A/N-Welcome to the second chapter! This one will be implied RubedoxAlbedo! Also, I'm kind of thinking of making a RubedoxAlbedo one-shot and it's in the present with the older Albedo. I've only found one RubedoxAlbedo on this site so I thought I'd contribute by making a dark and angsty one-shot. Tell me if you think I should do that :D Oh and once again since I'm not that far into the game, I don't know if they showed a cutscene where the URTVs find out that Sakura died or when she died so I'm just making it up here. If you know just keep that to yourself because I don't want to be spoiled :D.

Broken Mirror

(RubedoxAlbedo)

Winter came and quickly passed, and thus began the season of new beginnings. Flowers began to bloom once more, filling the park at the institute with vibrant colors. Snow still clung to some of the branches of the trees, but they were slowly melting away. As a clump of frozen snow fell from a stiff thin tree branch, a small hand caught it, gasping slightly at the temperature of the snow before clenching their fist with it.

The lone figure was sitting on one of the stone benches in the park, head lowered, fist trembling slightly. Suddenly the figure launched the fisted snowball in front of him with an anguished yell that echoed throughout the empty park. The snowball exploded upon colliding with the wall, melting into the ground and disappearing. Breathing heavily, the boy fell to his knees and bent forward slightly, using the wall as support.

He hated himself.

So what if he was the variant leader of the URTVs? What good was he if he couldn't save one person's life…one person who he had and still cared deeply for. An image of her flashed through his mind and he held back a cry, pounding his fist angrily against the wall. Her soft brown locks twirling in the sea breeze, her happy laughter, the twinkle in her emerald eyes, the feeling of her warm body pressed against his in that sweet embrace….gone forever.

He had failed.

As that word rang through his mind, it pierced through the very core of his heart, stinging him savagely. I'm a failure. I let her die. And her mother…Dr. Mizrahi…she'll never forgive me. He shuddered upon imagining Juli Mizrahi's face, laced with sorrow and anger. He didn't want to have to face her. If he did, what would there be left to say? "I'm sorry Dr. Mizrahi, but I pretty much killed your daughter. Please don't hurt me."?

He chuckled bitterly, slumping further down. His burning forehead was eased somewhat by the cool concrete of the wall. He slowly closed his eyes, trying to erase everything out of his mind, if only for a few precious seconds. That only served in sharpening her face into his mind. He could feel his heart shattering as he saw her reach out to him, a frightened look on her face.

"Rubedo! Where are you? Please help me!" she frantically called out. His mind reached out to her and their hands almost touched. But fate decided to be cruel and their hands briefly touched, sending a shock reverberating through him before her image shattered, lost in the void of nothingness. He stood there in the darkness of solitude, his conscience taunting him.

Look what you've done, Rubedo.

"No…I didn't mean to…"

You let Sakura die!

"NO!" He clutched his head, hoping to drown out his own voice.

Albedo was right. You are a monster, just like him.

"No…I-I'm not a monster!" He protested weakly, shivering. He looked down at his hand where the number 666 was engraved in red. It seemed to start spilling blood from the printed number, and his eyes widened in fear.

You are a monster, Rubedo, the spawn of Satan. Sorrow and pain are the only things walking in your shadow. You bring nothing but. You're weak. You deserve to die!

The ferocity in his conscience's voice shook him back into reality. His cerulean eyes opened in shock and he found himself staring at the ground. Something wet splattered gently onto the ground and his eyes widened as he realized it was falling from his eyes. Shakily he raised a hand to his eye and furiously wiped away the evidence of his pain, his aura boiling in anguish.

Crying didn't solve anything. He had learned that awhile ago when he had gotten himself hurt fighting an infected URTV in Sakura's subconscious. As he recalled that incident, he remembered the immense horror he had felt as one of his fellow brethren had been infected with the virus and had transformed into a horrendous flailing beast. But somehow, with the help of Albedo and Nigredo, they had made it out of there alive and safe.

Even though after the battle Albedo had gone insane and beaten the URTV to a pulp, Rubedo couldn't help but be internally proud of Albedo for defending him, even though he didn't need to. It was nice to have someone assure him that he wasn't a monster and most importantly have faith in the variant leader. Realizing he was still slumped over on the ground, Rubedo sighed, looking up at the clear blue sky. How could the day be so radiant when it was raining inside his heart? The breeze played with his blood-red locks, soothing him momentarily. He allowed himself that moment of tranquility as the sun shimmered with a heavenly grace upon his young face, the warmth spreading to the tips of her cold fingers.

