𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - s. ᴍᴀɴᴊɪʀᴏ

𝟎𝟒𝟎: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲

"Don't worry about him, I'm sure he's just tired," you tell Mikey, who was still looking outside of the door, "I hope he didn't force himself to stay awake while waiting for me to wake up."

Mikey turns back to you, "Again, your eyes..." He looks at you with worry.

"It's nothing, really! How are you, though?" You try to shift the subject. Mikey looked hesitant. "I don't know..." He says honestly, "Izana just... Died in front of me. I think... I think I failed him."

Failed him?! You look at him in disbelief, "You... Care about that?" Mikey slightly squints his eyes at you, "Even if we weren't blood-related, he's still my brother. I accepted him. He didn't deserve to die like that!"

You could tell Mikey was offended at your reaction. He's incredibly welcoming to accept Izana as his family. But after what he said? What he's done? That he's basically involved in Emma's death? You couldn't make any sense of it at all. You didn't know how to respond to him either, without hurting him. "So..." You shift your gaze, "How's Hina and Takemichi? They got back safe?"

"Yeah," Mikey answers blankly. You could tell he was displeased that you changed the subject again. You try to muster up the right words to say to him. "You're very kind, you know? Wanting to save Izana after... What's happened," you try to be vague so it wouldn't sound like you were supportive or unsupportive of his acceptance of Izana. It could be because you were held captive by Tenjiku and he degraded you and Toman without any remorse. But you couldn't find it in you to feel empathetic toward Izana at all.

You continued to speak, "But... I think you should..."

Stop caring about him. Stop blaming yourself for his death. You remembered the vision of Mikey with Izana's earrings tattooed and white hair to match him. Even with Izana gone, he's still somehow left a mark on Mikey's mind.

"... Start focusing on yourself," you still didn't know what to say. You then realized that you're being gentle with the boy. When earlier, you were determined to try to pry out the darkness from him. Whatever that meant...

"You don't like him, do you?" Mikey asks as if he read your mind. You turn to him quickly, surprised that he could tell. Then again, it would be obvious to anyone to view him as unlikeable after what you've been through. "I don't blame you if you hate him. But he's still my brother. If he and I just met sooner, maybe he wouldn't have turned out like this. Maybe he wouldn't be dead..."

Mikey's eyebrows dagger, "I'm sure it was that bastard, Kisaki's fault! But there's no need to worry about him anymore, he's dead now," he turns to tell you. You showed no emotion since you've already seen it. Mikey looks at you strangely, "Isn't... That a shock or relief?"

You finally remembered Mikey doesn't know you could see the future. You wonder if you should tell him now that he knows about Takemichi. But if Mikey does go dark, will telling him backfire? You didn't have any logic to back up why that wouldn't be a good idea, but you felt it in your gut. Mikey puts his hand on your thigh and rubs it, "Sorry, you've been through a lot. I don't mean to overwhelm you with my troubles."

You look up at the boy immediately, "No, no! You don't need to apologize for that. I just spaced out!"

"No, you wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if I hadn't burdened you... You got targeted by Tenjiku because of me," Mikey blames himself. You put your hands on his shoulders firmly, "You're not a burden to me! No matter how dark your thoughts are, I'll gladly-"

You stopped yourself. Those words Kakucho said aligned with one of your visions. Specifically, the timeline where Mikey killed everyone. You wonder if you're repeating a mistake or not.

"I'll gladly help you overcome it!" You finally finish your sentence, changing the wording so that it didn't sound enabling. "How...?" Mikey asks you. His eyes looked both curious and sad. You didn't know the answer. The answer that would lead to the next step to overcoming his darkness. And the answer he wanted to hear.

"I... Don't know..." You tell him honestly, "But I'll find a way! As I said in my ema, I'll remain by your side!"

Mikey smiles at you sadly, "Your words are comforting." You wonder what he means by that. He crawls on the bed and lays down. You lay your head next to his. Mikey stares at the ceiling, "Emma..." He says quietly.

Even though he was the one who lost his sister, you felt like crying. You didn't know what the move was. Does he prefer you to be silent or does he want to be held? Mikey answers that question unknowingly by holding your hand. "I don't know if I can face gramps right now... I don't know if he knows yet, either..."

Before you could say anything to him, Mikey spoke. "When Emma and I were kids, she used to try and catch me around the playground in our neighbourhood," he chuckles softly, "I mean everywhere. Around the structure, down the slide... One time, when she was chasing me on the monkey bars, her hands slipped. She hurt her leg really badly since she was still so small. I had to carry her on my back."

"Gramps scolded me. Shinichiro didn't blame me though. She had to be in a cast for a week," he finishes his story. You ask if he thinks his grandpa will scold him again, referring to what had just happened. Mikey shrugs, "Gramps is a sensitive man, he'll probably be really angry about it first."

"I had a dream," Mikey turns to you, "You were in it." You tried to stop yourself from crying. Though he smiled beautifully at you, it was clear he was distraught. His eyes twitch slightly, trying not to shed a tear and his mouth quivered as he spoke. "We came over to Emma and Ken-chin's... Takemitchy and Mitsuya were there too. We were drinking sake and being loud. You'll scold me a few times to be quiet because the baby was just put to sleep. And when the baby wakes up and starts crying, Emma got mad at me and chased me around the living room..."

You feel Mikey's hands shake as he held onto yours. "I feel like... That's what would happened... If she had only stayed alive. Maybe, if I kept her closer to me, Takemichi wouldn't have been pressured to protect her. I would've gladly taken the hit for her."

"Mikey, it isn't-"

"My fault? I knew you'd say something like that..." Mikey cuts you off. "I don't know what I'm gonna do after this. After telling Gramps. After organizing the funeral..."

You shift your body to the side to face him, "You can take as much time as you need. Toman will wait for you. I definitely will wait for you." You turn back, laying flatly, "You can stay here until you're ready to talk to your grandpa," you suggest.

Mikey shifts to his side and puts his arm around you, "Can I... Stay here forever?" He asks suddenly. Placing his head above your heart. Your face warmed up, bashful from both his question and his touch.

You place your hand on his head and begin to comb his hair. "This spot will only be for you," you tell him softly, "No one else."

As Mikey closes his eyes. He starts to feel himself slowly falling asleep. A tear leaves his eyes. You can feel the wet droplet on your chest. You try your best to keep your composure as he's under you. Not wanting to wake him.

You began to cry yourself. Trying your hardest not to be loud. You knew the mission you burdened yourself with won't be easy. You wonder if you're strong enough to stop Mikey on your own. If you're enough to convince him to not succumb to his darkness.

Chapter forty, end.