A/N: Enjoy and no flaming.
WARNING: This fic contains major character death and super Arclight Angst. I advise keeping a box of tissues nearby while reading this fic. You have been warned. Read further at your own risk.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.
...
"Hang on!" Christopher Arclight shouted.
Thomas Arclight clung to his brother's leg, not even daring to look down.
"It won't hold us all!" Michael Arclight wailed, hanging on to Chris's hand with all of his might.
Chris's other hand held fast to the side of the cliff from which the three brothers were dangling.
"My, my," a teal-haired man smirked down at them. "It seems that you're in quite a predicament."
"Heartland...You tricked us," Chris glared up at him. "I should have known not to trust you. You told me that the portal where our father disappeared was here and that you and Dr. Faker had found a way to possibly bring him from it. I should have realized it was nothing more than a ploy to get rid of us."
"We couldn't have you brats going and blabbing about that," Heartland frowned. "And you three were so desperate to see your precious father again, that made it all the more easier to lure you here, but I didn't expect it to be this easy."
"We won't say anything!" Thomas yelled from below. "We swear we won't!"
"We promise we'll stay quiet!" Michael was close to tears.
"I know you won't," Heartland grinned evilly. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'dead men tell no tales'? Although in this case it's more like dead boys tell no tales." he stopped for a second to smirk at his 'cleverness'. "Goodness, I thought with you being Byron's sons you would have possessed at least some intelligence."
"Heartland, think about it," Chris tried to strengthen his brothers' request to be saved. "We could never tell what happened and even if we did, who would believe us? So, can you not look inside your heart to save innocent children from certain death?"
Dr. Faker's henchman thought for a moment before nodding.
"Of course," he said. "However, it will be hard to rescue all three of you."
Chris's breath caught and formed a lump in his throat.
"W-what?"
"While you are not at all overweight, it would still be near impossible to pull all three of you up at once," Heartland smiled a benevolent smile with a malevolent spark in his eyes. "Your brothers will have to hold onto something while I pull you up, Christopher."
"There's nothing for them to hold onto," Chris replied.
Thomas bit his lip and Michael whimpered.
"Well then," Heartland's smile faded into a toothy grin. "You'll just have to let them go."
"What?!" all three brothers shrieked.
"Think Christopher, at this very moment your two brothers are both being shown for what they truly are; burdens weighing you down and forcing you to accommodate their needs more so than your own. Simply let go of Michael's hand and kick Thomas loose and you could be a free young man with a bright future ahead."
"No!" Thomas cried, tears now falling freely from his eyes as he buried his face into Chris's pant leg. "Please, Aniki! Don't do it!"
"Brother, please don't drop us!" Michael pleaded, his fingers tightening around Chris's. "Please, big brother don't let us die!"
"It's them or you," Heartland continued ruthlessly. "See how selfish they are? Even no when you are at the brink of death, they think of themselves instead of you."
"We don't want to die!" Thomas wailed, his arms and legs wrapped around Chris's. "Please Chris! Please, Aniki, please don't kick me off. Don't let go of Michael! PLEASE! PLEASE, CHRIS PLEASE!"
"We love you!" Michael sobbed. "We love you so
much, big brother!"
"I love you too..." Chris whispered, his hands shaking. "Which is why..."
"NO!" Michael and Thomas screeched.
"I can't do it," Chris said. "I can't let my brothers die just to save myself. I can't. I can't let them go and I won't."
"Then you must accept the consequences," Heartland said.
"Then I'll die with them!" the silver-haired Arclight declared, glaring at Heartland.
"Suit yourself," the man brought his foot down on Chris's hand.
"Stupid boy," he sneered as the boys fell.
...
Thomas and Michael's eyes widened as Chris pulled them close to him as they fell together.
"Do you still not want to die?" he asked.
Both brothers answered together.
"We're with you, Chris."
Despite knowing that all three of them were doomed, they couldn't help but smile at one another.
"You could have lived," Michael said, two tears rolling down his cheeks.
"You threw it away..." Thomas sniffled. "Just for us..."
"Of course I did," Chris told them. "You're my baby brothers. I couldn't let my only reasons for living go. I'll be with you always. Even until the very end."
It was true, though he could have cut his losses and let the younger boys go, Chris knew that he could never live with the guilt of knowing that he had allowed his brothers, the two he was sworn by his duty as eldest brother to protect, to die. He would rather die with them than go on without them.
Smiling weakly at one another and crying, the three brothers joined hands and remained that way even as they disappeared into the mist. They would die as they had lived; as a family through anything and everything.
...
Three weeks went by before the bodies were discovered, but when they were, their fingers were still intertwined and all three still had smiles on their faces.
...
...
So, how was it? Did I make anyone cry?
Let me know in a review, but no flames.