That night spent with Albedo is truly cherished, even fourteen years into the future, where Gaignun sits, remembering it as though it had happened moments before he had risen this morning. Sadly, the URTV slept alone, woke up alone. After the Miltian conflict, he found himself unconsciously stuck with Rubedo; he had taken a hit for the elder, though his main concern was Rubedo surviving ibstead of dragging Nigredo with him. He was ready to die; his purpose would no longer mean anything, anyway, considering the early passing of their father. In fact, he felt it right to pass on them. Rubedo, however, feared the idea of being left alone in the world, and losing both brothers was the furthest thing from what he wanted.
Luck is what has him standing here, on the deck of The Durandal, hair cleanly cut -save for the two cowlick like tufts of hair poking up near his forehead- clad in a tailored suit with a strange emblem on the lapel. He stands much taller than he used to; him and Albedo had the luxury of growing out of the eerie replicated doll-like phase, both growing into two entirely different men. At first glance, it is a little difficult to tell the two are related; only after speculating for more than a few moments can one discern the similarities.
Rubedo, however, has remained entirely the same, and while he has matured as any adult would, he still harbors childlike responses and ideals that he begrudgingly admits to moments after being corrected. To mask their true identity and function, the charade of them being adoptive family was born, with Rubedo marked as the younger, his son -despite having a year on Nigredo- and Nigredo as the elder. Their names soon followed, and the rest, well. Once the Kukai Foundation gained revenue, the two had made themselves real comfortable in any sector of space.
A few things had stayed the same, despite the rapid adjustment to the real world and confusion of growth. Rubedo still clung to Nigredo like a dog, the latter of which had grown much more solemn and serious, though he still had some sort of soft spot for Rubedo. He did save Nigredo's life, after all. And they both watched as Albedo, along with the rest of their brothers, went incredibly stir-crazy after being infected by U-DO. Part of him holds a bitter grudge against Rubedo; how could he have broken the link like that? Infected their brothers, betrayed them all due to some trivial little fear that spiked so hard it caused him to break the link and stray away. Nigredo had known why U-DO's adversities had no effect on himself and Rubedo, but Albedo's demise remains steady in his memories, waking him in the middle of the night with chilling, howling laughter.
Even now, despite having his own ship and his own segment of the Foundation, Rubedo, who now goes by Jr., sticks to Nigredo -Gaignun- whenever he is on-board. The problem of persistence often continues in his quarters, where Jr. frequently visits his younger brother in search of solace and the warmth of another body. To say Gaignun had been entirely alone each night after the Miltian Conflict was simply untrue; more often than not, Gaignun often woke with Jr. curled up against him, or having stolen one of his arms while he rested to wrap around his small frame. Now, as Gaignun situates himself and stands to exit his room, he is once more graced with his elder brother's presence.
"Little master," Gaignun greets with an amused hum in his voice. "What brings you?" Usually, there are tales of his missions lying in wait to follow his question, but today he remains quiet until the door seals shut, his gaze trained on Gaignun's face for a long moment.
"It's Albedo," Jr. begins, slowly, the words following planned out; an oddity for the red haired URTV. "He's made an ally of what we think's UTIC. He wants the 100-series -MOMO- the Elsa just brought in." Jr.'s gaze falters for a moment as the intensity from Gaignun's eyes alone become a little toi much to bear. "He tried to access the mental link but I..."
"You cut him out. Understandable. You and him are the most out of control when using the mental link, though you've had a little work done on keeping your thoughts clear." Gaignun's reply is even, though he seems troubled at Albedo's sudden appearance. Troubled, and yet so impossibly hopeful that he can reconcile with his infected brother that he nearly misses Jr.'s slow approach while Gaignun himself had spoken. "It's okay to be conflicted, but your priority is-"
"Aw, shaddup." Jr. shakes his head once with agitation, making his movements more jerky rather than one fluid movement. "I know it's okay. I'm more concerned about you. You and him had that... thing, or whatever." Bitterness begins to creep into his voice as he stops a few feet away from the younger sibling. "I know some part of you sides with him 'cause of... that day. So I was thinkin' I'd tell you about him face to face." He becomes a little more of his carefree self after the grim drop in topic for that brief moment. He offers Gaignun a look, as if trying to gauge how the man is taking it.
In truth, Gaignun finds himself reaching into the depths of his mind to remember Albedo's mental touch and does everything in his power to restrain himself from pursuing any idea of linking with Albedo... at least, in front of Jr., that is. For now, he simply appears puzzled, though this is no strech of the truth; Gaignun ponders Albedo's alliance with U-TIC, then turns sour when he realizes what a formidable foe their brother will present himself as in the future. "This is troubling. What could they have that he wants?" Gaignun turns his agitated green gaze to Jr. once more, though the latter of the two seems pretty relaxed despite their situation. His coping mechanisms have improved since the Miltian Conflict, however, Gaignun senses something odd with his overall calmness. The Red Dragon program seems to remain dormant for the most part, but Gaignun knows Jr. risks losing his cool whenever he comes into contact with his twin.
