Chapter 3- To the Lost Horizon, I'm Calling Your Name…

"Albedo! You-you're alive!", Jr. exclaimed, whirling around so fast that he knocked Albedo over as he tried to hug him.

"Whoa! You thought I would die so easily?! I'm very disappointed in you, Rubedo…", he replied as he sat up to find Jr. sprawled on his lap, hugging his leg.

Jr. hissed at the name, "My name isn't Rubedo! It's Jr.!"

"It's your name, Rubedo. You just need to learn to accept it…", Albedo answered calmly back with his usual sadistic grin.

Jr. rolled his eyes as he dropped the argument. Then he sat on the bed and gazed darkly at Albedo. 'You… I felt your heart… it was destroyed, wasn't it?"

Albedo still grinned as Jr. looked at him with a confused face on, and then Albedo softly laughed, "Even if my body dies, my mind and will still exist, and tell me…. How can you physically destroy something that isn't tangible?"

Jr. just stared at him as his eyes twitched a little, "You mean… Your mind and will created a new body?!"

"Yup!", Albedo childishly replied which made Jr. involuntarily remember the days back at the Yuriev Institution, when Albedo was still so happy… then Albedo's eyes shifted elsewhere on Jr.'s body, and his child-like face contorted into a piercingly serious gaze and visage. "Rubedo… What the hell were you doing…?", he asked sternly, his voice low and calm, but hiding his concern very well.

Jr. followed Albedo's gaze to his right arm, the arm that was still bleeding from carving Albedo's name into himself as an eternal reminder of his supposed 'death'. The sight of his arm was quite embarrassing now that it seemed it was all for naught, so Jr. hid his arm behind his back, even though it was futile.

Albedo gently reached behind Jr. and brought his arm into full view. He held it for a while, thinking deeply about his emotionally torn brother, then without warning, Albedo lowered his face to Jr.'s arm, kissed the palm of his hand, and slowly slid his tongue across the trails of blood that streamed down his arm.

The sudden attention to his weakened arm made Jr. jump, then relax as Albedo's tongue massaged his torn skin and chased the pain away. The feeling was different than other he had ever felt before, but it was also intoxicating, like a fog where he couldn't see behind or in front of himself; only what was in that moment of time that had now become his world.

Albedo watched him cautiously, but with intrigue as Jr.'s eyes rolled back and relaxed as his cheeks flushed. Then after Albedo licked all the blood away, he saw that his own name was engraved in Jr.'s arm. "R-Rubedo?!"

Hearing Albedo's confused voice and sensing what he was referring to, Jr. suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Albedo's neck, afraid of letting him go. Albedo was in a state of shock, but somewhat relaxed as he could hear Jr.'s strong heartbeat and pulse, also feeling Jr.'s small chest heave slightly as Albedo felt Jr.'s renewed tears fall upon his cheek.

"A-Al-bedo…", Jr. managed to choke out in between small gasps as he tried desperately to suppress his tears. "I…I…killed you…I felt… I felt your heart die… It was my heart too…", Jr. sobbed as his tears spilled forth from his grief-stricken eyes, the eyes that once held the fire, the power that led him to kill his own brother. Jr.'s grip on Albedo tightened as he remembered the battle they had, the pain he saw Albedo in, Albedo's parting words, "I'm free!"

Albedo couldn't see Jr.'s face due to having his face against Jr.'s chest, but the slightest movements and gasps alerted him to his brother's regret, Jr.'s heart heavy with guilt. Albedo watched Jr. all his life; even when Albedo vanished after the incident from 14 years before, he always had a connection in his brother's heart open through the wavelength they shared. Although Jr. never noticed the open connection, Albedo used it constantly to watch over his dear brother, to check his emotions and thoughts.

Now, feeling Jr.'s chest beating erratically, his thoughts dripping with the blood of his tears, through the connection they shared, Albedo felt the pain Jr.'s heart held. Then slowly Albedo got up from his embrace with Jr. to see his brother's face, to see his eyes, the eyes that kill, and the eyes that could heal.

"Albedo, I… don't leave me!!!", Jr. screamed as Albedo stood, but was silent when Albedo looked him in the eyes. "Albedo, what?...what are you…?"

Jr. was stopped in mid-sentence as Albedo sat on the bed next to him and lifted Jr. with ease and sat him on his lap. Something pressed up against Jr.'s thigh, he wasn't aware of that right now; he watched Albedo's face go from serious to… something else, something indescribable. It was a fusion of pain and….love? "Rubedo, I…", Albedo weakly got out the words he felt, "I..I…love you…"