Endling - Chapter 13
Kaito had lost track of time long ago. Even his senses seemed to be completely warped. He was lying on the ground inside one of the many rooms of the fae hideout, yet he felt as if he could've been slowly sinking in a black sea. Like the rich waters of a deep trench, his surroundings seem to pulsate with something beyond his imagination. There was one thing clear to him at this point: the world he always took for granted was a shroud for something more than the mere absence of sunlight. He knew this with complete certainty, yet he couldn't grasp what was there to be discovered. Perhaps each time dawn touched the surface of the earth, the night and all its monsters simply seeped underground, condensing and growing more and more sour as they descended.
Had Yuki and Prima lied? Maybe they had always meant to feed him to whatever dwelled in the lower levels of their abode. Maybe the pain making him scream wasn't due to a metamorphosis...He was simply being consumed. It hurt. It hurt. How could anyone survive this? Fire danced on his back, as if his spine contained oil instead of marrow. His limbs ached terribly as they rearranged themselves in nonsensical ways. Through it all, he passed out again and again, only for the same torment to drag him back into consciousness. He could do nothing but curl up inside the bowels of the earth, barely able to formulate thoughts.
Hate wasn't the proper word for what Kaito could feel around him. And yet it played so cruelly with his body, twisting it and splashing the ground with his misery. There were no descriptors appropriate for something so unlike humans, nothing that could capture the exact mixture of indifference and malice of his unknowable torturer. It absorbed his sobbing and shouting and found them unsatisfactory. Kaito meant nothing to the years and years accumulated all around him, the condensed layers of yesterday's nocturnal terrors and featureless apparitions. Everything that had rejected the world of rationality was down here, ready to accept his suffering as a momentary distraction. However, a single boy lost in the dark was ultimately insufficient to satisfy them.
Many hours passed. Or perhaps it was only minutes.
Without warning, Kaito felt something materialize right on top of him, straddling his body. Before he had time to react, a red light seared his eyes. The scene revealed by the fleeting glow remained etched inside of his head, its details clear enough to push aside the other sensations fighting for his attention as his blindness returned. The figure was wearing an imitation of his own face, with an expression so alien that he could hardly recognize his own features. His throat had no sounds left, but Kaito managed to scream yet again. He could still feel the weight of the other Kaito pinning him to the ground, but in the darkness the entity must've shed its false visage, because he could feel it prodding his body, pulling his limbs in multiple directions and tearing at his clothes. It felt as if it had many more than four extremities.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!" Kaito managed to say.
Something like a hand touched his cheek. The fingers had more phalanges than it was possible. "Who are you? What do you want?" The figure or the darkness itself replied, he couldn't tell for certain. It sounded like his voice, but distorted and robbed of any emotion, so much that almost sounded like a random collection of sounds, devoid of any meaning.
"I…" Kaito gnashed his teeth. Why did he feel compelled to answer? Whatever this horror was, it surely wouldn't understand or care. It was merely parroting back his words without knowing what they meant, wasn't it? Nevertheless, he had to answer.
Who are you?
Kaito was still lying on the ground. However, he also was standing in a mountainous terrain covered with bamboo trees and mossy rocks. A fine mist clung to his skin. He was back in his homeland, somehow. Although he was in a dark cave, he was also in his mountain, waiting for the sightless maiden. He looked at his claws covered in dew and smiled wistfully. He was in love. It was wrong to love her, but he couldn't erase her image from his heart. He was desperately lonely.
Who are you?
It wasn't anything but a passing attraction. Perhaps nothing but curiosity. Kaito knew better than to be fooled, but it didn't matter. The upperclassman wasn't especially good-looking, but he acted normally around Kaito. Like he wasn't a freak or a failure. So, Kaito followed him to the back of the gym and did everything the other boy wanted. He lied down in the cave, he surrendered himself to the upperclassman. He was desperately lonely.
Who are you?
Kaito found himself in the garden of the old country house. The sun was warm and pleasant, and he felt its caress on his head at the same time he shivered in the cold air of the cavern. The contradiction didn't faze him; his father was watching him play from his seat in the open corridor and Kaito felt safe and almost comfortable. The son smiled and bounced around trying to catch a butterfly. He finally caught when it landed on some lilac flowers by the pond, then ran and presented it to his father.
"Look!"
