧̧̡̢̛͓̲̬͈̮̪̹͙̗̝̫͍̫͈͎̼̹̤͕͙͉͚̼͕̺̩͍͔̗̦̋̎̿̔͊͂͗́̀̉̉̿̊́͒͌̂̐̚͘̕͝ͅd̴̞̣͖̯̥̪̓̎̋̾̀̾̋̀͗͌̋̎̂̌͒͌̓͛͋̍̎̂̊̐̓̂͐̿͆̾͗͗̋̓͐͘̕̚͘̕͝ơ̴̧̨̢̡͍͓̩͔͉͍̪̖͓̖̭͎̺̳̰̾̿̇̾̊̋́̈́̈̽͋͗̎̓͋͒̄̓͊͐̂̍̀̓̚̕̕͝͝ņ̷̨̧̤̱̹̞̤̬͇͔̯̳̲̝̫̯̟͍̣̳͚̲̯͎̙͎̘̳̻̈̈́̀͋̏̄̆͋̑̊̈́̉̒̒̑̈͗͂̈́͐͌͛̕̚̚͜͜͝͠͝͝ͅę̶̢̢̨̛̛͖̗̦̝̯͇͓̝̭͙̠̮̜̜̘̮̥̹͖̬͉̼͈̱͔̩̗̦͕͇̹̳̗̪͕͈͖̟̠̓̂̀̀́͗͌̈́͑͊̈̄̍̀̽̈́͐̐̈̾̌͗̀̂̾̂̇̂̒́̓̀͐̌́͘̚̕͜͠͝͠͝͝d̴̨̛̳̭͙̝̠͖̯̤͕͒̾̊̏̈́̋̓́͆̅̎̿̄̏̎̃̉̎́̍͋͐̓̍̑̚͘̚̕̚ͅ.̶̧̥͔̱̱͙̙͈͖͉̖͈̬̹̘̯̮̝̠͕͙̙́̈́́̇̾̎̄̎́̒͌ͅ.̸̡̢̪̺͔̠͕̩̙̝̞̝͖͉̲̤͗̍̋͗̊̓̌̑̃͆̍̓͋͂̓̾̾̍̚.̴̢̨͙̳̪͕̲̹̝̜͈̤͈̲͓̣͍̺̳͕̣̫̩̞̺͉͚͙͈̇̑̓̓͊̾̉̈́̐̀͒̍́̂̄͂̄̒̀͆̃̾̓͌̅̈́̄̔̑̈͌́̎̎̕̕͜͝͝
That'd would be me if Sena ever said he didn't need me!
How long had it been since that moonlit night when he'd said those words and shivered immediately after...
(Talkative and easily distracted; needs to improve self-control and classroom manners. Years and years of report cards and teacher feedback.)
Leo had thought Yumenosaki was a fresh start: a place where he could meet other people like him. He had thought everyone his friends, only to learn that they had only ever desired the weapons he could bestow.
Unneeded. Unnecessary. If the weapon known as Tsukinaga Leo had not existed inside this timeline, would the war deemed necessary have claimed so many in its purge?
But there was his first friend, that gentle person who kept watching over Leo, who led Leo to believe that people could be as pure as the beautiful crescent moon.
Whatever Sena desired, whatever Sena wanted, he'll give—whatever it takes of him, however it destroys him.
But Sena wants to leave, to start afresh, to grow strong without relying on a monstrous power.
Proud, and so breathtakingly kind.
Ah, this was who he had fallen in love with all those years ago from the very first note he heard...
But...
...do you not need me anymore?
Sena.
Smile.
The shopkeeper asks if he's not buying a second piece of bread today.
Smile, smile, smile.
The barista hands over the two cups of coffee he'd ordered accidentally.
Pretend that nothing's changed and everything's fine.
The small, cozy room where he thought the two of them had started their new beginning was never so empty or devoid of warmth before.
Groceries placed on the table, he falls heavily onto the bed that used to be Sena's, the sheets that used to smell like Sena growing fainter and fainter everyday.
If he doesn't eat, Sena will get mad. If he doesn't bath, Sena will also get mad...
Ahh, that's right. Sena's shampoo is getting low, so he needs to buy a replacement soon. Sena's perfume that Sena took with him back to Japan, well, what was the brand again...?
Closing his eyes in exhaustion, Leo finally lets the sides of his lips slump down.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he'll continue smiling. Tomorrow he'll find the strength to continue believing.
But for tonight, on this cold and lonely, moonless night, he'll bury himself in the absence of the person he still loves and let himself cry.