Asch looked in the general direction of where Crescent Island was supposed to be and sighed.
He just returned from said island a week ago, and yet, he found himself wanting to return to the island. It was an island meant for Fon Master's retreat, but Asch had no interest for such things. To take a break from everything would only make him crumble, and he hadn't wanted that.
He was sure Ion hadn't wanted that either. The younger boy had made it his mission to prevent him from regressing, as he put it after all. He'd task Asch with distractions, and as much as Asch hated to admit it, he was grateful for all of those distractions.
Crazy Ion with his crazy ideas... was what kept him sane these past years.
Asch knew.
That's why, he wanted to go back.
He wanted to go back to Crescent Island, and make sure.
As he closed his eyes, inhaling the refreshing breeze on the Daath Port, memory of that day a week ago came back to his mind.
It's a game... Our last... hahaha... I'm scared... I'm scared...
Luke... you'll... you'll blow me away to somewhere far... and you... you have to... take responsibility...
I still... I still want to be with you... with Arietta, Cantabile... even with Hibiscus too! I miss the cheagle... can you... can you imagine th-that?!
So...
Please... Luke, please...
Find me...
Asch heaved another sigh.
What an irresponsible request to make.
He then looked down to his hands and somehow found himself wondering.
Was it true, the thing Ion said? The last words he said...
"Ah there you are, Luke. I've been looking all over for you."
Asch turned around and glared at the newcomer. Ever since Ion's death, only one person called him with his true name. The woman clad in black smiled at him mischievously before rustling his long blood colored hair, much to his annoyance.
He grunted and smacked her away, resulting in her laughing her arse off.
"So serious, as always, huh."
"What do you want, Cantabile?"
At the question, the woman's face tensed, and her smile fell.
"Me? Well, I want nothing of you for the moment. Can't say the same about Van though."
Asch clicked his tongue at the statement.
"Come on. Let's go back before he got yourself in trouble."
Uncertainly, he nodded and followed Cantabile back to the holy city.
Sometimes Asch felt as if his work had been reduced to that of a baby-sitter ever since Ion became too weak to deal with his work anymore.
Few months before, just as his seventh replica was deemed ready to fool the populace, Ion's condition got even worse, and so he was brought to Crescent Island to spend his last days in. Needless to say, the replica was then made to do Ion's work, with Asch by his side to help him until he's used to them. Thankfully, the replica was a smart one, so it didn't take more than a month until everyone deemed him capable enough to work by himself, much to Asch's relief. After that, Van gave him the job to help Sync to start his work. Sometimes he wondered why Cantabile hadn't been the one given the job, since she seemed to like replicas and she was the best in what Van wanted Sync to do, but then again Asch had noticed that he didn't trust her very much.
Cantabile's allegiance was to Ion, and both didn't trust Van. Not one bit.
Perhaps Van realized it too, that even after Ion was gone, Cantabile was still dangerous. Asch himself had no doubt that whatever Ion had in mind, the crazy kid was sure to have planned for the future without him, Cantabile would surely make it happen.
She trusted Ion too much. And ever since that incident when she was caught by Van and kept in dungeons for days, she hadn't been his biggest fan.
Sync was, without a doubt, a pain to take care of. The fifth replica always looked at him with eyes which shown wonder and a sick sense of unity deep within him. Those eyes annoyed him. That was why he gave him his mask. Van seemed to approve however.
It would help to hide the truth from Arietta, he had said.
Most of the time, Asch left him to his own devices. He knew that Sync went to the dungeon a lot, but he couldn't care less about it.
Arietta had been demoted, and to distract her from taking the replica Ion, which everyone wouldn't put it past her, Van had given her many missions. She was demoted by Ion himself. Both had cried that day, although only Asch was there to see Ion's tears. Perhaps also Cantabile. The woman had eyes everywhere.
Asch wondered if now, in her free time, she was still crying. Perhaps the reason Van called him was because Arietta was crying.
Van made him go to see her everytime she cried, as Asch was considered on of her special person. More than Largo, whom Asch knew treated her like the daughter he couldn't keep, Arietta trusted Asch more.
Calming her had always been a pain too. Her eyes sometimes similar to Sync's.
How dreadful.
"So. How are you doing?"
Cantabile started conversely, her one good eye locked on the morning sky, which would surely turn to orange when they arrives.
"I'm fine."
"Somehow I doubt it. Come on. It's just me. Talk to me, Luke."
"I'm talking."
The woman sighed audibly.
The sky... Asch supposed it's the same with the sky from years ago.
The sky when he set out with Ion and Arietta to look for Cantabile, whom had gotten herself captured by Van.
"Nice weather isn't it? I hope tomorrow would be nice like this too."
Everyone but Asch had nodded in agreement with smiles on their faces.
Asch honestly couldn't care less.
He just...
…
..
.
What?
What did he want that day?
Asch found himself wondering as he walked. He couldn't remember what he thought that day, even though he was sure it was on the tip of his tongue.
When he realized it, it was already evening, and they were already on Daath. He didn't know if he'd stopped and ate in the way, since Cantabile clearly brought food with her, but since he didn't feel hungry, he supposed he had.
"Right. I'm off to the Academy then. Sure as hell they're looking for me too."
Asch nodded absentmindedly.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?"
Cantabile said as she cupped Asch's face, looking worriedly into his vibrant green eyes. The sight made him swallowed before answering, sounding less than certain.
"... yes."
She didn't seem convinced.
"Dude, you're going to work under him."
"I've been working under him for five years now."
"But only technically. Now is the real deal."
"..."
"And it's the whole truth with Ion gone."
"I've prepared lots of stuffs for you later. Have some faith in me, will you? "
Asch gulped again as memory of Ion once again came to his mind.
Ion, lying prone on his bed... smiling his secret smile...
"... I know. I'll be fine. I'm fine. And... someone has to take care of Arietta."
Cantabile's grip on his face tightened and she frowned disapprovingly.
"Stop. You're just saying that. You don't care about her. At least, not that much."
"..."
"Hey... Do you trust Ion?"
"... Asch, do you trust me?"
The memory caused him to answer it quickly.
"No."
No.
He didn't.
How could he?
It's crazy Ion with his crazy ideas and promises and...
"You should. He never lied."
Asch snorted.
Ion hid things. He had known it from the start, and to him, it was the same as lying.
Probably realizing that there's no convincing him, Cantabile let him go and sighed.
"... I'll help as much as I can, you know I will, right?"
"... yes."
"Good. I expect messages. Lots of them. Get Arietta's hawks to send me one everyday if necessary. Do you understand, Luke?"
Uncertainly, Asch nodded again before turning and walking away from the woman.