"If you get another chance, be more kind to people! Deep down, you were a nice guy, Daryl!"
Large purple eyes shot open, pupils dilating. Messy blond hair was swept back, and a toned, bare chest was heaving.
Damn... Daryl thought, shaking his head to clear an image of a man with brown hair and dark coloured eyes framed with glasses. He sat up, dragging the covers off himself as he did so. After the second coming of Lost Christmas, he had abandoned the GHQ, escaping the elevator shaft he'd been in when the building collapsed atop of him. Daryl was no longer Daryl the Butcher; Kill 'em All Daryl. No, now he was just another 17 year old who was unwilling and unable to attend school. He pulled on an outfit that consisted of a white button-up collar shirt, grey pants and a blue tie, slipping on a watch and wide frame glasses.
In fact- the one thing he regretted most about his past was not killing his father- neither was it the killing of any other innocent being. Indeed, the thing he regretted most was the fact that he would probably never see the purple haired runt again. Not having to work for the GHQ gave him a lot of time for himself, and with little to no money, what could he spend that time on but think?
You were a nice guy... Internally, he'd concluded that yes, he was right in removing his father from his life, and the little bitch he'd called Emily. He meant nothing to Daryl anymore. But the thing that confounded him the most was Sendo Tsugumi. He'd been unable to keep the girl with the hime cut hairstyle, the grayish blue eyes, the mechanical neko ears and the brash and cheeky personality out of his head.
Be more kind to people... Yes, Daryl had eventually admitted to himself that the reason he'd protect someone like her was because he loved her. He knew they'd never meet again, and he knew that if by some slim chance they did, she would most likely run away. He smiled sadistically to himself, before glancing behind him. He had found a room in a cheap apartment building, and, while it was probably infested with a manner of germs and bugs, he accepted it. Some old man had taken pity on him, and with nowhere else to go, Daryl accepted it. Yes, he accepted it, as he accepted his fate.
He would never pilot an Endlave again. That was certain.
He would never see his father again. He was glad of it.
He would never see Tsugumi again. And the more he thought of it, the more it stung.
Daryl sighed and pushed the door open, walking out into the artificially lit hallway. He locked the rusty and creaking door behind him, and made his way outside. Raindrops were falling all around, painting the cracked concrete charcoal grey. The sky was a swirling abyss of endless greys and blacks, emptying its sorrow to the earth below. The rain pattered against the tin roofing of the building behind him with a regular beat, and Daryl could not bring himself to hate the weather. He walked about aimlessly, letting himself get soaked. In fact, he was looking up at the clouds, allowing the water droplets fall onto his face, when a short, wet, thing ran into him. He braced one foot back against the pavement and grabbed the weight threatening to topple itself and him over. Daryl mentally prepared himself for the barrage of angry shouting directed at him for not watching where he was going. What he was not expecting, however, was the small form in his arms to look up at him with large blue-grey eyes and drenched indigo hair.
"Thank you..." a small voice said. It took him some time to recognise the girl in a maid outfit in his arms. He stared absently at the mechanical neko ears atop her head.
"You can let me go now..." Daryl stumbled back, eyes huge.
"Ru-" If you get another chance, be more kind to people! "Tsugumi." Sendo Tsugumi brushed her skirt down.
"Daryl... Yan?" Daryl stretched one hand out towards her hesitantly. The proffered hand hovered alone in the murky grey day for a heartbeat, before a smaller, paler one took it. Daryl's thoughts were going haywire.
Had she been looking for me? Was I looking for her? Were we supposed to meet? Is she involved with someone?
"You look cold," he said instead. Tsugumi wrapped her free arm around herself.
"I wasn't expecting the rain," she replied. Daryl dropped her hand and tipped his head back to observe the sky. Last time the two of them had been together, they'd been trying to kill each other. In roundabout ways. As he lowered his gaze again, a thought struck him. She hadn't run away. Daryl swept a hand through his hair, succeeding only in wetting his hand.
"Where were you headed anyway?" he asked. Tsugumi bit her lip.
"I don't know. I just wanted to go for a walk... Somewhere." Daryl ignored the warning lights flashing in his head.
"Do you want to join me at that cafe?" he inquired. Tsugumi looked at him.
"You honestly don't seem like one to afford asking." Arrogant little-
Deep down, you were a nice guy, Daryl!
"You pay then," he growled. Tsugumi grinned, flouncing toward the brightly lit shop.
"I will then," she retorted playfully. Daryl chased the bouncing purple-black hair into the warm cafe. He immediately spotted her sitting at a booth against the window, and joined her.
"I like watching the droplets chase each other down the window..." she admitted absently. Daryl allowed a small smile to rise to his lips, watching her stare at the transparent liquid on the window panes. Tsugumi turned to face him, and he quickly looked the other way, his cheeks pinkening. A waiter stopped by their table, holding a pen and notepad.
"You're our first visitors," the brunette waiter admitted after a polite pause. "I believe the locals decided against braving the weather." Tsugumi smiled at him, her eyes shining.
"Then technically you've had the cafe open all this time just for us! Isn't that right Daryl?" The waiter laughed and placed a hand on the back of his neck, and Daryl glanced at the former Undertaker member with a raised eyebrow.
"I suppose so...?" The waiter collected himself and clicked the pen.
"So, what would you two like to order?" he asked.
"One hot chocolate please and..." Tsugumi glanced at Daryl, whose shoulder twitched.
"A coffee please."
"Black or white?"