"I dunno," Jr. begins, scratching the back of his head, puzzled too by the new information. "I just know he's got something planned, and it ain't pretty." Despite his childish voice, Jr.'s statement is ringing with grimness, as if dreading their brother's unknown plan unfolding. They both know Albedo is smart; adding U-DO to the situation didn't really help, either. The brothers share a terse moment before parting ways, Gaignun promising to meet Jr. on the main deck once he gets a few things squared away.
With that, Gaignun sets off, leaving his quaint room behind and slips into his office on-board, reviewing the new data stacked haphazardly on his desk. Going through each set of optical data is mind-numbing enough, though Gaignun keeps finding himself stopping without warning as yet another idea of reaching out to Albedo again slips into his mind, momentarily gaining control of his subconscious train of thought and making it nearly impossible to skip around. Of course he would like to, the selfishness in him in need of the gentle, crybaby boy's mental touch. Even the ghost of the connection between them would serve as a temporary fix for him. Gaignun had been worried about the white haired URTV since the day he watched those strange red orbs of light engulf their sweet, if troubled, brother. He had not stopped worrying about Albedo's health, what he had been doing, prior to Miltia. A small part of him continued to believe their brother had been sentenced to rot with Miltia, locked away, living on despite his body's decay. Another part of him cursed himself for staying with Rubedo, but it was part of his programming. The red-head had decided Albedo was too far gone to save, and convinced Nigredo that they had a better chance surviving together.
Flashbacks of the events just after the mental link had been severed flood into Gaignun's mind all too quickly, causing him to push his head into his hands, elbows on the desk while his forehead rests in his palms. Teal eyes are trained on the wood grain as he remembers, with unrealistic clarity, being frozen with fear as his brothers became infected by U-DO. He remembers staring in horror as Albedo begged Rubedo not to let go. Tears stung in his eyes as the white-haired URTV's pathetic cries grew more intense, piercing a part of his very soul that still suffers to this day. He had moved to help the two quickly, trying to shield them from the red entity that had begun to take every single one of the standard URTVs over.
Watching Albedo suffer as his mind was infiltrated had filled Nigredo with a negative medley of emotions; fear, sadness, hopeless. He ran to Albedo's side for only a moment before those violet eyes flashed eerily at him, and the boy had begun speaking. The words no longer stuck in his mind; an attempt to erase such a horrifying moment, perhaps. Still, Nigredo had known remnants of his brother still existed well and true beneath the insanity he was forced to cater to; before he had taken the hit for Rubedo, Nigredo had hidden, crouched behind a few crates stacked neatly against an alleyway. Blood spattered in the mouth of the alley. Gunshots rang through the streets, and screams pierced Nigredo's childish psyche. He was already torn up from murdering his own father, but this had nearly put him in the mindset of fleeing fpr his own protection, only to be dragged down by the endless fear of being left here with his crazed siblings, forced to exist with their torment. He fell to his knees, clutching the sides of his head, fistfuls of raven hair protruding from the spaces between his fingers. Rubedo had run ahead, leaving Nigredo to hide momentarily before they were to move on to... whatever it was Rubedo was thinking of for a means to escape. With the mental link shut down completely, he had no idea of when his elder brother would return, only the sounds of distant and approaching footsteps along the sidewalk, raising his awareness of nearby units.
"Nigredo."
The word was spoken aloud, yet somehow echoed in his mind; a comfortable touch, albeit tainted. Fear had controlled the URTV, though his violent side ached for nothing more than to shoot this stranger. Fear was what made him look up from shakily staring at the cracks in the sidewalk, catching the sight of a familiar form foreshadowed by the pale light behind him. The figure stumbled forward, then righted himself, soon to be crouching in front of Nigredo, leaning forward on the tips of his fingers and extending his legs just slightly as he did so. "What are you hiding from?" The stranger, with his corrupted purple eyes, asked faintly, a giggle forming in his throat. "Are you scared of this? The song?" He had rocked back then, falling onto his butt with a laugh before looking back to his brother.
"I'm waiting, Albedo," a semi-hopeful reply from the pragmatic brother. "Wait with me. We can wait for Rubedo to-"
"Stop pretending, it's so silly of you!" Albedo laughed, the sound mean. "You're not so brave. You're more scared than both of us. Scared of what, though?"
This made Nigredo flinch back, then ball his fists up against the sides of his head, knuckles pointing upward. "Stop it, Albedo. You... you can't blame me for what Rubedo did!" His façade had cracked, revealing the curious, hurt boy residing within. "You weren't supposed to-... This wasn't supposed to happen to you." His voice softened, and while the need to punch Albedo began to ebb away, Nigredo found himself attempting to fight off tears as well.
Something he had said must have struck a cord within Albedo, because the infection-riddled Variant pulled himself forward on all fours, then repositioned himself until he was face to face with Nigredo. For a split second, Nigredo could see a remnant of his brother; scared out of his mind, desperate for his brothers to save him, to remain by his side. "Nigredo," He spoke again, arms trembling. In response to his name being spoken, Nigredo only had to reach forward and place one of his own shaky hands atop Albedo's to convey what they were both thinking, even with the lack of a mental link. "Help me."
