Author's note – This story takes place back in the times of the Yuriev Institute. It was done for a contest at Xenolegacy and is mostly about Rubedo, and there might be a smidge of Rubedo x Sakura contained within it.
Rubedo was using the break the URTVs had received to head back to his room and read some more of the book he'd discovered the other day. Dr. Dmitri Yuriev had a veritable collection, and the three male variants tended to borrow from it when he wasn't keeping as close an eye on them as he usually did. Rubedo was the most common thief because he liked to lose himself within the worlds he read about. Although he didn't mind being the leader of the URTVs, there were certain times that he just needed to be anywhere but at the institute. He ducked into his room, avoiding one of the many attendants that kept watch over them. Seeing the book sitting on the desk in the room he shared with Albedo, he pounced on it and settled himself in the chair.
His solitude was short-lived. The door slid open yet again, and Albedo came running in with Nigredo following close behind. "Rubedo, you disappeared right after that last dive, and we couldn't find you! I was getting worried!" Tears sprang to Albedo's purple eyes. Rubedo braced himself for the onset of weeping that was sure to come. Albedo was always far too sensitive, and there were times that Rubedo just wasn't inclined to feel brotherly and comfort him. He'd disappeared for a reason and that reason was to have quiet time to himself.
"Albedo, I'm fine. I just wanted some time to read the new book I managed to sneak out. Why don't you and Nigredo…" Rubedo came to a halt, unable to think up a single thing he could have the two of them do. Realizing this, he heaved a sigh and closed the book with a snap.
Nigredo's green eyes were alight with curiosity. "What is it about that book that has you buried in it whenever you find the time? Albedo told me that you've barely even been talking to him since you started it."
Rubedo shot an annoyed glance in Albedo's direction, and Albedo gave a small sniffle. "It's nothing, Nigredo. It's just some book that I want to read. Is there something wrong with that?"
Because his gaze was focused on his black-haired brother, he didn't notice his twin stealthily move toward him. It wasn't until Albedo had snatched the book up and run back to Nigredo that Rubedo gave a yell of displeasure. He jumped out of the chair and rushed over to Albedo, grabbing for the book. Albedo shook his head stubbornly and danced out of his reach. He held the book up, read the title, and then tossed it back at Rubedo with a huff. "It's just another one of those Lost Jerusalem books. Rubedo, why are you so fascinated with that old place?"
Rubedo's blue eyes were distant. When he answered, he sounded as though his mind were elsewhere. "Because it's a place I think I would have liked. So much interesting stuff happened there, and I like reading about all of it. Take this book, for example. It's about all of the ancient traditions they had then. Yeah, we still have some of them, but so many have just up and vanished like they never existed. It's sad when you think about it."
Albedo waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, that's all boring stuff! They vanished because they were meant to, Rubedo. It was to make room for new traditions that are even better."
Rubedo closed his eyes. "I don't know about that. There's this really interesting tradition I want to try out. Reading about it made me wonder why it was even given up."
Nigredo, who'd been as silent as he always was, spoke up. "It must be for you to be this intrigued by it. Were you planning on telling us about it, or do we have to guess?" He smiled mischievously at Rubedo. As quiet as he was, he enjoyed bantering with his older brother and getting him a tiny bit aggravated. Rubedo was simply an easy target.
"Well, it's actually called a resolution. You make it at the start of a new year, and since tomorrow is exactly that, I wanted to try it out myself. The whole key to it is to make sure you keep the resolution, no matter what." Rubedo grinned at both his brothers.
Albedo gave a little sniff. "I still say it sounds boring. The only books I like are the ones where I can learn other languages. In fact, I found one that teaches…French, I think it was called." The three variants left the room, arguing good-naturedly about which books each of them preferred.
The next day, the three of them were scheduled for a dive into Sakura Mizrahi's subconscious. Rubedo was impatiently waiting for the dive to begin. He planned on talking to Sakura and letting her know of his resolution. He just had to make sure Nigredo could keep Albedo occupied while he did so. Albedo wasn't fond of sharing him with Sakura, and his mood degenerated quickly when they dived. He was already sulking inside his pod, his arms crossed and lower lip edged out. Rubedo sent a mental thought to Nigredo, praying Albedo wouldn't intercept it as he nearly always did. Nigredo, could you make sure that Albedo gives me and Sakura some space? I need to talk to her about something, and I don't need him hovering over my shoulder, crying that we need to go back.
Nigredo turned his head almost imperceptibly toward Rubedo. Albedo seemed not to have noticed anything as of yet, because his posture hadn't changed. I can try, but I don't think I can make any promises. You know how he is when he's separated from you.
