Jr. had never seen this look on his face before.

It was like looking into a mirror, but so, so wrong. His eyes were narrowed and hateful, face contorted with disgust and lips quirked up. Jr.'s mirror image turned, making off in the opposite direction, and Jr. felt his own heart twist in response.

He couldn't let him leave. That would be worse than death.

Jr.'s feet were frozen in place, as though bolted to the ground. It hurt too much to move. He tried to cry out, to get the other Jr.'s attention, but his lungs were empty. His body screamed for air.

"Don't follow me," he heard the other Jr. spit. "I don't want you anymore."

Pain shot through him, as though his heart itself was on fire as he watched himself fade into the distance. Jr.'s back met the floor, hard, and the air shot from his lungs. He laid there dazed as his head spun, trying in short stuttering gasps to catch his breath.

It was dark now. He could hear something faintly- music, haunting and distant. There was nothing above him but black. Jr.'s heart still beat rapid-fire, and his stomach refused to settle. He wasn't safe.

There was something lurking in the darkness, but he couldn't tell what. His eyes swept around, but to no avail. No one was around to help.

Fear began to settle in, pricking at his skin. He couldn't make anything out in the dark, but he couldn't rest either. A rustle behind him sent his eyes wide open.

He turned his head to the side, in search of the sound, only to find glassy eyes.

Jr. yelped, jerking backwards, but couldn't get any distance. The body besides him continued to stare with blank blue eyes, chest unmoving.

Eyes that he realized were his own.

He tried to get away again, but the body only seemed to move closer. His heart stopped in his chest. Dread swallowed him, all-consuming. Everything was freezing cold.

There was no escaping the limp Jr. lying next to him, face frozen in pain. Tears began to choke him, pooling uncomfortably in his throat, and his lungs burned for air. He couldn't breathe. His heart wasn't beating any longer.

Blue eyes stared uncaringly as he was crushed beneath it all- beneath hundreds of dead Jr.s, suddenly, piled atop him, cold limbs everywhere. Jr. thrashed, attempting to break free, gasping for air-

-and shot forwards into the men's cabin of the Elsa.

Jr.'s hands darted to his forehead, brushing back his hair. His chest heaved. What was that?!

He'd never had any nightmare like that. Normally they just brought him back to Miltia- or the space-time anomaly, lately. He'd never met himself in his nightmares, much less his own corpse.

Jr. shuddered at the memory. He didn't want to linger on that.

It didn't matter. He was safe here, and he could close his eyes with the reassurance that it had only been a nightmare. Jr. was more than used to those, to crashing back onto pillows and trying hard to forget.

Tonight was worse than usual. As soon as Jr.'s breath slowed, and he was ready to lie down again, there was the sight of his own dull eyes, coming back in revolting clarity every time he tried to think of anything else.

At the memory, a piercing headache shot through his skull. Jr. hissed, doubling over. That had never happened before, either.

He stared down at his hands, cautiously brought down from his face, as the thoughts ran through his head. Just what was happening to him?

It all swirled around him- the sight of himself, leaving and then dead, the strange feelings after- before it clicked into place. Jr. exhaled. Of course.

That hadn't been his nightmare.

Albedo? He asked cautiously, probing for his twin. Hey, Albedo.

He didn't know if he could expect an answer. Albedo seemed just as shaken as him- and Jr. realized, belatedly, that he had been feeling the terror jolting through Albedo in addition to his own.

Yo, Rubedo.

Jr. couldn't hide his little smile at the greeting.

So…

Where to start? I saw all that? Are you okay? Does that happen often?

...are you alright? Is what Jr. finally decided on. Albedo, however, was silent.

Jr. gritted his teeth. It was rare for Albedo to be quiet like this. Normally, the trouble was getting him to shut up.

Albedo? He closed his eyes, putting a hand over their heart. He couldn't let Albedo suffer alone. They had spent so much time apart, Jr. had to make things better now.

Still nothing.

I'm coming.