The words sent pain rippling through Nigredo's chest, and in the moment, he had wanted nothing more than to do just that. "How?" He had asked, clenching Albedo's tattooed hand with his own.
"Come with me." Hopefulness had sparked in Albedo's voice, along with the creeping undertones that signaled to his brother the return of his infection. Knowing his time was limited, Albedo had leaned forward, resting his head on Nigredo's shoulder. "Please."
What could Nigredo do? He had wanted nothing more than to accompany his dear brother, the one he had wanted to protect despite his freakish gift. Albedo was perfect to him in every single way. Nigredo hesitated before resting his cheek on Albedo's, dropping to his knees from his squatted position and reaching up, pulling the other into a tight hug, loosening up only when he realized Albedo's body had stayed lifeless, moving to Nigredo's will as the black haired URTV brought him closer. Nigredo made attempts to care less, trying instead to bury his face into Albedo's neck, happily trapped in his brother's comfortable scent.
"You won't," Albedo's voice had rang out, despite being quiet, nearly nonexistent. "You can't help me, I can't be helped. Like a mistake with irreversible damage, like a clumsy person's inherent clumsiness. I cannot be helped, and neither can you!" As he continued to speak, his voice rose, gaining not just sound, but hysteria. "I was given my gift for a reason, Nigredo. You and Rubedo will never understand!!" He giggled at that, still held despite his actions. Albedo's body had remained still, though his face had twisted into a horrifyingly gleeful expression as he continued to speak. "You're both so selfish. Could take care of each other, but me? You hate me. Isn't that right, Nigredo?" The question was saturated with fake sweetness and over the top curiosity, and his head had begun to turn to face the boy attempting to drown out his mad ramblings.
"No, Albedo. I don't hate you, I love you! Please..." Nigredo's voice had cracked then, "Please tell me what I am supposed to do--"
"Nothing, there's nothing! Give up." His voice became lifeless upon speaking the last part, and his eyes blankly dug into the wall behind him.
Nigredo, terrified of losing his brother, pulled away, holding Albedo's face in his shaking hands. Proud of himself for not crying, he had leaned in and pressed his forehead against the other's, eyes sealed shut as Albedo had begun laughing and laughing, ceaselessly, the sounds filled with the mania U-DO had bestowed upon him. Nigredo felt his tolerance for the laughter shrinking by the second, fearing the madness would somehow spread to him. He had opened his eyes once Albedo's laughter began dying down, and leaned in to brush his lips against the curve of Albedo's cheek, moving his thumb just slightly out of the way. "Where will you go?" He queried, eyes locking onto Albedo's troubled pair. The boy with the white hair said nothing, only stared at his brother as if he were looking through him.
"Albedo." Nigredo, afraid of sparking up yet another bout of frenzied laughter, spoke cautiously. "Albedo... I love you." The words had been just above a whisper, but it was enough to jolt his brother into some sort of state of awareness, because the boy encircled Nigredo with his arms and clung to him, body shaking as he sobbed into his younger brother's chest.
"I'm scared, I'm scared!" The remarks had resonated deep within Nigredo, who was focusing on petting his brother's hair so as to not be reduced to the mess his brother was. Albedo said nothing more, save for muttering the same two words over and over until his crying had quelled and his eyes became heavy-lidded, blankly pointing his gaze to the wall before the rest of his body began kicking back into gear. Without a word, Albedo stood, pulling himself out of his brother's grip with unnerving ease. He made his way to the alley's entrance, looked back at Nigredo once more, before disappearing.
The bizarre flashbacks used to faze Gaignun, though the URTV had become quite accustomed to the strangely realistic visions. This time, however, he uses this memory to push him to connect the link with Albedo, eyes shut as he reaches out to that familiar mind. The link master had indeed reopened their link, so finding Albedo should be--
"Hello, Nigredo. It's been a while, hasn't it."
Albedo's voice sends a chill riding down his spine, the sound so different from what he had heard in his mind moments ago.
"What brings you?" Albedo seems to be taunting him, now. "Have you grown tired of following our dear brother around like his own personal mute?"
The remark snaps Gaignun right back into place. "Funnily enough, he's sort of the one following me, now." This is no time for jokes.
"You haven't answered my question, Nigredo."
Gaignun sighs through his nose. "I was searching in hopes of burying the hatchet, so to speak." Pause. "I want to see you again."
The emotion sent in return to his remark is so horribly patronizing that Gaignun actually feels a shred of embarrassment for how stupid he sounds. "Besides, Jr. is curious to know what it is that guides you. What are your plans, Albedo?"
A cruel, harsh laugh follows. "If you really want the answer..."
Gaignun is just about to reply when the link is cut and he finds himself gasping for air, body going rigid against his own will.
And then...
Darkness.