Rubedo sighed and Albedo picked up on that almost immediately. Rubedo, what's wrong? Maybe we should tell Dad you're not feeling well enough to dive. You sound tired.
Rubedo's mental answer was almost harsh. I'm fine, Albedo. I don't need you trying to baby me. Sakura's counting on us. He heard the small sniffle, but he turned his head away, not in the mood to soothe Albedo's hurt.
As they sat down on the bench, Sakura smiled at Rubedo. "You seem excited about something, Rubedo."
Rubedo nodded, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah, I've got a surprise for you, Sakura! You know how much I love reading, right?" Sakura nodded, covering her giggle with her hand. Rubedo tended to regale her with stories of the books he'd recently read, so she knew very well of his love for reading. "Well, I snuck another book from Dad's collection. It's not like he'll miss it anyway, since I don't think he ever reads them. I hate the thought of them just sitting in that room, collecting dust. Books are meant to be read," he said passionately.
Sakura placed a hand on his arm, and the blood rushed to his cheeks. They were nursing the beginning of a crush, both of them, and Rubedo was easily flustered when she touched him now, after the kiss she'd given him on the cheek not so long ago. "You've given me so much because of those books, Rubedo. Thank you. Let's talk about what you read this time."
Rubedo explained, stumbling a bit due to his embarrassment. "Well, it was about Lost Jerusalem and s-s-some traditions they used to have. Albedo tells me that I'm weird reading up on it so much, but I l-l-like it. There was this one tradition I thought would be nice to try. It's called a New Year's r-r-resolution, and you have to resolve to do something and then keep that resolution. You can't let anything interfere with it."
Sakura looked intrigued by what he was saying. "I don't think it's weird at all, Rubedo. It's nice that you have such an interest in learning about the past. This New Year's resolution sounds like it could be fun. So what does it involve?"
Rubedo told her about how it was made at the beginning of the New Year. He took her hand, blushing furiously as he did so. "So I want my resolution to be for you. I resolve to make sure you get better. I won't let anything happen to you, Sakura. I promise."
Sakura gave him a bright smile and then squeezed his hand. "That's sweet of you, Rubedo." Their eyes met and silence reigned as they sat together, keeping one another company.
Not much later, Albedo's voice rang in their ears. "Nigredo, I don't want to go that way! You told me you were sure Rubedo was walking in the woods with her. We spent all that time looking for them, and we never found them! I bet they're at the house, and they were all the time!" He sounded very petulant, and Rubedo made a wry face at Nigredo when the two of them appeared. You definitely owe me for this, Rubedo. He's been very unhappy and you know how he is when he's like that. Nigredo's piercing green eyes showed very clearly the suffering he'd just gone through.
Rubedo grinned guiltily as he hopped to his feet. I know, I know. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow. I'm done anyway, so we'll be heading back. He leaned down to give Sakura a hug, face flaming again, and Albedo made a haughty and annoyed sound behind him. "Remember what I said, okay?" With Sakura's smile fixed in his mind, he hurried to join Albedo and Nigredo at the dive-out point.
It was on the next dive they made into Sakura's subconscious that things fell to pieces. While Rubedo, Nigredo, and Citrine were busy fighting the infected URTVs, Sakura and Albedo ran off to the beach. In trying to protect Albedo from U-DO, Sakura sacrificed her own life, knowing that Rubedo could never be complete without his other half. Albedo was busily trying to convince Sakura she needed to regenerate before Rubedo showed up when Rubedo appeared suddenly on the beach. He saw Sakura lying so still on the sand, and he ground to a sudden halt. He stood there for a minute, his eyes blank, and then with a howl, he rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms. "Sakura!" he screamed, the pain in his voice cutting through everyone save Citrine like a knife.
After Sakura's funeral, of which Dr. Yuriev had allowed Rubedo, Nigredo, and Albedo to attend, Rubedo was standing quietly outside, looking up at the stars sightlessly. He heard a noise behind him, and he said tonelessly, "I know you're there, Albedo. You don't have to hide."
Albedo slowly moved into the moonlight. "Rubedo, I'm sorry I didn't protect her somehow. She died saving me, and there wasn't anything I could do." He began to cry softly.
Rubedo shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Albedo. I made a resolution and I failed to keep it. The only person I blame is myself." He returned to staring at the sky, his blue eyes blinking hard against tears that were forming. "I won't ever make another resolution. I can see now why the tradition disappeared. I should have let it rest in peace." Breaking down at last, he barely felt Albedo's embrace as the roles were reversed and Albedo tried to comfort his distraught brother.