Jr. laid back down, closing his eyes and concentrating. He hadn't visited Albedo often. Sharing their mind was still so new. Now, however, he knew it would be the right thing to do.

When Jr. opened his eyes again, the world around him was bright white. He was standing upright- and a great deal taller than usual- with Albedo just opposite him.

"Rubedo," Albedo's voice was oddly jovial, for the situation. "How kind of you to pay me a visit. I wasn't expecting company."

"What, were you gonna tidy the place up?" Jr. looked around pointedly to the nothing around them.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Jokes aside, he really didn't know how to broach the subject. Albedo didn't seem to want to talk about it, but Jr. couldn't exactly leave him alone, either.

He'd done enough of that over the years. Albedo was his responsibility now. Besides, the thought of Albedo having to deal with this alone hurt. He'd dealt with so much alone.

"Albedo," he began, but Albedo seemed wholly distracted from the matter. Jr. could feel the memory fading in their link, as though Albedo didn't want to think about it.

Instead, his eyes had landed squarely on Jr.'s face, fascinated.

"You look so much like him now." There was a pout in Albedo's voice, and Jr. didn't have to ask who. "…but like me, too. My chin, and my jaw…"

His hands traced around Jr.'s face, and Jr. bristled. "Technically, you both look like me. I'm the oldest!"

The truth went unsaid- that they all were made to resemble someone else, and their features had never truly been their own.

"It hardly matters," Albedo scoffed, and Jr. winced. Albedo had a nasty habit of peering into his thoughts. "Humans could never hope to compare to us, either way… we are superior."

Jr. didn't share Albedo's convictions. Nothing good could come from thinking themselves superior, especially not when each of them had their own demons to fight.

"Though I'm only flattered to look like you, Rubedo," Albedo cooed. "What an honor it is, to wear your face and your heart…"

Jr. sighed, looking up at the white void ceiling. His brother was nothing short of strange. They weren't supposed to be talking about this, anyways, not after his nightmare.

"What's this?"

Albedo's eyes, the color of stormclouds, had latched onto the side of Jr.'s neck. It was pure instinct that took over then, as Jr. slapped a hand over his neck, somewhere between self-consciousness and self-defense.

His fingers brushed against raised skin, and Jr. belatedly realized what Albedo had been asking about.

"Oh," he said. "I guess you don't get scars, huh?"

"I know what they are." Albedo rolled his eyes. "I was only wondering had made its mark upon your skin, Rubedo."

Rubedo exhaled. Albedo had such a way with words. A really, really weird way.

"Some scrap with U-TIC…" he ran his finger along the scar. "I think it was before we ran into you on the Song. I don't get hit often, but man, when I do…"

He'd needed a lot of healing ether, but he came back quickly. "Why'd you ask?"

"My own body stains not, Rubedo," Albedo's fingers ran down the blemish. "I am pure white… and you stained with red. Indulge my curiosity."

"You said you'd seen scars before." Jr. lifted his arm, twisting around. "Like this one. I got that during training, when-"

"When you fell over onto that tree branch," Albedo said softly. "I remember."

The memory was fuzzy. It was U-DO? Or something… Jr. couldn't quite place it. He only remembered the tear in his shirt, and the simmering frustration of his father at the damage to his equipment.

Albedo had cried a downpour then, something he would likely be embarrassed to be reminded of now. He didn't cry, nowadays. It was much the opposite. He laughed loudly and hysterically, haunting Jr.'s every footstep with cruel mirth.

"It still bothers you that much?" Jr. asked. It felt like a stupid question, considering how much they'd fought in the past. Clearly, Albedo didn't have any reservations about hurting him.

"What about this?" Albedo didn't answer the question, eyes instead turning to a brown-tinged scratch on Jr.'s leg.

"That's from Gaignun."

Albedo's lips formed a thin line, and fury hit Jr. with the force of an artificial wave. He almost choked on his own sudden laughter, attempting to stifle his giggles with one of his hands.

The anger sparked in Albedo's eyes, and Jr. could feel the question, what's so funny? through their bond before his brother could even open his mouth.

