A/N: Kept you waiting huh?

The Purest of Evil part 8

"Memory Can Be Cruel,"

Lucas' eyes suddenly snap open startled as he regains consciousness. He blinks few wearily to regain his bearings as his mind starts to recognize that he is awake now. He sits up feeling a little sore and feeling odd patches on his skin that felt odd. He rubs the patches feeling that they are actually bandages. There is one on his face, a bandage wrapped around his head, and also another wrapped around his forearm. He doesn't recall receiving this much damage, and wonders why no one didn't just heal him with PSI. However, this fact was ignored for the time being as he turns his attention to a presence on his left. He sees his brother Claus sitting in a chair next to his bedside laying his head down fast asleep. Lucas stares down at his brother a little confused by his place here. Was he worried about him? He doubted that. Only a couple of days ago he was trying to murder him so he found this idea of worry extremely contradictive. Why would he worry about him? Because they're brothers? Well that hasn't stopped him from almost taking his life. But it wasn't like him to hold a grudge especially against his brother.

Lucas places his face in his palms utterly conflicted on how he should feel. The constant barrage of craziness bombarding him was becoming too much. He couldn't process it all. He doesn't know what should be done. After seeing the evil person that he has become. Maybe death would be the simple solution. But obviously, that won't solve anything. There had to be a better solution to all this. He just needed time to think! Tears of frustration started to leak from his eyes as emotions began to run wild inside him. He hated this feeling. He hated it so much.

"...Lucas…" the blonde looks up to see his brother's bleary eyed gaze turned toward him. They share a gaze with one another before Claus notices Lucas' tears. Claus stands up to draw closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lucas responds evenly wiping his face somewhat embarrassed that Claus saw him like that. Claus could read this from his brother and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Why are you embarrassed, not like I haven't seen you cry before ya big crybaby," Claus says poking fun at his brother.

"Shut up!" Lucas says glaring to the side. Suddenly he felt Claus' thumb, his real thumb, brush away a tear track from under his eye. Lucas blinks startled before turning to look at his brother's tired but smiling face.

"Besides, I'm always the one that had to cheer you up." Lucas stares at Claus almost astounded. "Come on, I'm sure you haven't forgotten those times."

"I haven't…

"What's wrong?" Claus asks sitting next to his brother to look him in the eye. Lucas stares at his brother's eyes. Seeing the scars under his left eye and the red iris that stares back at him. It gave him a slight chill, so he looked to the other eye that showcases a softer feel. Lucas debates talking to his brother. His emotions were so frazzled and his mind is struggling to understand everything that's going on. Talking with his brother is something he should miss, something that would make everything better, but Lucas finds himself closing himself off. Claus seems to balk at the body language Lucas shows. He curls his arms around his sides and brings his legs closer. "Lucas…"

"I don't know…I don't know Claus…" Lucas' eyes stare at his brother. If feelings could be expressed in a look Claus saw suffering. "But…"

"But?" Claus questions. Lucas doesn't respond not having words to give. Claus sighs as looks off to the side. "I'm sorry," He utters weakly. Lucas glances up at him. "I realize how stupid it was of me to just expect that you'd forgive me just like that. Especially when I didn't even really apologize. I tried to kill you! And I'm sorry for that. But not just that. I'm sorry I left you all alone, I'm sorry I brought you so much pain, and I'm sorry I haven't been there for you when I always swore I would be."

"You're your own person Claus…"

"So?" Claus questions. "You're not just my brother Lucas, you're my twin. Born on the same day. We share everything even feelings. When you hurt, I hurt, and when I hurt you hurt. If you did what I did to you, it would feel like a part of me died too." Claus turns to look at his brother. "Will you forgive me for being so hasty?"

Lucas' face show contorts in sharp pain as tears falls from his face again. "Damn it!" he exclaims as he tried to hide his face of tears as they keep falling. "Stop crying…stop it…" he mutters to himself.

"Lucas, it's okay…" Claus says reaching a hand out to rub his brother's arm. Lucas deflects Claus arm away.

"No, you don't understand. I'm beyond this! Crying like some small child. This isn't who I am anymore. I don't need anyone anymore!"

"You never used to think like that…" Claus says with a saddened voice.

"When no one else was around I had to learn to rely on myself. The only person you know will really always be there is yourself."