"It's very nice." His father tousled his hair, examining the blue strands of hair. "You know…You have to start school soon. I can't keep you hidden here any longer. I wish I could find a dye that actually worked."
His father seemed very reluctant. The Kaito in the cavern knew why, but the Kaito in the sun didn't. He was happy. School is where you go to make friends, right? He was tired of feeling lonely.
"I don't want to be alone."
"Alone." The darkness echoed in agreement.
"The ogre wasn't strong enough to keep his maiden. What's going to happen to me?"
The darkness didn't reply. Kaito suddenly realized why: the void could only take his fears and pain, it could give nothing back. He could look into it, name it or even give it transitory form. Everything he poured down the well was waiting for him, festering in the shadows. But it would never give him the answers. That was up to him.
"I… I understand now." With those words, his mind cleared up considerably, and even the pain began to recede.
There was a blue flash of light. The figure was back on top of him. It was the ogre: a young male much like Kaito, garbed in white and blue robes. His clawed hands cupped his descendant's face with surprising tenderness. His long sleeves rustled like leaves in a fresh autumn afternoon. "My son… Don't be like me," the ogre said.
"I just need your strength."
The ogre smiled sadly. "Are you an ogre?"
"…No."
"Are you a human, then?"
"I've always claimed to be one, even if part of me isn't."
"Are you a human?" The ogre insisted.
"I always wanted to be fully human, until now."
"Are you a human?" The ogre asked for the third time, relentless.
"I'm something in between human and ogre, and neither."
The ogre's smile widened and seemed more authentic. "Who are you?"
"I'm myself. Kaito Fuuga. Every bad thing I've done, every good thing I've done, they happened because I am who I am, and not someone else."
"What do you want?"
"I want…" Kaito thought of Gakupo sitting on the edge of the pond, glittering drops scattered on his hair and skin. He recalled the smiling face of his father, worn down by time but full of gentleness. He then pictured his friends, waiting for news of him. Was that enough of an answer? It was them, their love and companionship, their endless faith in him. It was his desire to honor them, to cherish them, to protect them. He wanted nothing more but to preserve the bonds that propelled him time and time again over previously insurmountable walls. "I owe it to them and to myself. Not because I want to become someone else. I can become stronger without losing any part of me."
The ogre nodded. He spoke and Kaito spoke at the same time, discovering what the words were as they dropped from his mouth. Was he a reflection of the ogre? Was the ogre a reflection of him? He couldn't tell where it all started or ended. Perhaps the words were there all along, sleeping in the depths of his blood.
Crucible that melts my flesh. Frigid shore that grinds my bones. I was disjointed, I couldn't look inside myself. Now I stand before you, offering what I have. Bring me renewal. Bind me to the singing world.
Red light scalded his eyes. In a brief flash, Kaito saw his outstretched hands turn from white to black and then crack and crumble like burnt firewood. But in the next impossible second, blue light inundated the cavern. Ice grew all around his dying flesh, like an armor. Cold needles sank into every pore of his charred skin, and then…
Kaito opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, inside a dusty cavern. The opening of the small space was open -it didn't have a door in the first place. Beyond the uneven threshold, there was an equally dusty corridor illuminated by a candle inside a niche. The air was a bit cold and stale, but aside from that, there wasn't anything too notable about his surroundings.
He sat up and checked himself for injuries. Nothing. The old-fashioned clothes Yuki gave him were as dirty as to be expected from lying down on the floor, but they weren't torn or damaged in any way.
"Was it just a hallucination?" Kaito flexed his fingers reflexively. They looked completely normal. He touched his head and found nothing but his own short blue hair. Disappointment began to set in. Had the spell failed? Did he do something wrong? He again flexed his fingers, thinking of the ogre. He silently begged to his ancestor, I need your claws to protect Gakupo! I need them!
And just like that, a transformation began to occur before his eyes. The skin of his hands and forearms rippled and bubbled; his hair stood on end, iridescent. The sensation defied description, the change too quickly to be properly interpreted by his senses. The impossible wave of magic expanded to his fingers and made his nails bloom into long dark blue talons. A second later, it reached his head. There was a crack, then a rustle and a quick flash of pain followed by numbness. Kaito's hands rose to touch his head again, just in time to feel a pair of horns growing from his head. His hair was growing as well, blue locks snaking down past his shoulders. It only stopped halfway down his back.