"The cat, Albedo," Jr. corrected. "The cat."

He couldn't imagine any situation where their brother might've scratched him, and the thought of someone so dignified resorting to schoolyard bullying made some very funny images pop into Jr.'s head.

Albedo just sniffed.

"For his sake, I am glad," he said, and that only made Jr. laugh harder. He had no doubts Albedo would find some way of killing Gaignun in the afterlife itself if he really wanted to.

Albedo's eyes turned serious again, scouring about Jr.. Fingers pressed against his shoulder blade.

"Here?"

"That was from the Miltian incident." Jr. explained. "I got hit with something… debris, I think."

His heartbeat began to quicken. He knew what was coming next, and he would satisfy Albedo's curiosity- he had to, unless he wanted Albedo digging around in his head, but more than that he wanted to tell the truth. Albedo deserved the truth. It was just that he had no idea how to handle this. It could only end badly.

Albedo's fingers brushed against Jr.'s side, just above his hip. Jr. didn't even let him ask.

"You know those claws you have?" He asked quickly. It was already as awkward as he'd predicted. "I think it was in the Encephalon. I didn't dodge in time."

It wouldn't make any sense for Albedo to regret hurting him, they'd made their choices, but Jr. could still sense a shot of fear through their bond.

A couple of moments passed, enough for Jr. to realize that Albedo was silent. That was a dangerous thing for him to be. Albedo was a chatty guy, only really quiet when he was thinking.

"It didn't hurt that much," Jr. said, bewildered by the words even as he said them. And that would prove what? Albedo had clearly intended to hurt him. "I only noticed afterwards."

He may as well have never spoken at all, judging from the expression on Albedo's face. His brow furrowed deep, casting lines onto his face, as he stared intently at the faded-over lines.

His fingers traced over them, again, as though remembering their cut. Jr. had half a mind to push him away, but he couldn't think how Albedo would react. Probably nothing good.

"Memories on your body…" Albedo finally said, voice low. "Even my Rubedo cannot escape unscathed."

"What can I say? I'm a pretty tempting mark." It probably had something to do with the bright red hair, but Jr. wouldn't change it for the world. He rather liked his flashy image.

Albedo didn't laugh. He didn't say much of anything, and Jr. sighed. He couldn't let him get to thinking.

"Everyone gets hurt." Jr. said, staring down into the white void floor as though it might swallow up his attempts at comfort. "That's part of the deal. I've landed some shots on you."

Albedo had always needed reassurance. A hand to hold, or soothing words paid in bulk every time he teared up. He'd changed so much, though, that Jr. thought them well beyond that. How insecure could a crazed mass murderer be?

Albedo certainly hadn't had any reservations any of the times he'd lunged at Jr., or hurled some painful ether his way. It was unbelievably stupid to comfort Albedo for what he had done to Jr.

Before Jr. could fully grapple with the immense stupidity of their situation, his hand was jerked upwards. His mouth opened to protest, but Albedo's grip was insistent.

"Look at me," he breathed. Jr.'s hand collided with his chest, splayed out on his skin.

Jr. wasn't able to think of anything else to do, and stared at where his hand landed, searching for something to say about Albedo. He was tall, and muscular, but so was Jr. here.

"You look just the same as me," He decided was the safest thing to say.

Something flashed in violet eyes- and Jr. decided he had been right- but Albedo pushed Jr.'s wrist down, breaking the contact between them.

"Your threats are dust." Albedo's hand traced along his own chest. "Look. No kiss from any bullet, Rubedo. I look as I have since the day we were born."

"Is that what's bothering you?" Jr. had to work to keep his jaw from dropping. "You feel bad that you hurt me?"

He didn't think Albedo capable of feeling guilt. Maybe being linked so permanently with Jr. had done something funny to his head.

Albedo chuckled softly. "Any injury of yours is a grievous offense, Rubedo."

You've caused enough of them, Jr. caught himself thinking, but it was too late to keep the thought from their link. He winced. He hadn't meant that.