Claus looks at his brother sadly. "Wow…I'm so sorry that's what you learned from all that. But Lucas it doesn't have to be that way. It can be great having people to rely on. You had Duster, Kumatora, and Boney with you that whole time. What about them?" Lucas' eyes are glued downward as he doesn't meet Claus's gaze. "The fact is you're right. No one was there for you when you really needed them. Will you let me make up for that mistake?"

Lucas looks at his brother again. Lucas could tell from the look on Claus' face that he was really genuine and it looked like he held his own sorrow. Claus is sitting in front of him with body parts missing replaced with machine parts and he's the one comforting him? Lucas suddenly felt selfish or rather foolish in his desires. Like he didn't deserve such attention. His brother Claus has always been the closest living person to him, and now he's shut even him out. The idea must terrify Claus in some way.

"Okay…" Lucas says finally opening up his body as he looks Claus in the eyes again. Claus moves forward wrapping his arms around his brother. The blonde went stiff as a board at the contact. This only made him squeeze tighter hoping that he could shatter that wall Lucas built up. Eventually, Claus did feel him relax before returning the hug.

"Promise not to shut me out," Claus mutters into Lucas's ear.

"I promise." Lucas says tightening his grip around Claus. Claus eventually breaks the embrace to look at his brother. His eyes trail over the numerous injuries he had received. Even after everything that happened the past few days, this was the most hurt he's seen Lucas as of yet. This future version him must be tougher then he thought.

"You had gotten pretty roughed up and you passed out while we were time traveling." Claus explains.

"How is Alex?" Lucas asks. Claus tilts his head side to side.

"I don't know he hasn't spoken to anyone since we got back. He's been keeping his distance for the most part."

Lucas frowned hearing that. "And the journal?"

"Duster is holding on to it. We all wanted to look through it when you woke up, it was only fitting."

"Alright then. I'm up and we have the journal. Let's take a look at it." Lucas moves to get out of the bed standing to his feet. Claus is quick to follow his lead standing alongside him. Lucas slips his shoes on his feet before following Claus out of the room and down the hall. Lucas glances down at Claus' metallic appendage to see the metallic hand. "I thought your hand was a cannon?"

Claus looks down at the hand flexing the metallic fingers. "Yeah, I can switch it between modes. Which is good since I am right handed. I guess you just never saw it when it wasn't a cannon."

"I wonder why…" Lucas says rolling his eyes. Lucas' vein attempt at putting his brother at ease clearly backfired as the look on Claus' face expressed slight anguish. "Sorry…too soon."

"I don't know when it won't be." Claus responds with a frown, but gives Lucas a backward smirk. "Timing on a joke is still awful."

"Whatever, at least I tried," Lucas states with arms folded. Claus chuckles at this. "How long had I been out anyway?"

"About a day." Claus responds casually. "We were getting really worried, that future you did a serious number on you."

"Psionic CQC, that's a really good name for it, effective too. I'd better start practicing more."

"So you created your very own fighting style?" Claus asks.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Why not."

"How do you even do that and can ya teach me?"

"Well I started thinking about the past fights I've been in and I realized I don't really know how to fight. All I've done is flail and blast stuff, somehow that's been effective because I had people on my side who could actually fight. So I tried using my PSI mixed in with combat. I had been teaching Kuma as well."

"I did notice she seem a bit tougher then what I remembered her to be. How does it work?"

Lucas smiles happy to hear his brother interested. "Well our PSI helps heightens our sensory senses if we let it. What we hear, what we feel, what we see, and what we smell. Though I haven't gotten a chance to try how smell could help, but with the other three we're more aware of the world around us. We can sense when other people are near and other things. Using this in tune with combat we can pinpoint weaknesses that someone may possess and strike at them. But this requires a very strict control of your PSI."

"Maybe we should just have a training session with you oh great sensei." Claus states rather impressed that his brother had come to this conclusion all on his own. He always knew his brother was clever. Lucas blushes rubbing the back of his head. "Don't get all bashful on me now!" Claus says throwing his arm around his shoulder. They both enter into the main hall where everyone was waiting for them. Kumatora and Duster talking amongst themselves. While Arcane and Rob were taking up the complete other side of the room. Lucas notes that Alex is not there.

"Lucas, whew, you had us worried there for a while." Kumatora says walking over with Duster at her side. "I thought that new fighting style of yours made you unbeatable."

"Did no one tell you what happened?" Lucas asks.

"Claus told us a little bit, but not much else. He's been at your bedside the entire time, and Alex…doesn't seem like he's okay to talk about much anything. But I did hold on to the journal." Duster states handing it over to Lucas. The boy takes it gladly before looking over to the two time travelers.