Kaito jumped to his feet, spurned by an abrupt surge of energy. His arms and legs felt like compressed springs, full of potential power. He wanted to rush to the surface, to climb the mountain range and jump down from the highest peaks. "Or maybe just find Gakupo and screw him senseless," Kaito said to no one in particular, laughter almost drowning out the final words. Ordinarily, he would have never considered such phrasing. But now he felt so elated that his usual barriers were almost completely gone, and thus he set off running towards the surface, still smiling from ear to ear.
He raced down the underground tunnels, following the trail of lit candles at regular intervals. At no point did he doubt it was the route to the upper levels. He didn't run out of breath; his legs didn't ache. Kaito just ran faster and faster until he turned around a corner and saw the great cavern at the other end of the hallway. Another burst of laughter escaped from his lips.
Kaito emerged like a cannonball from the opening …And almost run into a line of small bipedal animals transporting chests and baskets along the border of the lake. With reflexes he most certainly didn't have before, Kaito leaped over the small procession and landed elegantly on the other side, with the water barely touching the soles of his shoes. Caught by surprise, the creatures screeched with high-pitched, ululating tones. Despite their vaguely feline appearance, their shouts reminded Kaito of a peculiar mix between the call of an owl and the sounds of a wood flute.
"I'm very sorry!" Kaito stopped staring and bowed deeply. After a moment, he hazarded a glance at the creatures. It was just in time to see one of them standing on tiptoes, just about to touch one of his horns. Its big phosphorescent eyes met his and it jumped back into a defensive posture. "Hey, no, don't be afraid!" Kaito knelt on the ground and showed the group his empty hands.
The creature imitated his gesture and spoke in a surprisingly sweet and childish voice. Most of it made no sense to Kaito, except for two words: Titania and Oberon. "Hmm, I guess you came to see them." Then the contents of the containers had to be wedding gifts. "Do you know where Titania and Oberon are?"
"Titania. Oberon." The creature bobbed its long snout up and down. Its black paw pointed to Kaito's left. The young man turned to look in that direction and discovered that a good chunk of the doorways on that side seemed to be lit now. There was movement inside many of the caverns and along the stairs hugging the wall; Kaito could see long and short silhouettes parading about in merry confusion. Some shapes were far from human-shaped, but he couldn't see any details from that distance. A small crowd was gathered around a big doorway guarded by an enormous furry figure.
Kaito stood up, his immediate surroundings almost forgotten. The creature by his side chirped. When Kaito looked downwards, the creature curtsied and offered a silky paw. Kaito carefully took it with his clawed hand and the creature started walking, guiding him like a confident child. The procession marched slowly after them.
At such a placid pace, Kaito had plenty of time to observe the surroundings. Many of the caves had been cleaned. Some were completely empty, some had piles of dry grass and herbs like Gakupo's nest. In a couple, he saw earth fae diligently repairing the old furniture of the hideout. Others were sewing clothes and making flower wreaths. One cavern was full of what at first glance seemed like white silk scarves, swirling in the air. The sight was so strange that he paused to look, but the creature at his side tugged at his hand and shook its head. His companion seemed so insistent that Kaito obeyed and resumed walking, though he kept shooting glances at the weird spectacle for a while.
Unsurprisingly, the big figure standing before the doorway turned out to be Goya. He was taller than most of the fae around him, except for some that to Kaito's eyes looked like giraffes entirely made of climbing roses. The wolf-man's humorless eyes observed the gradual approach of Kaito and his companions with practiced disinterest, but as soon as the group was near, Goya gruffly ordered the non-humans around him to make way and stepped forward.
The black creature let go of Kaito's hand and curtsied gallantly once more. As Kaito expected, Goya utterly ignored his presence and focused on his small companion and its retinue. The wolf-man traded some words with the lead creature and crouched down to sniff the wedding gifts and the shiny pelts of the visitors. He must be terrifying for someone of that size, Kaito thought. But the creatures remained still, heads respectfully bowed down.
Once Goya was satisfied, he nodded curtly and growled in the direction of the doorway. The heavy curtain covering the entrance moved to a side, pulled by something or someone on the other side. Kaito had a second to examine the golden interior before the small creatures broke into song and resumed their march. The earth fae by the entrance clapped and cheered them on, some even sang along echoing the mysterious words. Without knowing exactly what to do, Kaito followed the procession inside. Goya let out a low growl but made no attempt to stop him.