He didn't know why he didn't mean it, but he didn't. Albedo hadn't apologized or anything, but Jr. couldn't blame him, somehow.

"And you have killed me in turn," Albedo said sweetly. "What are we to say, when our purpose clouds our eyes, my Rubedo? Even a dull knife can taste blood."

His voice was too close, resonating too deep within Jr.'s ears. "And every weapon craves blood, Rubedo. Will as we might to forget its song… we are always called back."

Jr.'s eyes blurred. He remembered well how it had felt that day, the satisfaction of tearing Albedo to pieces and feeling himself torn in turn. There was nothing else like the heat of battle, the addicting thrill of gambling with his own life.

Had Albedo felt the same way? Clearly, he had been planning something. He knew Jr. would kill him, and he had wanted that. That thought alone was enough to make Jr.'s eyes well with tears. He never wanted to be responsible for Albedo's death.

Jr. didn't have a choice. He never had a choice but to go along with Albedo's schemes, no choice but to yearn for battle. Albedo had used his own nature against him.

Head spinning, Jr. had the sudden urge to sit down. The glowing void didn't seem comfortable. He wished briefly that they were anywhere else, as he sank to the floor.

When Jr. sat down, he felt grass at his legs, and peered around in curiosity. The world around them was blurred, but unmistakable- the fields in Sakura's world.

The place they had spent their childhood together.

Jr. only had to wonder briefly if he was imagining things, because Albedo looked around in bemused wonder. His twin didn't even have to ask where they were.

Jr. threw himself back in the grass, unable to look at his strange doppelganger any longer. It was warm, like it always was in the summer there, and the weeds tickled at his back.

He hadn't been considering the question, not really. It surprised him too when it came out of his mouth.

"You ever think about what we would do if we weren't born like this?"

Albedo's answer was curt.

"No."

Jr. sighed. He supposed he shouldn't have expected anything else. Albedo didn't seem the regretful type.

At the crush of grass beside him, Jr. turned his head. Albedo had sat by his side, eyes trained upwards to the stars.

"Is there something else you wish for us, Rubedo?" Jr. could hear the smile in his voice. "The twin sons of a business mogul, perhaps…"

"That's different." Jr. huffed. "We did that because we needed to go into hiding… and because we needed to do something good."

Something to garner the people's trust in the Kukai Foundation and its mysterious benefactors. Something to help Second Miltia after the disastrous incident. Something to quell the burning cold guilt in Jr.'s gut.

Surely the planet they had destroyed could have some use for two remorseful bioweapons.

"A simple human life of fragility and mortality, deluded by primitive attempts at understanding…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jr. huffed. He couldn't imagine Albedo as a regular human, no. At least not any Albedo he'd recognize.

The Albedo Jr. recognized, however, was not a happy Albedo. He was a frightened child soldier, a megalomaniacal weapon, a broken tool searching for death. His powers were as much a burden on him as they had been for Jr.. Albedo had a grown body, he didn't suffer the constant threat of implosion, but he still hurt.

They hurt more than any regular human.

Was it really foolish to envy mundanity? Jr. could imagine a happier version of the summer days they'd shared, simple games outside rather than training to defeat a god. Maybe without the pressure, Albedo wouldn't be so frightened and insecure.

Jr. remembered wondering this same thing around Gaignun, some time or another while they were on the Durandal. It'd been a quicker conversation then, a simple yes.

Jr. supposed Albedo was right. He and Gaignun had been quick to seek out human lives. But it was different to playact at humanity than to actually be born with it. His life would surely mean something different if composed of the genuine actions of a human boy and not a bioweapon longing to be human.

Albedo had thrived in their powers, their mystery, in ways Gaignun and Jr. never had.

"You mean you don't look out there and just… want to do something else?" Jr. finally asked. He'd never figured out what he would do as a human. Go to school? Work at Vector? Collect books?

Albedo had taken the opportunity to lie back, staring up by Jr.'s side. His voice was smooth.

"There is nothing more to be done, Rubedo. I have overcome every obstacle in my path."