"Where is Alex?"

"Somewhere in the castle, I don't know," Rob states plainly.

"Could you bring him here, I'd like him to be around to help explain some things."

"We've been waiting all this time for you to wake up, and now we have to go get the crybaby."

"You've waited hours, a few minutes of bringing Alex here isn't gonna kill ya," Kumatora cuts in sharply. Rob lets out a loud sigh before he moves to go look for Alex. Arcane watches him go before eyes fall on him as well.

"Okay, fine I know when I'm not wanted," he states getting to his feet to follow after Rob.

"The attitude on that kid I swear…" Kumatora states with her hands on her hips. She turns back to Lucas. "Okay, so what happened?"

"Alex had shown us the future…and honestly…it's a pretty bleak place."

"Define bleak?" Duster questions.

"It's like this twisted utopia with everyone is either forced to think and act a certain way, or be a trapped in a world filled with violence. I saw someone killed on the street for their hat and shoes. There's also this wall that separates the chaos from the order."

"Yeah and on that wall they have corpses hung from them to serve as an example to never disturb the order," Claus chimes in.

"Everything was so clean…but it didn't hide the amount of ugly there was. Alex had led us to Castle Oshoe of the future." Lucas says sadly.

"Yeah, but future Lucas knew we were coming the moment we entered his utopia. He would've killed Alex if Lucas and I hadn't rushed in to save him."

"Wait future Lucas was going to murder his own son!" Kumatora gasps. "Wait, are we sure that this future Lucas was really Lucas. Maybe he was under some type of influence like Claus was, I

mean it makes sense!"

"No, it was me…all of it…I had fought him to help get Alex and Claus to safety. He beat the snot out of me." Lucas says rubbing his arm.

"I guess that makes sense. The only one able to beat you is a future version of you. But after all that you three managed to get away?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised we made it out of that too," Claus says with a shake of his head. "But…Alex seemed really shaken up after all that…"

"Well yeah, his psycho dad just tried to kill him!" Kumatora exclaims. "I mean no offense Lucas," She quickly adds upon noticing the creasing eyebrows of Lucas.

"None taken I guess."

"I tried talking to him, but…he didn't really respond. It's like something in him broke. I don't think just his dad almost killing him is what set him off," Claus says with a sad sigh.

"Okay, so we have the journal, now what?" Duster asks.

"We look through it, see when the change occurred. Travel there and change the future. Simple enough right?" Claus guessed before looking at Lucas. "Or not right?"

"Like I said, I need to talk to Alex. This whole time travel thing, as smart as I am, is a little bit out of my reach. Alex must've been studying this so he might be better on designing a plan for us."

"I see, let the time travelers make the plans on time travelling," Duster says with a nod.

"So on a lighter note Lucas, did you see what your wife looked like?" Kumatora question with a smirk.

"Thankfully not, I pulled him before he could see her," Claus answers.

"Wait, you saw the picture too?"

"Yeah, didn't wanna spoil the surprise for you."

"But you saw her!" Lucas exclaims.

"Well, it's not like she's gonna be my wife in the future. Don't worry, she's not THAT hideous."

"Don't call my future wife hideous!" Lucas exclaims. "Have I met her yet? No wait don't tell me I don't wanna know. I can't know…." Lucas stands with his arms crossed with a determined look on his face. But eventually it falters as he turns to his brother. "She's not really hideous right, that's just a joke, right?" Claus begins to laugh at Lucas' expense. "Claus I'm serious, you're only joking right!?"

000

"So what are we working for them now?!" Rob exclaims annoyed. "I mean, everyone must be wandering what is going on here?"

"Yeah, we've deviate way off mission. I'm surprised there hasn't been any backlash yet." Arcane stops dead in his track then curses loudly. "DAMN IT!"

"What you left a cake in the oven back home?" Rob asks.

"No, worse, I just tempted fate."

"Dude, seriously I think-,"

"No, you don't understand, you don't tempt fate! There are consequences, which will soon surely follow. Why do I keep doing that?"

"Your superstitions aside help me look for Alex. Feels like he's around, but I think he's concealing himself. Does he have one of our PSI cloakers?"

"No, so I guess he must be doing it naturally. Well you're the one with PSI so good luck finding him. I'm gonna head back no sense in us both wandering around. Oh and Rob when you find Alex, try not to be so abrasive."

"Oh when did you start caring about him?"

