How did it come to this?: chapter.5 So very cold
How did it come to this? How did the man who killed his best friend end up being the boy who was the very boy wrapped in his arms? Richter truly and honestly damned this fate, this cruel and unforgiving fate...Unaware, the boy would soon share his pain, as he will soon be overwhelmed with guilt along with betrayal as Richter will most likely kill him for Aster.
In the middle of damning his fate, Richter couldn't help but take notice of the boy's scent. His cheeks flushed a pink color as he was oddly finding himself to feel...a strange tingly feeling of happiness when he sniffed the boy, as the scent reminded him of a sweet flower.
"Richter-san..." The boy had oddly became attached to the man after the little time they had spent in Luin, feeling the attachment grow more and more with every moment, even if it was only for a mere two seconds. He couldn't help but admire and adore the man for being so cool and so perfect, so kind...aside from not being able to cook. He wanted to be close with Richter, he wanted to travel with him, smile with him, laugh with him, fight alongside him, and cook for him...So...Why did things end up this way? Why did he end up with Marta, going against Richter as enemies...? How...How did it come to this? He wondered.
Richter held his head up, as he could hear the sudden sounds of approaching footsteps, which were most likely Marta and the others. He could only guess they had only just come back after finding out the core was said to have already been taken by a merchant's son. He knew this as it was a part of the Vanguard's plan as well.
"Emil, I need to leave." He said, pulling away from the boy as well as taking his coat and slipping it back onto himself, buttoning it up.
"But...-" What was Emil to say? If Marta were to show up...what then?
"Look." He huffed. "I promise to leave Marta alone for the moment, now get going." He scoffed, quickly making his way out of the village.
"Richter-san..!" Emil reached out for the man, as his body came to a harsh shiver when it realized that the man's warmth was gone, making the breezes feel twice as cold than before and by the time he realized it. The man was gone...just like that.
"Emil? EMIL!" Marta called out from the distance, quickly running over to the boy.
"Emil!" Genis quickly followed the girl's pace, as well as Raine and Regal following behind.
"Marta!" Emil replied with a bright smile, as he forced the thoughts of Richter out of his mind.
Marta wrapped her arms around the boy tightly, bursting into tears and said. "Emil, I'm so sorry!" She sobbed as the boy held her back gently and petted her head with gentle strokes. "Marta..." The boy felt so happy knowing that she had actually been worried about him.
"Emil, I should have never treated you that way before, s-so don't scare me l-like that a-again!" She clearly had a hard time voicing her words as her voice hitched.
"Marta, it's okay...and I'm sorry too...I...I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, and most of all...I should have apologized sooner" He said.
"Emil..." She held her head up, as her teary-eyed gaze met the boy's kind green eyes.
"Now, please don't cry Marta" He smiled, gently holding her shoulders.
"Emil!" She wrapped her arms tightly around the boy's neck and continued to cry into his chest. But this time she was crying out of joy and relief...and, to be honest, she was happier having the boy alive and well over being forgiven.
Once the team was settled down, Emil had to explain to everyone that Richter had saved him that night when they got separated and had to travel around with Jord just to find them all the way in Flanoir...Although he felt bad having to lie about most of...well, all of it really. But Richter had actually saved him, though. Now that the team has caught up and finished talking, they headed for the temple of ice.
-In that moment in ice...did I say love?-
It was in the ice temple that Marta had run after who appeared to be her father, along with Genis and Raine. Emil had gone into Ratatosk mode as he and Regal were forced to fight member's of the Vanguard, oddly almost finding the boy to be...familiar. Once the battle was over with, Regal blasted away the large ice that blocked their path and mentioned his past lover for why he had never used this power before when in battle.
"I killed the one I love" The words echoed.
For some strange reason, Emil randomly began comparing him and Richter with Regal and his lover. His cheeks blushed when the words "Love" passed his lips and became more embarrassed when he realized that Regal was giving him a funny look, being that Emil mostly was thinking to himself...while making expression's to match whatever it was that he was thinking...Regal could only hope that the boy was alright and well...and not crazy.