Jr. sighed. Maybe Albedo couldn't imagine anything different, or he didn't want to. Maybe he relished in their twisted dance, the battles and the scars and the hatred and the love.

He winced, remembering all of their run-ins. Yeah, Albedo had definitely enjoyed it.

"Rubedo."

His voice, insistent, broke Jr.'s line of thought. Jr. looked at him then, into his misty violet eyes.

"No human could hope for the happiness I hold now," Albedo said, in mesmerizing, confusing, baffling sincerity. Jr. had to turn away from his scalding gaze.

It was true, Jr. could feel it. This was Albedo's twisted, weird Albedo way of telling Jr. that it was all worth it. There was nothing in the world he would trade for this, no terrible challenge he wouldn't endure. This ending- the two of them as one, Albedo dwelling within him as an incorporeal spirit, was better than anything Albedo could imagine.

Jr. didn't know what to say to that. Anything he could say didn't seem enough. Instead, he stared rather intently at the nearest blade of grass.

"Rubedo, my other half," Breath landed on his ear, and there was a tug on his hair. Jr.'s hand flew to cup his head, as he rolled over again.

"Cut it out," he hissed. Albedo just blinked back with a smile.

Bastard.

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; so Rubedo would, were he not Rubedo call'd." Albedo's fingers still tangled in Jr.'s hair, from where he had propped himself up on his elbow.

Jr. huffed. "You think there isn't a point in wondering."

"What a hero hadst thou been, my Rubedo," A lock of red hair twisted around Albedo's finger. "And what would you be, if not a hero?"

"Still pretty good-looking, if not roguish," Jr. attempted a smirk. Albedo seemed to like it.

Jr. guessed Albedo was right. He didn't know if he could give up his life now to be more comfortable, if it meant abandoning all the people he'd helped. He hoped his impact on their universe had been a positive one.

Maybe this power only meant the ability to help others.

Albedo's hand moved from his hair. "This is my Rubedo. The virtuous prince who slays the dragon… a second half by which I am whole."

"But did it have to be like this?" Jr.'s throat suddenly felt dry, scratchy, too close and too constricted. Did he and Albedo have to be enemies?

Albedo's eyes left him. Jr. supposed it was a dumb question. They were together now, and none of that particularly mattered. The scar on his side was only a memory.

A small breeze whistled past, blowing through Albedo's hair above. It didn't seem to bother him, too busy staring off into the distance. Jr. had no idea how their surroundings were this detailed. He wasn't really thinking about it.

"You don't remember," Albedo said suddenly, and Jr. ruffled his hair.

"I mean, I don't think it's perfect." He wondered how Albedo had known he was thinking about their surroundings. Their link?

"Not that," Albedo waved a hand. "Your first scar, Rubedo."

"Well, it was," Jr. felt it slam into him, hand freezing in place. "…here, wasn't it?"

Albedo's eyes had locked to a fallen tree branch nearby. "Mmm."

"That one, I'm guessing." Jr. nodded his head over to it. "But I can't remember why I fell over."

Something had startled him. He'd crashed into the tree branch after tripping.

Albedo answered almost immediately. "A false alarm. I turned to flee, and you lost your balance."

"Oh." It came back in flashes of memory, no doubt helped by their link. Albedo's wide eyes, a small cry, and the knock of his body into Jr.'s. "Right."

That was probably why Albedo had sobbed so much. He'd been so attached to Jr.- still was- and seeing him injured must've hurt, especially when it was his fault.

Especially when Albedo had been the one to hurt him.

Jr. didn't know what Albedo could possibly want to hear. It's alright? Things are better now? I don't blame you?

He landed on "we're together now."

"Mind and body as one. Of course, Rubedo." The smile on Albedo's lips didn't quite reach his eyes. "What bliss it is."

"Why did you do it?" Jr. blurted out. He couldn't stop wondering. Why had they fought if Albedo was so upset at the thought of him hurt?

It was U-DO, he realized very suddenly, feeling like an idiot. U-DO had warped Albedo's mind, and that was why they fought.

