fictionalized | fanfic; cultivation; part 10

▶ Part 9

—

It’s something that neither of them can escape from—their time is coming to an end.

Ergo, Tiir is determined to spend as much time as he can with Minato before the latter’s relatives take him away. This time, for Minato, he can only hope that they’ll keep him. Minato deserves at least that much (even if damn it, it hurts to have him leave as well).

As if sensing his mood, Minato speaks.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “… For leaving.”

Tiir looks at him, smiling.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he says, making sure to look happier than he feels. “Besides, Lafra and Pueka are still here with me, so it’s not like I’ll be completely alone. And I told you, didn’t I? I’ll be sure to visit you. This isn’t the end.”

“… Mmm.”

It’s clear that he isn’t getting through to Minato, so Tiir merely settles for ruffling his hair, his smile never faltering.

“Well then. Are you ready to go?”

Minato nods, clutching Kuma-san. Tiir rummages through his bag, double-checking to see that he has everything, as Lafra and Pueka approach.

“Ready?” Lafra asks. Just as Minato had done a moment ago, Tiir nods.

“We are, at least,” he replies. “I don’t know where Walter is.”

Lafra just smiles. “I can’t believe he’s actually coming with us.”

While it’s hardly unusual for Tiir to go out shopping with Lafra and Pueka—and with Minato’s inevitable departure, of course he’d accompany them—Walter is most definitely a rarity. As a matter of fact, over the years that Tiir has known Walter, he’s noticed that the other boy seldom leaves the orphanage area, save for when he attends work. Tiir doesn’t know the details of what he does, except for the name of the man whom he works as an apprentice under. Otherwise, he keeps out of Walter’s business, and the favour is returned.

It’s hardly a surprise, really, given that Walter deals with the public even worse than Tiir does. Given the choice to interact with them and not, Tiir can’t blame him for choosing the latter. That said, however, there’s one reason Walter would choose to act outside of his norm.

Namely, one girl.

“Well, it’s more convenient this way,” Pueka says. “I don’t think there’s much of a point in not going together…”

“And who is he to say no to Shirley?” Tiir adds, unable to repress a smirk. “She could ask him to travel halfway across the world and he’d do it in a heartbeat.”

Fortunately for Walter, all Shirley wants is for him to fetch something, hence his accompaniment on their shopping trip. Tiir can’t say he’s thrilled about being in Walter’s proximity, but he doesn’t particularly mind either. More importantly, Minato seems to be happy about it. All things considered, Walter’s presence has become significantly more bearable than before. Perhaps Minato simply has that influence on people—whether on Walter or Tiir himself, Tiir doesn’t know.

“And speaking of the devil—” Lafra’s voice interrupts Tiir’s thoughts, as he turns to the newcomer. Walter, standing tall as usual, is shooting them a glare. Or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that he’s giving them his typical expression.

“Ready, Walter?” Lafra asks as if Walter doesn’t look like he’d rather be elsewhere than there. Walter makes the slightest of nods, before moving past them and to the door. At that, Tiir simply lets out an amused noise.

“It looks like that’s our cue.”

—

It’s a beautiful day, which Tiir is thankful for, if not picturesquely so, with the sky clearer and bluer than it has been the past few days. He hopes that it’ll keep up, as Kuu has a tendency to complain when the weather’s bad and she still has to work. Something about it being bad for a 14-year-old maiden—Tiir would be lying if he said he made an effort to listen.

—Though at the thought of Kuu, something in Tiir’s chest tightens, as he thinks of Guriko.

“… Are you okay?” Minato asks, peering up at him. Tiir smiles, tightening his grip on Minato’s hand in what he hopes to be a reassuring manner.

“Of course. I’m with everyone, after all.”

At that, Minato returns Tiir’s smile with a small one of his own, still holding onto his teddy bear with his free arm. A part of Tiir is warmed at its presence; he’s glad that Minato will have something to remember the orphanage by once he leaves.

Meanwhile, Lafra is attempting to strike up a conversation with Walter, who is unresponsive, for the most part. A reaction here and there indicates that he’s not entirely ignoring Lafra—or else Tiir might’ve had a few choice words for him—but to call it a proper chat would be an exaggeration. Fortunately, Lafra seems mostly undeterred. Tiir has to admire his determination, at the very least. To the side, Pueka merely watches the two, a peaceful expression on her face.

A picturesque scene for a picturesque day. It’d all seem so perfect were Tiir not painfully aware that it won’t last, with Minato’s eventual adoption. A part of him feels horrible for thinking that way, when it should be a blessing for Minato, but he can’t quite deny the loneliness swelling up inside of him.

Still, Tiir tells himself, now’s not the time to be thinking about that. He can reflect over such things when the day comes—not now, while everyone (well, save for perhaps Walter) is enjoying themselves. That’s the entire point of this, after all. To be happy—

“We’re almost there,” Pueka says. Sure enough, Tiir can see the store not far ahead. The crosswalk sign changes, and they begin to cross the street. Tiir holds Minato’s hand tightly, not forgetting Guriko’s near incident. For a moment, there’s almost silence, as the cars stop, with none passing by them.

Luckily for both him and Walter, it’s a fairly quiet area. Not enough to be eerie, as a handful of people stroll by, but secluded enough so that neither of them has to feel uncomfortable in their presence. It’s the kind of place Tiir wishes every area were like, as it’d certainly make leaving the orphanage a more pleasant experience. The route to his workplace is far, far too crowded by his standards, and he gets the feeling that Walter has the same sentiment towards his own job.

Really, it feels too perfect.

“Tiir?”

Tiir blinks at the sound of Pueka’s voice, and it’s then that he realizes that he’s halted, two-thirds across the street. Pueka smiles at him gently, while Lafra continues to be absorbed in his one-sided conversation with Walter. By Tiir’s side, Minato seems to be as out of it as ever. At least everyone stopped for him, though.

“Are you all right?” Pueka asks. Tiir smiles wryly.

“Everyone seems to be asking me that lately.” Apparently, he’s been too obvious. He makes a mental note of it.

“That’s because…” Pueka starts, before trailing off, looking uncertain. She never has been good at being blunt. Tiir gives her a comforting smile.

“I’m fine.”

He will be. He knows that for a fact.

It’s a beautiful day to be alive, after all.

For a moment, he looks up at the sky—clear, blue. He listens to the sounds around him, of people chatting (“So, Walter…”), of a moving car—

—What?

Then he sees, and his blood runs cold.

Memories of how Guriko was nearly hit run through Tiir’s mind, despite it being the worst time to remember such a thing. It must’ve only been a second from when he sees the car, turning around the intersection with apparently no intention of slowing down, to when he reacts—but for Tiir, that second is shorter and longer than any other.

He’s not certain if his life flashed before his eyes, but in that moment, he thinks of his father, who nearly killed him, and Ene who saved him. He thinks of memories he hates, and memories he cherishes, and everything in between.

(“Live, Tiir.”)

Then instincts kick in. It’s only for the briefest of moments, as he sees the others—shock written in Walter’s face, as he moves in a flash of white, and Lafra shoving Pueka. If asked to recall the details later, he wouldn’t be able to describe them, his mind focused on one thing. He doesn’t waste any time with seeing Minato’s reaction, as in that instant, however brief, he acts.

Moving to dive out of the way, he grabs Minato and pulls him into a tight embrace, not even giving the boy the chance to make any noise. He hits the ground hard, sharp pain running through his shoulder and head—but the sound of impact is even sharper, while the screams around him blur into nothingness.

God, please—

A silent prayer to a god he only half-believes in, and everything goes black.

—

▶ Part 11