After a moment's pause the URTV stood up, helping himself stand with clumsy limbs. His feet began to move forward and he found himself walking to the shadowy area of the park hidden in a cluster of trees. As he entered the grove he heard a familiar voice. Curious, he pushed a tree branch out of the way and stumbled in to find Albedo kneeling down on the ground. His hands were cupped in front of him and he seemed to be talking quietly to something in it. The only words he could make out was "privilege" and "grave".

"Albedo? What are you doing?" The white-haired URTV jumped, falling forward and landing on his behind. Rubedo managed a weak smile despite his mood, approaching his other half. As Albedo regained his posture on the ground, Rubedo sat down next to his dark half, leaning against the tree the other URTV was currently occupying.

Shyly, Albedo opened his hand to reveal a small bird. What surprised the variant leader was that it was a real bird, and not one artificially created. He was sure that these kinds of living things were extinct from Miltia, but here it was, cradled in Albedo's pale hands. It was a small bluebird, with radiant feathers the color of the sky at noon. Its right wing was twisted at an odd angle, and every now and then it would twitch involuntarily.

Albedo's eyes darted around the grove. The red-head noticed his nervous antics, and it seemed like his friend wanted to say something. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Purple eyes landed on him and Rubedo could sense the anxiety in his eyes. "What is it, Albedo?"

"I…"

"Go on," he probed, lightly nudging his shoulder.

"I heard that Sakura died," Albedo blurted out, frowning slightly as Rubedo's eyes widened. Immediately the older of the two backed away, getting defensive.

"Yeah, she did." Not knowing what else to say, Rubedo looked to the side, avoiding Albedo's eyes. There was an awkward silence and then Rubedo heard Albedo shuffling closer to him and he uncomfortably looked up at the green canopy of the trees, trying his best to ignore the sudden stinging in his eyes.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to make you sad…" Albedo whispered softly, noticing the liquid forming in the corners of the red-head's eyes.

"I'm not sad!" Rubedo yelled, frightening himself with his outburst. His glared evenly at Albedo, trying to look tough as Albedo continued to look at him, cocking his head gently to the side. The gesture made Rubedo's eyes soften somewhat and he looked down at the ground, sighing.

"Rubedo…I'm sad she's gone, too." Surprised, Rubedo glanced up at his other half, who had a genuinely empathetic look on his cherubic face. "I liked Sakura a lot. She was a really nice girl…She didn't make me feel like some kind of freak created to fight that stupid U-DO thing…" Albedo trailed off, looking off to the side wistfully. Rubedo's heart clenched painfully.

"Yeah…she's gone, Albedo. And…and it's all my fault." He fisted his hands upon the dirt, clenching his teeth as he stared at the ground. He started to tremble, feeling ashamed of himself as the tears started falling down the sides of his face, marring the fresh earth. "It's my fault Sakura died!"

Albedo's eyes widened as he saw Rubedo crying. The older URTV barely ever cried, and it concerned Albedo greatly. He shuffled closer to the red-head and placed a consoling hand on Rubedo's quaking shoulder. "Rubedo…It's not your fault. No one could've prevented her death! It was inevitable…" His words didn't have any effect as Rubedo continued to quietly sob, wiping away the stream of tears furiously every now and then.

Cautiously Albedo placed the bluebird into a little nest he had created for it next to the tree and leaned forward, embracing his other half. Rubedo immediately stiffened and his choked sobs stopped abruptly as Albedo continued to hold the red-head against him. "Listen to me, brother. I don't think it's your fault, and you shouldn't either. Sakura's in a better place now." The variant leader could hear the bitter tone in Albedo's voice. That's right….he can't die…

Slowly he relaxed and Albedo tightened his hold on him, gently running his slender fingers through Rubedo's hair. The red-head placed his head on Albedo's shoulder, hiccupping every few seconds as the younger URTV continued to sooth him. The sun's rays peaked in through the canopy of leaves, warming Rubedo's cold body and he scrunched his nose cutely when Albedo's white hair tickled his nose. After a few more minutes, Rubedo gently pried himself away from the warmth of Albedo's grip, sniffling quietly.