"When I stopped looking at him as King Lucas' son. He's not so bad, and we shouldn't hate him for his heritage. Ya can't help where your born."

"What is this all of a sudden huh Arcane. Suddenly, the merc has a heart. You haven't much cared about anyone for years, and I can say that since I've known you for a while."

"Yeah, in some twisted way we're friends."

"You've never used that word, so what the hell-,"

"I told you about what happened to me in that other world. What I had to deal with and you know what. I had to get over myself, because what happened there was happening to real people. People were getting hurt, and I could either not care or do something. Pretending not to care is the easy way of dealing with a problem, and it's cowardly."

"I find that whole story just so hard to believe…why in the hell would you risk your life for a world that isn't even your own?"

"Because it was important to other people that I cared about." Arcane says simply. "And that made it important to me." After that he turns to walk away leaving Rob partially stunned. Arcane sure had changed quite a lot over the time he's known him. He does really wonder what happened to Arcane. He was so ready to get on board with this new idea that Rob was shell shocked that he hadn't stuck his hand out for a payment. It was unlike him, but maybe he recognized something that Rob himself had not yet.

"Guess he's leaving Alex to me then," Rob groans as he walks the halls trying to pinpoint Alex's location. It took a considerable amount of effort on his part as he had to really concentrate. Luckily Alex, like his father, is quite powerful so it was signal rather difficult to completely conceal. He found the boy in a dimly lit corridor with barely any light able to reach into the area. Even the ghosts hadn't favored this area since they deemed it too gloomy. Rob approaches seeing Alex curled up with his arms wrapped around his legs and his face buried in his knees. "Here you are…hey brat stop sulking your dad wants you."

Alex doesn't respond.

"Come on man we need to get a move on here, so how about it?" Alex again doesn't respond. "Look, I get that your dad disowning you and not taking you back must be upsetting. But we've got more to focus on then your daddy issues Alex. I'm trying to be sympathetic but there's more going on than just what you have to deal with. It's hard for everyone, and you bailing out isn't going to help anyone."

"Go away…" Alex finally says.

"You're being a big baby alright, I would think it'd be a relief to be disowned by that monster. And-,"

"GO AWAY!" Alex screams as he flicks his gaze up to shoot Rob a glare. Along with a psionic push that knocks Rob off his feet and farther away. Rob was startled. From the brief glance of Alex's face his saw the boy's eyes are red and puffy clearly he had been crying for hours. Rob picks himself off the floor to stare at Alex. The boy had never been one to lash out at people before. Even when someone was lashing out at him. He'd seen a lot of hate and contempt thrown his way before. But Alex always took this hate in stride never letting it stop him from his goals or keeping him from doing what he felt was right. Maybe it was this trait that convinced Rob to allow Alex to travel back with him on this mission. He had chosen Alex, it was not like he was assigned to him, but just now Alex lashed out at him. This revelation made Rob stare at Alex for a few moments as he simply contemplates. He had always seen Alex very composed for the most part. So seeing Alex lash out at him, the composed boy who always took spite as if it was the air he breathes, lashed out in anger. This meant that he must truly be hurting right now. Rob tries a gentler approach as he walks over to take a seat next to Alex. Alex doesn't acknowledge him as he shifts his head to the side to continue crying. There was a long silence as Rob sits next to Alex as the other boy continues to cry his heart out. Rob looks at Alex then reaches out to place a hand on his head. He gives rubs the boy's head gentle as Alex's whimpering comes to a sharp stop.

"I'm sorry," Rob says. "You must be in a lot of pain right now. I didn't realize."

"Y-You…don't mean that…" Alex responds with a whimpering voice that was shakily able to make coherent words. "Y-you don't e-even know what you're a-apologizing for," Rob pulls his hand away as if he touched fire. Alex's statement was half true. He didn't know what he was apologizing for, but he did mean it. At least he thinks he did. "You always thought…that because something bad happened to you…that gave you the right to harsh. That gave you the right to turn your nose up to anyone else's suffering. In some ways, you're more like my dad then I am."

"Ouch…" Rob grimaces. That's easily the most scathing comment Alex has ever made about him, and the words carried weight. Especially after all the awful and cruel things he's said to Alex. After all the awful and cruel things that a lot of people have said to him. But having this time on this mission to get to know Alex, Rob had begun to question why so much hate was directed at him. Was it really only because of who his father is? As a person Alex embodies a lot of noble traits that are respectable. He's brave, courteous, committed, and is very empathic for others. He knows this isn't really Alex right now, but just a boy in pain. When you're hurting so much it's unbearable, you can say and do all kinds of things you don't really mean.