This cavern was one of the bigger ones Kaito had seen inside the hideout. It was roughly rectangular and fully illuminated by golden crystals hanging from the ceiling. They seemed like huge sunflowers growing upside down. Many glittering and colorful things had been piled in two tall mounds of treasure against the left and right walls, leaving a central passage. On the far end, there was a raised section carved out of the rock itself. The resulting dais was covered with flower petals and cushions of all sizes and shapes. Gakupo and IA were seated on two of the cushions, dressed in rich clothing and jewelry. They had almost matching expressions of polite boredom, but as soon as Gakupo noticed Kaito at the end of the procession, his tail perked up and a big smile illuminated his face. He seemed about to jump down to meet him, but then IA placed a hand on his thigh and muttered something, barely moving her lips. Gakupo gave Kaito an apologetic smile before turning his attention to the creatures. The song ended and the small visitors knelt before the pair.
Gakupo spoke to the black creatures in the language of the Warm Isles, presumably welcoming them. IA also said a few words, but she clearly wasn't as fluent in it as her future husband. Nevertheless, the creatures seemed very pleased and presented their gifts puffing up their chests. Their soon-to-be queen smiled sweetly and looked at the berries and grains in the baskets with interest. Kaito couldn't help but wonder how genuine her behavior was, but his mood was too jovial to care. In any case, the visitors were happy. They proudly added their presents to the piles in the room, swinging their short puffy tails from side to side like excited puppies. With the visit over, they retreated singing another song.
Kaito watched them leave, noticing that the curtain moved by itself once they were past the entrance. I've never heard of fae like that, I hope they stick around for a while. He began to turn towards the dais to ask about the little beasts...
And saw Gakupo swoop down to hug him with IA's grouchy face in the background. Kaito stretched out his arms and gladly received the impact of Gakupo's body colliding against his. For a second, Kaito was blinded by a cloud of purple hair. Laughing all the way, Kaito fell to the ground with Gakupo on top of him, with necklaces and bracelets clanging and clinking near his ears.
"You're back!" The endling squeezed him almost to the point of suffocation. A good way to go, Kaito decided.
"Not that I would grieve, but you're going to choke him," IA pointed out. "Humans need air, in my experience." Unfortunately, that made Gakupo back away, a bit red.
"I'm fine," Kaito said quickly and sat up. Before Gakupo could get out of his reach, he grabbed one of his hands and pulled him onto his lap.
"We have more visitors coming. Could you please play later?" IA grumbled.
Gakupo laughed a little, tenderly extracting himself from Kaito's arms. "She's right. Sorry." And he smiled warmly at IA while saying the last word. The girl, in turn, softened her expression ever so slightly.
Kaito examined their expressions with slight discomfort. They seemed so comfortable with each other all of the sudden. It wasn't right.
"How about you stand guard outside for a few hours, brave knight? Like it or not, we have more subjects to welcome." IA shook her head with what presumably was meant to be an indulgent expression.
"I… Yeah, sure." Kaito nodded. He was Gakupo's knight, even if she was saying it just to tease him.
"We'll talk later, yes?" Gakupo caressed one of his cheeks briefly, before returning to his cushion.
Kaito squared his shoulders and walked away as confidently as possible, although he felt just a bit deflated. Gakupo hadn't even realized that his new appearance wasn't just a disguise. But that was IA's fault, she had distracted him. Things would go different once they were alone, Gakupo would be proud of Kaito for sure. The curtain pulled itself open once more and Kaito crossed the threshold, contented by the idea of an evening alone with the endling.
"I'm on guard duty as well," he informed Goya.
The beast man answered with a sneer. "Soft human."
"Not anymore." Kaito pointed to his horns, undeterred. "I can protect him now."
To his annoyance, Goya looked Kaito up and down with an expression that clearly betrayed his incredulity. Finally, he made a little gurgling sound. "A mutt protecting a pup." He cut short Kaito's protests with a raised claw and pointed to another group of approaching figures. "Guard quietly."
Kaito sighed. "…Can do. Oh, but before that-"
Goya shushed him.
"I just want-"
"No more words."
