Rise of the Second
Defteros stared up at the stars. The night was mild, as it should be in a Greek spring.
Inside, he was not mild.
Only a few hours had passed since he had killed his brother. Killed his brother… He lifted a hand and stared at it. It seemed clean, but he knew it was really stained with his brother's blood. To his shock, he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Dammit! He wasn't supposed to cry! He wasn't supposed to let his emotions rule him! He was a demon, after all! The evil twin star of fate. The second…
And yet. The question remained.
,Aspros… why have you done this ? What has happened to your promise?'
A sudden presence made him jump to his feet. Staring down from the roof of the Gemini temple, he strained his eyes to see who had come. Somehow, that presence felt familiar…
A winged figure stepped out of the temple's entrance. Defteros inhaled sharply. Those wings belonged to only one person in the entire of Sanctuary.
„Sisyphus!", he called down. The figure halted and looked up to him.
„Good evening, Defteros", the brown-haired Sagittarius Saint replied. „How are you?"
After a second of hesitation, Defteros jumped down from the roof, planted himself in front of Sisyphus and stared into those deep blue eyes. Eventually he growled: „What do you mean by that?"
„Well, you see…" Did Defteros imagine things or was there really concern in the archer's voice? „I heard about what happened to Aspros, and I wanted to say that I am deeply sorry. Besides, I am concerned about you. Also… I heard that you intend to retreat to Kanon Island. Are you sure you want to do this?"
„Oooh, I'm touched. Since when does a second, a shadow, need to be concerned about?"
Sisyphus studied him for a long while, staring into those eyes the same blue as his own. Finally, he answered.
„You don't need to hide your pain behind rudeness, Defteros. I see it plainly. Don't deny it. You ARE in pain, even though you don't want to admit it yourself."
Again, against his will, Defteros felt tears coming to his eyes. He turned bruskly away so the other one wouldn't see them.
„Stupid jerk", he growled. „I don't know what you're talking about."
„Really?"
Something about Sisyphus' tone made him turn. When he looked into the Sagittarius Saint's face, he found a deeply felt concern and… yes, pain.
„Wha… why… why are you in such pain?", he stammered. „Why that concern for me?"
„Three reasons, actually", the brown-haired man replied, in a warm, calm and soothing voice. „Firstly, because Aspros was a good man. I have known him since childhood, you know that. Actually, I still believe he had a good core to himself. Secondly: I am concerned because you are not a shadow, not a second. Now not, and you never were. Especially now, as you will be taking over the duty of the Gemini Saint. You stepped out of the shadows, Defteros. Thirdly… Aspros… he asked me to look after you should anything happen to him."
The Geminian stared at Sisyphus for a second, completely bewildered. Then the words sank in, and the tears came back yet again. This time, however, he had not the strenght to fight them. It was as if his strenght was sucked out by the archer's words. He wanted to scream, to rage, to punch the stupid jerk. Instead, the pain in his chest seemed to grow to a new height and explode in his chest. He rushed at Sisyphus, pressed his face against the cool metal of his armor's chest plate, and cried. Cried like he never had before. All shame was gone, only pain existed. Warm hands held him and stroked his hair.
„It's alright, it's alright", the Sagittarius murmured softly. „Cry while you can, Defteros. You can be a demon afterwards, but for now, cry. Because there won't be a brother beside the one you lost. Believe me… I know how it feels like to loose a brother."
When Defteros finally calmed down, he took one step backwards.
„I'm sorry", he mumbled, whiping away the last tears in his face. „I… I don't know what overcame me. I shouldn't have let myself go like this."
„Hey, I said it's okay." Sisyphus gave him a sad smile. „As I said, you had only this one brother, and now he's gone. You know, they say that twins always share a special bond. Loosing a half of oneself is always painful. Be sad now, Defteros. You can be a demon from tomorrow on, but tonight, mourn your loss appropriately."
After a moment of silence, the Gemini said: „I can remember clearly. It was a starry night just like this one, when Aspros gave me his promise all those years ago. But… he forgot me, Sisyphus. He forgot what he promised me, and I continued to remain hidden. You're the only one knowing of my existence. And now you tell me he asked you to look after me should anything happen to him? I… I cannot decide wether to love or hate my brother."
„Why not both?", Sisyphus suggested. „Love him for all the good things he did, and hate him for all his grave wrong-doings."
„Tch…"
„Why?"
„As if that was so easy!", Defteros snapped. Then he continued in a calmer tone. „But I thank you, Sisyphus. Your words have made me feel strong enough to take up the duties of my brother. It does well to have someone who appreciates one's existence." He gave the archer a strong, short hug, like he and Aspros had always shared. „Thank you… my friend. I think now I'm ready to properly walk the path I have chosen… and to fullfill my duty as Gemini Gold Saint."
With that, he disappeared back into the shadows, leaving behind a lone, winged figure standing in the moonlight.
Author's note:
A little fanfiction about Sisyphus and Aspros, having a heart-to-heart after Aspros's death. It is rather old, and I might have written it a little differently today. And I have made a few little alterations to the version I uploaded on DeviantArt.
Yeah. I know. Defteros and crying? As I said, it's a little older. And Defteros is still a human like everyone else, no matter how much of a demon he wants to be. He still was once a boy loving his older brother. Sigh… I somehow love the friendship between the two Gemini twins and Sagittarius in the Classic Saga and in Lost Canvas. And I really wished Sisyphus had met Defteros waaay earlier. That one extra chapter of Defteros' Gaiden implies that Sisyphus has heard of Defteros (perhaps even just sortly before that scene), but never met him. I mean, they must have somehow bonded over their pain of Aspros' death no?
Aaanyways, I hope you enjoy! :D