"You're right, I don't know what I'm apologizing for…because there is so much I need to say sorry about." Rob faces the opposite wall as he speaks. "I lost my parents at a young age, to serves as examples on the Wall despite us living in his Utopia. I hated you for that, even though you had nothing to do with it. I hated you for trying to help the resistance, because I had thought you were trying to clean off some of the blood on your hands. I belittled you and disregarded your opinion. I even tried to kill you only a little while ago. I did all that because I was hurting, and lashing out at someone because your hurting is an awful thing to do."

"…I'm sorry…" Alex mumbles with shame in his voice.

"Don't be, you've been hurting for so long and swallowing so much shit from everybody you deserve to give back a little hurt."

"That's not how my mom would see it. She would say that the best way to deal with hurt is to make someone else feel better. When someone else is overflowing with happiness, that leaves a little for you to take away from too."

"Your mom sounds nice." Rob says with a nod. "All this time I've never really known much about the Queen. What's her take on all this?"

"She doesn't have one, or she can't have one."

Rob was confused. "You mean, he-,"

"No, he could never do that to my mom. But there are things worse than death…" Rob looks at Alex to see the boy's eyes. He never ever saw them filled with so much pain.

"What did he do to her?"

"Psychic Lobotomy."

"A what…" it sounded terrifying to Rob.

"Lobotomy is a fancy way of saying brain surgery. He used his powers to destroy her mind, destroy any trace of who she is. She's like a walking talking vegetable. She can't feel emotions because those signals in the brain that are registered as emotions are gone. That's the scientific way of saying her soul was taken away. She hardly knows who I am…"

Rob's face fell. And finally he felt utterly selfish, ignorant, and stupid. The King had been a monster for years. But at least there was a wall between the free thinking people and him. For Alex and his mother, they weren't so lucky to have that wall. They were always within arm's reach. He wasn't shielded from the atrocity the world had to offer, he didn't even have a front row seat to it, he was forced right on stage as if he was a part of it. Rob begins to see why Alex works so hard to save his family name, and to prove to everyone that he's not like his dad. Rob again put his hand to rub Alex's head affectionately.

"I'm sorry," this time he meant it and he knew what he was apologizing for. "I never knew, but that's still no excuse. But I think I'll take your mom's advice." Rob then begins to give Alex a noogie. Alex tries to push Rob away, but the older boy grapples with Alex to trap him to continue administering the noogie. Alex couldn't stop laughing as he begged Rob to stop. Oddly enough, seeing Alex look happy actually made Rob brighten up a bit.

"Hey cut it out!" Alex exclaims.

"Not until you start acting like your old self."

"Okay, okay I will please stop!" After hearing that Rob releases Alex who sighs in relief as he rubs his head.

"Good, because I would like to give this whole friendship thing another try," Rob says which makes Alex stare at him in shock. "Yeah, I know, I don't have friends."

"No, it's not that. Well I mean it is that partly, but mostly you want to be friends…with me?" Alex responds.

"You can ask Arcane I treat all my friends like crap." Rob says standing up to his feet. He offers Alex a hand up which the boy is slow to take, but does so anyway. Once on his feet Alex begins to wipe his face to get rid of his tears. Then he faces Rob again. He wraps Rob into a tight embrace surprising the pink haired boy.

"Thank you and apology accepted."

"Hey I am not a hugger!" Rob exclaims pushing against Alex's head to pry him off.

"But we're friends now aren't we?" Alex whines.

"Be friends with me at arms-length!" Rob replies sharply. Suddenly they hear a loud crash coming from the other side of the castle. They freeze on the spot surprised before they look to each other. Alex releases Rob to rush down the hall with Rob right on his heels. They quickly dash down the stone walls hearing the crashing and cries of a fight.

"Who do you think is attacking us?" Rob questions unable to fathom the timing of being attacked. No one knew what they were up to. Sure they attacked the King but he couldn't have responded this quickly. It had only been half a day ago since they went to the future.

"That's an easy guess," Alex responds. The two rush by the ghost who are all more annoyed then terrified with the fighting going on. Deciding to try to find a quitter part of the castle to have some peace most likely. Once the two make it into the main hall they can see a large hole blown into the side. A group of five figures all with hands extended towards their friends who were poised to fight. Unfortunately, they both were terrified to see that Lucas was down being cradled by Claus. "The resistance is here to finish the job we started."