Kaito rolled his eyes but nodded, acknowledging defeat. He'd ask Gakupo about his father later. For the next couple of hours, he quietly observed the activity around the lake. He quickly arrived at the conclusion that humans had severely underestimated the variety of forms a magical creature could adopt. More than once he felt sorely tempted to leave his post and wander around. His presence was hardly necessary, he knew that deep down. And yet he stood rooted to the spot.
By the time the activity in the hideout finally seemed to dwindle, the sunlight coming down from above had a red hue. As it grew violet, the fae around the doorway dispersed: some crawled up the crooked stairs to hide in the caves above, some disappeared inside one of the passages at ground-level. Goya poked his head inside the long golden room and growled a short question. A moment later, Gakupo and IA emerged.
"Good night," Gakupo said to his adoptive father and the white-haired fae.
"Good night. Remember to rest," IA said with a hint of a smile. She eyed Kaito with a cryptic expression but remained silent.
"Erm..." Kaito fidgeted under IA's gaze. What did she want from him? She
didn't care about anything he had to say, why not simply ignore him like Goya was wont to do?
An instant later, the mouse girl resolved the situation by turning away from him. Goya let out a little huff and knelt. IA hopped gracefully and landed on his shoulder. She sat down burying one hand into his ruff as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Without another word or even a glance at the other two, the beastly non-human rose and began walking away towards one of the lit passages.
"He's starting to like you, I think," Gakupo whispered, eyes still fixed on the retreating figures. "Both are."
"Could've fooled me," Kaito replied. But that hardly mattered at that moment. He stepped in front of Gakupo and pulled him down for a short kiss. "Let's go."
To his satisfaction, Kaito saw some curiosity in Gakupo's eyes, as if he was finally noticing something odd. But the endling simply embraced him and leaped into the air singing his familiar tune. Kaito tilted back his head and closed his eyes, gladly absorbing the cool feeling of air rushing past them. He didn't open them even after they landed on the ledge in front of Gakupo's room. Instead, he stood in silence, hands resting on his endling's chest as if waiting for some unknown signal.
"Kaito?"
The fabric under his fingers was thin. It could tear so easily into ribbons if he felt so inclined, with his powerful new hands…
"Kaito, are you alright?" The concern in Gakupo's voice finally made him open his eyes. "Are you angry I've made you wait?"
"Not the word I'd use," Kaito said with a grin. "Come on."
Gakupo followed him inside, even more perplexed than before. His look of confusion only deepened when Kaito began undressing. "Straight to bed?"
Kaito tossed the final item of clothing aside and faced Gakupo. "If you want to. But first I want you to take a good look at me."
Gakupo tilted his head. He began to say something, but then his eyes widened. In silence, he circled around Kaito; in his distracted state, he tripped on the discarded clothing on the ground. Kaito caught him effortlessly, once more showing a dexterity he never possessed before that day.
"How?" Gakupo asked, still clinging to Kaito's arms.
"Prima and Yuki did something to me. Don't ask me how it works, but then I transformed into this on my own. Look." He placed Gakupo on the bed and concentrated.
Nothing happened.
Nothing happened for a while longer.
"Maybe you have to sing?" Gakupo suggested.
"No, no, I just wished for it… I…" Kaito paused, keenly aware of what the problem was. I don't want to be human anymore. He wanted to be fae and live at Gakupo's side. No wonder he couldn't change back. But he needed a human disguise to protect his love. Immediately, his skin began to itch and bubble. One long breath later, he was back into his regular body. Two more breaths and the ogre returned.
"You can live in hideout and city," Gakupo said with awe. But Kaito shook his head.
"I'm not going back to the city, ever." He sat next to Gakupo and took one of his hands between his. "I did this for you. If you stay here, I'll stay here. If you go beyond that door of yours, I'll go with you. Even if we can never be officially together. I don't care about ceremonies or titles as long as I can be with you."
"That's not fair to you. I should've never…" Gakupo frowned and looked downwards, gathering his thoughts. "You have a life out there. I shouldn't force your choice."
"You're not forcing anything. You chose what you think it's right and I'm choosing what I think is right. This is what I want." Kaito caressed the fae's cheek and was rewarded with a fleeting smile, though Gakupo still failed to meet his gaze.
"IA says she doesn't mind us if she is first and most important. But she calls you names in joke."