Albedo, however, tilted his head. "Was it not what you wanted, my Rubedo?"

That caught Jr. off guard. "Huh?"

"The thrill of combat… your blood danced in your veins," Albedo's fingers curled, and he smiled. "We each played slave to our instincts. You answered me in turn."

Jr.'s first instinct was to argue that he never wanted to be enemies, but he knew instantly that would be a lie. He'd thought of Albedo as his own failures given form, as though he had no choice but to get rid of Albedo, for the galaxy's sake. Maybe defeating Albedo would quiet the guilt rotting in his chest.

His head swam. Had Jr. really wanted this? Would he be happier with Albedo as an enemy than an ally?

He didn't think so anymore. Ever since killing Albedo, all he'd wanted to do was make things right between them.

"Mmm… always want what you can't have, Rubedo," Albedo mused. Jr. sighed.

"I can have it now. We're going to make things right." Jr.'s voice broke before he could continue, leaving his next words quiet and raw. "I never wanted to kill you."

He thought of the nightmare- of his own retreating back, and lifeless eyes. Albedo's fears made manifest. If Jr. killed Albedo, Jr. couldn't leave him, whether through choice or death.

"We're together now," Jr. said again, stronger this time. He sat up, vying to meet Albedo's eyes. "Whatever happens to one of us happens to both of us."

Buried in his words was the truth. They couldn't separate. Neither one of them could be left behind. They lived and died as one now.

Albedo brightened at that. The dread that had lingered since the nightmare began to recede, slowly, and Jr. felt a weight lift from his chest.

"Is it because of Miltia?" he asked softly. Albedo stared down into the grass.

He was quiet again.

"I have nightmares about Miltia too."

'About you' went unsaid.

Those were Jr.'s fault, too. His hand slipping from Albedo's, leaving him for U-DO, watching the standard URTVs open fire on the civilians of Miltia.

As horrifying as Albedo had been, rising into the air with too powerful a voice, throwing Gaignun back, scarier still was the realization that it was all Jr.'s fault.

A hand brushed against his side.

"And I have made my mark upon you in turn," Albedo murmured.

Jr. flushed. He hadn't realized he was thinking so loud.

Albedo's hand curled around Jr.'s, pulling it to the same place on Albedo's body. Jr. blinked.

"See, Rubedo?" Something dangerous shone in Albedo's eyes, dancing along the purple hue. "One and the same."

Jr.'s fingers brushed against uneven ridges of skin. He jerked away in surprise, only to see the same scar as was on his waist.

"One body. We share the same scars."

"How did you-"

Jr.'s head swam. Albedo could heal instantaneously. He would never have any injuries, let alone scars.

"You shouldn't." Jr. didn't know where to begin with Albedo's strange theatrics. He only laughed, deep and throaty.

"Anything for you, my Rubedo."

"Is that what was bothering you?" Jr. heard himself huff. "That we didn't have the same scars?"

Albedo blinked at him innocently. Jr. couldn't believe it. Of course it wasn't regret or concern, it was Albedo's weird fixations.

He rolled his eyes. "We're always going to be the same, you idiot. You didn't have a problem when we dressed differently!"

Albedo's smile was languid and cat-like, as he brushed Jr.'s hair from his ear.

"I would have pierced my ear, you know."

"No kidding," Jr. mumbled. He supposed Albedo couldn't, with his rapid regeneration. He had worn a necklace, that day in the time-space continuum. Jewelry suited him.

Albedo hummed in acknowledgement, running along Jr.'s ear and twisting the earring along his fingers.

"One or both?"

"Just one." There was a glimmer in his eye, and Jr. sighed. He knew better than to ask which ear, now.

"You'd look good," he said instead. Albedo's smile widened. "You do look like me, after all."

Albedo looked peaceful, finally, with the smile on his lips no longer crazed and his eyes lidded. The panic after his nightmare had completely dissipated, and Jr. could feel the weariness begin to set back into their body. He knew better than to ask if they were going back to sleep now.

"I always have," Albedo said.