"White."
"Very well." Tsugumi wrinkled her nose after the waiter left.
"You drink coffee?" she asked. Daryl leaned his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his fists.
"Yeah, well, it's a good thing you don't, or you'd be even more hyperactive." Tsugumi poked her tongue out at him and he chuckled. The two fell silent, watching the rain slide down the window and weigh down the browning leaves of the trees. After a while, the waiter returned with their requested drinks.
"Anything else?" he asked, setting down the beverages. Daryl shook his head without turning, and Tsugumi pulled a few coins out of her pocket.
"No thank you," she denied, handing over a palmful of the shining coins. The waiter bowed before disappearing. Daryl pushed Tsugumi's drink to her, before dragging his own in front of him. He watched Tsugumi draw three cubes of sugar from the pot and stir them into her drink individually. Daryl felt his eyebrow raising once again.
"Sweet enough for you?" he asked. She smiled charmingly.
"The drink has to make up what you lack," she said innocently. Daryl blinked a few times, dropping one sugar cube into his own drink with an audible plop. He stirred it slowly, refusing to meet Tsugumi's gaze. He felt a hand on the side of his face and he looked up sharply. Tsugumi was staring intently at him with her glimmering blue-grey eyes. She was leaning over the table, trying to get closer to him. Daryl pushed her hand away, glancing sideways out the window. His hands held the hot mug, and he heard Tsugumi sigh and move back to her seat. He risked looking away from the window to take a sip of his hot drink. It warmed him immediately, without scalding his tongue. He set the drink down.
"Tsugumi?" he asked tentatively. The young girl looked up at him, and he suddenly felt cold.
"Mmhmm?" she mumbled. Daryl's eyes softened.
"Do you ever feel lonely? After... After the Undertakers disbanded?" Tsugumi sighed again, holding her drink in both hands. She looked down at the warm brown drink, her eyes growing sad. After a moments silence, she replied.
"I... I'm used to being lonely. I grew up alone, so..." She trailed off, before meeting Daryl's gaze slowly. "Yeah," she admitted quietly. "It is lonely sometimes. I mean... It's not worth getting depressed over... But... The Undertakers were my life... I had nowhere else to go..." Daryl swallowed tightly. Why did his heart hurt? Why did his throat seem insistent on closing up? "But with Gai gone... Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk!" Her hands were shaking terribly, however, and she accidentally knocked her drink over. The warm liquid spread over the table slowly, and she stared at it with flickering eyes. Daryl snatched a handful of paper towels to mop up the drink, a distinct lack of urgency in his eyes. Their empty gazes met, and immediately, Daryl knew he'd been wrong. Killing his father had not been the answer. He regretted every kill he'd ever made... Just because he was no longer Daryl the Butcher; Kill 'em All Daryl... Didn't mean he hadn't been. His own hands trembled, and he spoke softly.
"I think... I think I'm alone too. Because even though I thought killing my father was right at the time... Even though all my kills seemed right at the time... I know now that they're not..." He fell into silence for a moment, before his hands unconsciously twined with Tsugumi's.
He found himself leaning closer, drawn towards Tsugumi's small, pink lips. Her greyish-blue eyes met his purple ones as he kissed her. He watched her eyelids slowly flutter closed, and he closed his own. He finally let all the pain from his life wash over him. He remembered all the birthdays his father had missed; all the times he'd looked to him for praise or affection. He remembered every face begging for the mercy he had not given; all the hurt he'd wrought on his fellow human beings.
Daryl felt a delicate thumb rub his sorrow away from his cheeks, and opened his eyes to see Tsugumi with tears gathering on her own lashes.
"Tsugumi..." he said thickly. She pressed her lips together into a thin line, pulling him against her over the table. Daryl's eyes shot open wide, before filling with emotion and spilling over. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, and silent tears left trails of molten silver over Tsugumi's cheeks. Eventually Daryl's anguish ebbed away, and he sat back, his eyes seeking Tsugumi's. Her hands were pressed over her face, but Daryl prised them away gently, winding his fingers between hers. Her hands were cold, her eyes full of grief, and Daryl hated it.
"Let's be alone together," he whispered. Tsugumi's eyes grew half-lidded, and Daryl held his breath. Was he being to forward? Was he pushing it? Did she even like hi-
"Daryl..." Daryl squeezed his eyes shut, drawing his hand away.
"When you confronted Gai in Loop Seven after the walls were deactivated, I... I attacked my colleagues to allow you time to escape." He heard no reply, and opened his eyes slowly. He saw Tsugumi watching him, and she swallowed.
"I know. I... That's when... That's when I first fell for you," she murmured. Daryl's eyes shot open wide and Tsugumi caught his hand. She was staring at him intensely. "I love you, Daryl." Daryl plucked several long strands of her hair falling over her shoulder, running them between his fingers.
"I love you too... Runt." Tsugumi released a short, tinkling laugh and poked her tongue out at him. He stood slowly, offering a hand to her. She took it, and the two left the warm cafe, Daryl slipping one arm around Tsugumi's shoulders. The clouds of the heavens thinned, the rain lightened to a fine drizzle. The streetlights glowed to life one by one, the golden stars twinkled above. The cold swept in, but was warded off Daryl by the small woman in his arms. No, Daryl was no longer who he had been.
If you get another chance, be more kind to people! Deep down, you were a nice guy, Daryl!
It was now; You got another chance, and now you're more kind to people! Even deep down, you are a nice guy, Daryl!