"She can say whatever she wants as long as I can have this," Kaito replied and kissed Gakupo's neck. His hands traveled up and down the elegant fabric covering the endling's torso.
"You do," Gakupo muttered. He stood up and began to fiddle with the clasps at the sides of his tunic.
Kaito lied on his back on the center of the bed and watched everything come off, including the ribbon in Gakupo's hair. The fae then climbed on the bed and between Kaito's legs.
"What sort of names does she call me?"
Gakupo paused, head tilted to a side. His long hair tickled Kaito's stomach as he considered the question. "I don't remember all the words. She learned them at the awful place." His hands landed softly on Kaito's skin; the fingers moved capriciously, gradually settling into a pattern and rhythm. "I don't want to remember."
"I'm… I think I know what she says...anyway..." Kaito said breathlessly. Not that he really cared. What they had was nothing like the sordid business of the Pale Line, he was offering himself to Gakupo on his own terms.
Gakupo looked at him with mild bemusement. His hands stopped moving and rested on Kaito's waist. "I don't want others to think less about you."
"Less of me? It doesn't matter," Kaito said as emphatically as he could. To make his point even clearer, he rose to hungrily claim Gakupo's mouth. The fae opened his lips and Kaito gladly put the rest of the world aside for a few minutes. By the time he tilted his head back gasping for air, the conversation was over. The warm sensation of Gakupo's skin brushing against him turned all other concerns into unfocused, meaningless images, like ruins slowly covered by sand, and that was exactly what he wanted.
His lover's figure was silk, with locks of hair like waves crashing against his arms and feathers rustling against the sheets. He was also stone, lean and teeming with fire. Kaito took everything in and pleaded for more, over and over, until he was completely in shambles. His cries echoed in a warm darkness that was the opposite of the one he had experienced in the womb of the earth.
When it was all over, Gakupo retreated to the foot of the bed and watched Kaito in silence, solemnly. It felt chilly without the fae's weight on top of him, and Kaito wanted nothing more than to beg Gakupo to wrap himself around him. But an incredible tiredness swept over him. His eyes began to close, still locked on the slim figure watching him. Gakupo's eyes glinted gold, like that distant stormy night. He was saying something so softly Kaito couldn't understand him. Perhaps it was a word in his native tongue. Before Kaito could muster the strength to ask anything, his eyes closed. He slept.
I never asked about Dad. Kaito played with the long strands of purple hair, waiting for Gakupo to wake up. It was the first time Kaito had seen him sleep so soundly... He didn't mind the prospect of spending the whole morning under a cute sleeping fae, though.
Still, the thought of his father dampened his joy. He was not going to be pleased to hear of his son's decision. Kaito could already hear his voice in his ears. What about his education? What about his future? What if the new Arcadia was a dangerous place? There were many possible objections his father could formulate.
And there was something else. Mr. Fuuga had no other close relatives. Kaito was his only heir and the only one that could take care of him in his old age. Despite the warmth all around him, Kaito felt a small chill down his spine. The cold settled inside his stomach like a rock, as he pictured his father completely alone. What if he had an illness or accident, and Kaito wasn't there to care for him? Would anyone else take his place? Did he have any right to shirk his duties as a son?
Kaito let out a humorless chuckle. He had been so angry before because Gakupo wanted to take care of his surrogate father. Only now could he really understand his conflicted feelings.
"..nnm?" Gakupo lifted his head and blinked slowly at him.
"I didn't mean to wake you up, sorry."
"Need to go to sewing ladies. Wedding dress for tomorrow," Gakupo uttered, although his eyelids were threatening to close again.
Dress? Surely Gakupo was using the wrong word again. Although everything was possible...In any case, that innocuous response sparked a peculiar irritation inside Kaito. He wasn't even clear on who was the exact target of his anger. Maybe there was no one at all. But he grabbed Gakupo's head with more force than it was necessary. "No!"
Gakupo's eyes grew wide with shock. He didn't move or say anything.
"You have all day to go get your outfit. Please, just a little longer."
The fae examined his expression for a few seconds more before he responded with a cautious nod.
This is my last chance to be selfish without serious repercussions, Kaito realized. I better make it count. He forced the sides of his mouth to curve upwards. Gakupo relaxed somewhat, then leaned in for a kiss. It was all the encouragement Kaito needed.
He was going to be very selfish.