Monochrome Checkmate - Epilogue 2
Jul. 30th, 2017 06:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivalriesSeason: Spring
---
Location: Garden Terrace
Izumi: In reality, all those guys in Chess, who were once supposed to be his friends and comrades, had only ever wanted him to make them songs.
That's a given, of course, since he can't do anything besides compose.
They wanted only the addition of his weapons, which were better than anyone else's—only "the genius that was Leo Tsukinaga".
At first, that was enough for him, and he was happy to be acknowledged, but...
They only continued to take him for granted. The side of him that was just an ordinary boy was slowly being suppressed, and began to suffocate... And so he fell to ruin, bleeding out as he was crushed.
It could have been partly because he was weak. It could have also been because of all the schemes you put him through, and overall, it hadn't been a good time period in general. But in the end, it was all my fault.
Though it was an offhand decision, we named ourselves Knights. I became a knight, and yet I couldn't even protect him.
I only ever acted cool, too embarrassed to say my true feelings.
No matter how many times he'd tell me over and over that he loved me, I'd always retort that I didn't like him, and that we weren't friends.
Since he's an idiot, he probably just took my word for it.
Even though he cut away everything else and became hated by everyone, he still protected me... he still protected my dreams.
And yet, without even a word of thanks, I only continued to nag him endlessly... I didn't even realize it until everything had broken completely.
But even if I've realized that now, it's too late to regret. He couldn't handle going unrewarded any longer, and he froze up, unable to take another step...
He was spat on and rejected by everything he loved, after all.
Of course this would've happened. No person could endure this, whether known as a genius or called a monster... No one can live on without being loved.
It was never just that he was especially weak.
Tenshouin. Sometimes I still think about this every now and again, and I think you may feel the same way.
I think about how nice it would be if time had stopped right there and then, during the time we were all happy, and just forgot about our dreams.
If we could have just stayed unknown, without needing to be recognised by anyone. How nice it would have been if Knights had remained the two of us, just me and him staying as we were...
Talking about stupid things, laughing together, and living out an ordinary youth.
If it had stayed peaceful without anything falling apart, then right now... he might still be smiling by my side. I might be a hundred times happier.
But we can't turn back the hands of time. We clung on to our ambitions, pushed toward our dreams for the future, fought and drenched ourselves in blood, and arrived at this point.
We can't return to the past, and we don't have time to regret it, either.
That's why I said this was never a discussion to begin with.
Just as you requested, we'll move however you'd like us to in DDD. We'll join forces with you in order to crush Trickstar.
However, I'll be taking care of Yuu-kun. I'll protect him this time, and I won't let him be stolen away.
I love him, and even if he hates me, despises me... I'll protect him so he remains as beautiful as he is.
Eichi: That's fine by me. I intended to ask you to do so anyway.
I'm thinking of breaking Trickstar up, but as for making all four of them transfer to fine... I'm not so sure about that.
It would be a big help if you could take one of them for me. Do treat him with utmost care, for eggs are easily broken.
...Sena-kun. I do think about it too, sometimes.
How it might've been nice to stay lying on a hospital bed forever, having silly talks with friends who come to visit.
I might've been happy just with that...
But in chasing our dreams, we took up swords to head for the battlefield, and washed ourselves in the blood of others. We can't return to that peaceful life anymore.
After talking with you, I can finally understand—the reason why there was never a conclusion to the chess match I had with Tsukinaga-kun.
If the match was ever decided, our fun time would come to an end.
In making anything a competition, it'll turn into a clear divide of winners and losers. Once that wedge is driven in between, you can no longer remain friends or equals.
Like a small child, I wanted playtime with him to go on and on...
But I sought to win. I wanted to force into submission all those people who lived so healthily under the sun.
Cursing my own pessimistic, base, selfish, sickly self...
I wanted to make those I was jealous of grovel at my feet while I laughed loudly, all to discover my self-respect and my reason for living.
For the most part, I achieved that goal. The things I sacrificed for that purpose—if I picked them back up and gazed at them now, they would all seem meaningless.
...Looking back on it now, Tsukinaga-kun was a me who failed. A me who could neither become a ruler nor a king.
He was too kind, too pure, loved people too much...
And so he couldn't become an unfeeling king, a monster cast out from humanity... only a weak, foolish human.