"Thanks, Albedo. I feel better." The white-haired boy replied with a smile, scooping the bird back into his hands. He leaned back against the tree and Rubedo joined his other half, curiously observing the bluebird.

"So…what happened to the bird?" Albedo stared at the bluebird a moment longer before focusing his attention on Rubedo with a serene smile.

"I came here and I found it on the ground with a broken wing. I made a grave for it!" He chirped, nodding his head to a little hole next to the other graves he had created.

"Why are you going to bury it? Its wing is just broken," Rubedo spoke up, glancing at Albedo. The purple-eyed boy frowned, standing up and Rubedo following suit.

"The bird is suffering. It'd be better if I killed it so it wouldn't be in pain…I'm giving this bird a privilege in dying, Rubedo!" The red-head's eyes widened at the sad look in his friend's eyes.

"But Albedo…is that really your decision to make? What if the bird wants to live?" Albedo hesitated, looking down at the bluebird. The rays from the sun filtered in through the canopy of trees, bathing the bird in a celestial glow. For a moment, the bird and Albedo locked eyes. Some kind of message was received in Albedo's eyes and he knelt back down on the ground, amethyst eyes clouded.

Albedo leaned back against a tree, still cupping the frail bird in his hands. Rubedo decided to join him and sat back on the left of Albedo, leaning his head towards his friend slightly. "So?" He whispered after a moment.

Albedo craned his head to look at his other half. Amethyst and sapphire locked onto each other, sizing the other up. They stared at each other for a while before Albedo managed a smile. "I think the bird wants to try and fly." Rubedo returned the gesture, the heavy burden lightening somewhat in his heart at the look of innocence in his friend's eyes.

Carefully, Albedo lifted his cupped hand into the air as light shined down upon the ground. The bluebird propped itself by its good wing onto its two legs, chirping. Albedo gasped in excitement and Rubedo held his breath. The bird started to rapidly beat its wings despite its condition, crying out in pain but continuing onward anyway. This impressed Rubedo greatly, and he found himself growing fond of the bird.

"Fly," Albedo whispered softly, encouraging the small bird. He held the bluebird in one hand now, stretching out his index finger like a perch. He lowered his other hand slowly and held it a few inches below his other hand as a catching net. Rubedo noticed that the hand Albedo was using to steady the bird was quivering slightly from excitement, and he gently grasped it, surprising the other boy.

"Hold it steady, Albedo." With his left hand, Rubedo held Albedo's other hand, and warmth enveloped both of Albedo's hands. The white-haired URTV nodded his head in determination, blushing faintly from their close proximity.

Suddenly, the bird jumped off of Albedo's finger and both URTVs tensely watched as it flapped its wings…

It started to fall…and Rubedo could feel his heart going out to the poor bird. He glanced at Albedo who still had a determined look on his face despite the bird slowly falling back to the ground. "You can do it!" Rubedo took in the strength in Albedo's eyes and the perseverance in his voice as his eyebrows lowered in deep concentration.

"Albedo…"

A chirping sound rang in the variant leader's ears and he whirled his head around to find that the bluebird was steadily rising back up. His eyes widened in disbelief as the bird flew in and out of the beams of light from the trees which were scattered about like a broken mirror reflecting a million shades of brilliance.

"Rubedo! Do you see that? The bird is flying even with a broken wing! We did it!" Happily, the white-haired boy tightly hugged his friend who grunted in surprise. After coming over his shock Rubedo smiled and returned the embrace, bringing one arm over the other boy's small shoulders.

Even though the bird won't heal for a while, it's going to keep on flying, even with a broken wing...I promised Sakura I'd take care of her little sister…and I'll do that, even if she'll remind me of how I failed Sakura. This time, I won't fail Sakura or Dr. Mizrahi.

Rubedo looked down at his other half as the excited boy continued to watch the bird fly away up into the afternoon sky. His blue eyes softened as Albedo leaned back and rested his soft white head against Rubedo's shoulder. He smiled. Spring was the season of new beginnings, and he could already feel the sorrow in his heart melt away slowly like the snow from winter.

A/N- Last one is Jr.xMOMO so please stay tuned! Again, reviews would be appreciated.

Moshi Moshi Mai