Emil and Regal were horrified when they finally found Marta, Genis, and Raine. The girl lied on the cold icy floor with the two sibling half-elves with Decus standing over them. Before Decus could finish the girl off or before Regal and Emil could act, the cave began to rumble and shake as the ice started to crumble.
"W-What's going on?" Decus fell over, trying to stand back up.
"M-Marta!" Emil tried to reach the girl. But Regal had quickly pulled the boy away, just seconds before a huge chunk of ice could crush him.
"Emil, we need to get out of here. But be careful" Regal said before carefully trying to reach the girl. Emil tried his best to keep up with Regal while also staying alert for anymore falling ice.
"H-Hey, I need Marta!" Decus said, trying to crawl over to Marta, when suddenly Decus had gotten a good look at Emil "Huh? Chef guy, is that you?" Decus finally realizing the familiar face of the boy.
"H-Huh?" Emil didn't know what to say. Regal had already nabbed Marta while the two boys stared at one another.
"Emil, let's go!" Regal said, dodging ice as he made for the exit.
Decus stood up, confused with the boy. "Chef guy, I thought you were-"
"Decus, watch out!" Emil had suddenly noticed the huge piece of ice about to fall on top of the man. He quickly pushed Decus out of the way. But the landing of ice that they hit ended up breaking and caused the two to fall down the bottomless pit of the ice cave.
"Emil!" Regal cried. He didn't know what to do, the boy was most likely...Before Regal's only exit out of the cave collapsed, Sheena had come in just in the nick of time to help him get Genis and Raine. Once they were safely in Flanoir, they shared a conversation about everything that's been going on and agreed to look for a way back in the temple to search for Emil once Marta had woken up with the other two.
Emil awoke in complete darkness, feeling pain all over his body but he almost started to become numb to the pain as the cold started to become too much. After a moment, his nose curled from the smell around him and tried to see where he was. When he tried to move, the more and more the pain in his stomach was becoming extremely unbearable.
"Augh...Aaaaaaaaaagh!" The boy cried out, as tears began to well up in his eyes as he realized the large sharp piece of ice in his right stomach area, pinning him to the ground as he lied on his back, feeling the blood beneath him slowly chill until frozen.
"C..Chef guy, is that you?" The familiar voice of Decus called out from the darkness. Emil wanted to reply...But the pain was too much and all he could do was whimper from the pain, unable to see much of anything around him.
"Hold on chef guy, I'm coming!" Decus quickly looked for something in his pocket's for anything that could be used for a light.
"D...D- Nnnnnngh!" Trying to speak or move at all only pained the boy, even just breathing hurt. His wound felt like it was burning from the cold ice that pinned him to the ground, finding it hard to even keep focus, much less die from the pain. He tried to think. But only thought's of dying from frostbite came to mind, along with bleeding out, slowly freezing to death and many more things alike. He was scared as he continued to sob in pain. His heart was racing, as nothing but panic began to sink in.
Decus soon found some matches to light up a lantern that Alice had given him and was horrified when he found the boy. He wasn't sure what to do. If he were to free the boy from the ice, he would bleed or freeze to death or had frostbite from the inside and if he left him there, he would just freeze to death. Decus panicked.
"H-Hey, chef guy!" Worried as blood began to pour from the boy's mouth.
"D...De...cus..." He tried to hack out, as his sobbing, pain, and fear made it hard to speak. He was losing what little feeling in his body was left...
"Chef guy, hold on! You can't die" Decus tried to think of something...But Emil was most likely going to die, no matter what he did.
"huu...hh..." Emil couldn't breathe properly anymore...
"Chef guy...I..." Decus looked around them. Even if he could somehow keep the boy alive, there was no getting out while trying to carry him.
"Chef guy, I'm really sorry...But I need to go before something happens to Alice-chan and...your not going to make it anyway. I'm sorry!" Decus said with a pained look on his face and with what, the little light he had from the lantern faded into the darkness, as he left Emil to die.
Emil was scared, hurt, alone, afraid, in pain, cold and suffering...At this point, all the boy could ask for is one last moment to see Richter, to hear him, smell him, feel him and to be in his arms like before when they were in Flanoir.
"R...Ri...Richter...san...help me..." Shutting his eyes tightly, letting the tears flow down his cheeks.