~~~
< Epilogue 1 || Masterlist || Epilogue 3 >
---
Location: Garden Terrace
Izumi: In reality, all those guys in Chess, who were once supposed to be his friends and comrades, had only ever wanted him to make them songs.
That's a given, of course, since he can't do anything besides compose.
They wanted only the addition of his weapons, which were better than anyone else's—only "the genius that was Leo Tsukinaga".
At first, that was enough for him, and he was happy to be acknowledged, but...
They only continued to take him for granted. The side of him that was just an ordinary boy was slowly being suppressed, and began to suffocate... And so he fell to ruin, bleeding out as he was crushed.
It could have been partly because he was weak. It could have also been because of all the schemes you put him through, and overall, it hadn't been a good time period in general. But in the end, it was all my fault.
Though it was an offhand decision, we named ourselves Knights. I became a knight, and yet I couldn't even protect him.
I only ever acted cool, too embarrassed to say my true feelings.
No matter how many times he'd tell me over and over that he loved me, I'd always retort that I didn't like him, and that we weren't friends.
Since he's an idiot, he probably just took my word for it.
Even though he cut away everything else and became hated by everyone, he still protected me... he still protected my dreams.
And yet, without even a word of thanks, I only continued to nag him endlessly... I didn't even realize it until everything had broken completely.
But even if I've realized that now, it's too late to regret. He couldn't handle going unrewarded any longer, and he froze up, unable to take another step...
He was spat on and rejected by everything he loved, after all.
Of course this would've happened. No person could endure this, whether known as a genius or called a monster... No one can live on without being loved.
It was never just that he was especially weak.
Tenshouin. Sometimes I still think about this every now and again, and I think you may feel the same way.
I think about how nice it would be if time had stopped right there and then, during the time we were all happy, and just forgot about our dreams.
If we could have just stayed unknown, without needing to be recognised by anyone. How nice it would have been if Knights had remained the two of us, just me and him staying as we were...
Talking about stupid things, laughing together, and living out an ordinary youth.
If it had stayed peaceful without anything falling apart, then right now... he might still be smiling by my side. I might be a hundred times happier.
But we can't turn back the hands of time. We clung on to our ambitions, pushed toward our dreams for the future, fought and drenched ourselves in blood, and arrived at this point.
We can't return to the past, and we don't have time to regret it, either.
That's why I said this was never a discussion to begin with.
Just as you requested, we'll move however you'd like us to in DDD. We'll join forces with you in order to crush Trickstar.
However, I'll be taking care of Yuu-kun. I'll protect him this time, and I won't let him be stolen away.
I love him, and even if he hates me, despises me... I'll protect him so he remains as beautiful as he is.
Eichi: That's fine by me. I intended to ask you to do so anyway.
I'm thinking of breaking Trickstar up, but as for making all four of them transfer to fine... I'm not so sure about that.
It would be a big help if you could take one of them for me. Do treat him with utmost care, for eggs are easily broken.
...Sena-kun. I do think about it too, sometimes.
How it might've been nice to stay lying on a hospital bed forever, having silly talks with friends who come to visit.
I might've been happy just with that...
But in chasing our dreams, we took up swords to head for the battlefield, and washed ourselves in the blood of others. We can't return to that peaceful life anymore.
After talking with you, I can finally understand—the reason why there was never a conclusion to the chess match I had with Tsukinaga-kun.
If the match was ever decided, our fun time would come to an end.
In making anything a competition, it'll turn into a clear divide of winners and losers. Once that wedge is driven in between, you can no longer remain friends or equals.
Like a small child, I wanted playtime with him to go on and on...
But I sought to win. I wanted to force into submission all those people who lived so healthily under the sun.
Cursing my own pessimistic, base, selfish, sickly self...
I wanted to make those I was jealous of grovel at my feet while I laughed loudly, all to discover my self-respect and my reason for living.
For the most part, I achieved that goal. The things I sacrificed for that purpose—if I picked them back up and gazed at them now, they would all seem meaningless.
...Looking back on it now, Tsukinaga-kun was a me who failed. A me who could neither become a ruler nor a king.
He was too kind, too pure, loved people too much...
And so he couldn't become an unfeeling king, a monster cast out from humanity... only a weak, foolish human.
~~~
< Epilogue 1 || Masterlist || Epilogue 3 >
