A/N: Not mine, all Kouga Yun's. I don't make money out of it and the characters are not my creation.
This one bugged me until I wrote it. It turned out strange but now that's it written, I might as well post it.
ONE
At first, there was only One. One was alone— a single entity who had all the care and love of the world. One was pampered and had all one could hope for. One was privileged but didn't know it yet. One was the centre of attention and One loved it. One would forever try to be a sole entity again.
But then Two was announced and One became angry because One had to learn how to share. Two arrived and was beautiful. Two was cute and sweet-smelling and soft and One fell for him. Hard. One loved Two so much that if One wasn't careful it would consume them both. And One took it upon himself to care, to protect, to cater to Two's wishes and desires. Two was for him and Two would become his. Two would be One because One wanted Two all for himself and had no wish to share. Two was everything and deserved everything. But the world didn't love Two and Two was rejected. So One chose Three then went to get Four. If the world didn't want Two then he would change the world. Only then would Two be able to take his rightful place beside One, ruling over all because One and Two always should come before others.
One had a goal: make the world a better place for Two— at any cost and by any means necessary.
One had a motive: One loved Two.
TWO
Two has always counted well. Four at first: One, him and two others. When he learnt to count until ten, it suddenly dropped to two. One and him. But One left and Two was alone.
One. A number that was significant. One who had cared, loved, protected and comforted him. One wasn't his number but still, Two was the only one left so Two drifted. Two met others and learnt to count again. Then Two met Three and Three reminded him of One. Two and Three collided. But Two felt happy again. Two was cared for, loved and protected again. Two fell for Three. Hard.
Two learnt to count again. He learnt Zero. He counted well by then: Zero, Two, Three and three others. That made seven that counted. There was another that was significant: eight on good days. And One reappeared. Nine. But One was different and Two didn't like this One. Two didn't love this One and One wasn't pleased because One only thought about Two. Worse, One wasn't alone: he had Four with him. That made ten. Ten wasn't a good number. Two hated ten. Sure enough, ten hasn't brought any luck this time around either. One wasn't happy and One decided Three would join him again. One left— with Four, and Three. And Two was alone despite being in a group of seven. And Two felt the weight of One on his small frame.
THREE
Three didn't need to count. There had only been need for two. One and him— that made two. His first one had no name— he didn't matter in the end. He didn't deserve a name. Then Three met One— the One who loved Two and only Two. One had no love for Three but Three loved him all the same. Three needed One and One needed him. That was enough. One and Him, that made two even if his name was Three.
When One disappeared, he was left alone, like Two. He drifted too. But he met Two and he wasn't alone anymore. They were two again. Three didn't think he would like Two but fate decided otherwise. Two was beautiful. Two was cute and sweet-smelling and soft. Like One, Three fell for Two. Hard. Three loved Two more than he had ever loved One. Three needed Two and Two needed him. It could have been enough. But One came back and ripped it all. One came back and he wasn't alone. One came back and Three compared him to Two. And Three didn't love him anymore. But Three had only ever been allowed two and Two wasn't strong enough to compete. So Three left with One. But Three felt wronged and was angry. Which didn't happen often.
FOUR
Four could count well, but found no need to do so. There was One and One prevailed over all. One was everything and Four loved him unconditionally. There was Three but Four didn't like him because Three was unnecessary. There was Two but Two was a thorn in his side that he'd like to get rid of. But One wouldn't allow it. One loved Two more than anything and that grated on Four's nerves. There was another that would be Four's Three— if One would allow it, which he didn't. One, Him and the other— that made three. The number three was sufficient for him. But One disliked this other as much as Four liked him. So Four didn't spend as much time with the other as he would have liked. But that was alright when One looked at him like this. He preferred to spend time with One anyway. One would always come first. One was Four's everything.
One, two, three, four
This is a tale of love. And when love is concerned, other emotions are too. For them too for One, Two, Three and Four are the most important characters in this story. Everything revolves around them. And they love as strongly as they could ever hope. Their love is eternal and timeless. Their love is strong and unconditional. But their love is disproportionate. Not in the recipient of their affection. Not in the strength of their love because you can never love someone too strongly. But in its corollary. Their love was so strong that it trapped them in an endless loop. Their love brought forth jealousy.
One loved Two so much he could not conceive Two could love someone else. He could not accept Two's love for Three. One's love was so strong it became obsessive. One wanted to possess Two, to make him into a new One that would love him back as strongly. One's possessiveness turned into tyranny. One needed to control Two: his actions, his feelings, his memories, his whole life became a tangled web of which only One knew the intricacies.
Two loved unconditionally. Two loved One and Three above all. Two even loved inconsequential others. But Two didn't feel like he received a lot of love in return. Two needed comfort all the time but didn't know how to accept it or ask for it nicely. Two would get angry and snap and regret it later but Two didn't know how to apologize. And Two became needy. Two wanted Three for himself. Two became possessive. But Two never got what he wanted and thinking it unfair, became resentful.
Three loved One and Two. But he loved Two better, stronger and fiercer. Yet Three couldn't have Two and didn't know how to fight for what he wanted. Three hated Four. Three was jealous of Four's link to One. Three might love Two more, he still wished for Four's ink. Three didn't know how to repress anger— he could contain it, disguise it but he would still feel it. And Four— he hated him because he wanted what had Four.
Four was devoted to One. Mind, body and soul. Four didn't like to share either that's why he resented Two who robbed him of One's love. That's also why he hated Three, whom One always seemed to prefer even though Four was allowed more leeway. Three stole One's attention from him and Four hated him for it. Four had a special link to One but Two and Three's existences dimmed it to something ordinary. Four couldn't accept it.
In the end, it all revolved to One. One was the first and the beginning. One would be the end. With One lied all the answers and all the questions. All the motives and all the chaos. One was a puppeteer would masterfully lead the strings. Only Two was a marionette he couldn't completely control. But One still led the dance and One was determined to see the end of it as he saw fit because all in all, One loved Two so strongly it consumed them all.