Zaibach's Fate Child A/N: As I'm sure everyone can tell, the main character here is Dilandau, or rather will be. There's a reason he has a different first name. I promise. And this isn't an AU. How Dilandau has a personal past when we all know he's Celena will be explained in due time. So there.
Part 1: Kiyoshi
1
Abandoned Kisho Albatou sighed tragically as he trudged down the long-neglected forest road. The tiny hand in his large, clumsy one seemed limper and colder at every moment. Finally, he could bare it no longer and stopped. "Do you feel any better?"

"No."

"Do you want to rest?"

"No."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"No."

"For the gods' sake, what-?"

"I want Mama."

"You know she's not coming back!" To hide that he was on the verge of tears, Kisho scooped his tiny brother into his arms and started walking again, at a grueling pace. Soon, he had to stop. "It's late. Go to sleep." He hated to be so short, but frustration with the world in general spilled over at his helpless sibling's expense.

Exhausted mentally and physically, Kisho was asleep in minutes, snoring uproariously. Kiyoshi looked on enviously, wishing he could abandon the cares of the day for the dreamless, restful bliss his idolized brother enjoyed. But he'd never dared to let himself sleep deeply, for fear he might not awaken. And when he did sleep, only nightmares greeted him.

"Mama." His high, miniscule voice was almost inaudible. Almost two moons, and it still didn't seem real. It was all a dream, or a misunderstanding. She couldn't be gone. He would wake up tomorrow and she'd pick him up carefully, reprimand him for being out so late, and lay him carefully into hers and father's big feather bed with a cup of hot broth.

At the same time, he knew she was gone forever. He and Kisho had watched, horrified and helpless, as she had been raped and stabbed to death by their uncle, her brother. He'd almost died himself, and the mere memory stirred up an erratic enough heartbeat to worry him for a minute.

Swallowing, trying to ignore the pain in his chest even as the pulse returned as close to normal as ever, Kiyoshi looked across at Kisho. His beloved brother was all he had in the world now. They had never really been especially close, and Kiyoshi had always worshipped Kisho, and hated him as much.

Kiyoshi had known always that he could never match other children physically. It was on pure will he'd survived this long. A constant, dragging weakness pervaded his every memory. Kisho, a master of all trades and Jack of none (to quote Mama), was almost superhumanly strong. The bitter, selfish, timid character an isolated, sickly child couldn't avoid seemed far worse in contrast to Kisho's calm temperament and sweet nature. Kiyoshi knew he was smarter than his brother by quite a bit, stronger willed and more adaptable, he'd always been in Kisho's shadow. Envy was always his principle feeling towards his athletic sibling.

Staring into the stars, brooding ceaselessly, Kiyoshi felt something go out of him. The one thing he could really claim was an indomitable will to survive. It had gotten him through more heart attacks than he remembered, through taunting from older boys and simpering pity from insincere adults. Even his mother's death. But now, watching the stars quickly engulfed by a fast approaching rain cloud, listening to Kisho's snores, and feeling his heart struggle as ever, that will went out of him. The life he'd clung to lost all meaning in a split second and took his essence with it.

***

"Kiyoshi! Kiyoshi, wake up! Please!"

At Kisho's frantic voice, he tried to rouse himself, and succeeded to a degree. He was sitting up, but not breathing very well and could barely hold his eyes open.

"Don't you dare die on me, twerp! Just. Don't!" Kiyoshi found himself swept into Kisho's strong arms. Are you cold? Hungry? Don't die. You're all I have. I promised Mom. Kiyoshi!"

Kiyoshi couldn't speak. There was some herb Mama had used when things like this happened, but he didn't know dandelions from mandrake and neither did Kisho.

Kisho set off at almost a run. "I'm finding someone who can help you. Hold on."

Hold on to what? Kiyoshi vaguely wanted to stay alive, if only for his brother's sake, but he doubted there were many people who knew what to do with a child bearing a heart half the size of a normal one, and, even if there was such a one, that he/she could be found in time to do anything for his weak, rapid heartbeat.

Lulled oddly by the strained beat, he drifted into the kind of sleep one seldom awakes from.
***

"Ki.sho?"

"Not exactly, little one."

The voice that answered was soft and quivery, and completely new to him. As Kiyoshi's eyes flickered open (and he noted in surprise that his heart had settled down a little), he felt a vague sense of loss he couldn't explain. The woman standing above his bed (was it really a bed?) was oldish, gray haired and thin, but looked spry enough. He would have been very happy to see a nice old lady apparently taking care of him if he hadn't been completely lost. "Where's Kisho? Where's my brother?"

"I don't know, just now. He promised to write you."

"Huh?"

"Oh, of course, you've been asleep three days." She sat on the edge of the bed and pushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "My name is Chizu Risako. I met your brother stumbling along almost as sick as you a few days ago. He found out I ran an orphanage and begged me to take you on. He didn't have to, of course. He stayed two days himself, but felt he wasn't doing any good. I think he didn't want to see you die. He did say he'd write, and send for you if he found steady work."

Kiyoshi gasped weakly and covered his face in his hands. "He promised."

Chizu seemed to understand. "He did the best he could. Don't blame him."

"He promised me! He promised Mama!"

"Promised what?"

"He wouldn't leave me."

"Shh." Chizu wiped a tear off his cheek. "I think he'll come back for you. You should rest a while, and then we'll see about you playing with the others." She got up quietly and slipped out.

Kiyoshi cried himself to sleep. Kisho, you promised!

A/N: Well? Okay, it's a little alternately sickly sweet and darkly neurotic. It should improve. Constructive criticism appreciated!