Mythra holed herself up in the shed. It was dark, hot, muggy, and hard to breath… but at least she couldn't be seen crying so much. It wasn't proper behavior for a Blade. Especially not the Aegis.
"Bullshit…" She thought to herself through gritted teeth. "Back to square one like always… why did I expect any different…?"
"Mythra… I'm… I'm sorry…" Pyra called to her.
"Don't blame yourself, Pyra… you got what you always wanted… you got to live out that fairy tale happily ever after like you've been dreaming of all this time…" Mythra answered back.
"Mythra, please… I can't stand to see you like this…"
"No… no, it's okay… I'm such a horrible person to begin with, so I deserved this treatment from the start… Third time really is the charm, huh…?"
"Mythra… we've come so far… are you seriously going to reduce yourself to Torna Mythra NOW?"
"Nothing's going to change, Pyra… why shouldn't I…?"
"Because Frankie is our Driver now, and-"
"FRANKIE IS NOT MY DRIVER!!!!" Mythra snapped back at her, causing the literal inner voice to fall silent in shock. Mythra began to sob uncontrollably once again. "Frankie is your Driver… he's always been YOUR Driver… everyone we've ever known have always been yours to connect to and yours alone… I just… came along for the ride… and broke everything into a million tiny pieces… just like usual…"
Mythra recounted all the wars and battles she used to be a part of. Even now, they were a haunting sight to even try and think about. And there she was, at the forefront of it all, kicking ass and taking names… and for what? Now this… this was personal. Everything was finally put into perspective for her. She was a ruthless violent person on a good day, and just a failure at life on a bad one. It was disgusting. Three Drivers and thousands upon thousands of years later, yet she hadn't learned a single thing. Not like sweet, innocent, perfect little Pyra. While she was just… Mythra. Just Mythra. Nothing else.
"You… you're one to talk you know… you brought me out here in the first place because you couldn't handle this crap any easier than I could…" She pointed to Pyra.
"I… I have no arguments against that… that's true, and it still is… but… he's been helping me so very much through this small time we've had together… I never realized just how much these feelings of the past would persist, but… every little bit helps."
Mythra stayed silent, seriously pondering over her younger sister's words.
"He cares about you, you know?" Pyra said. Mythra scoffed at the notion. "Enough of that, Mythra! I want you to feel it… place your hand on your core crystal… and take a deep, deep breath…" Mythra followed Pyra's instructions begrudgingly. "Now… focus… what do you feel?"
"Like crap…"
"Mythra…"
"Fine, fine, I'm sorry… I feel… I feel hurt… and… really, really sad…"
"You aren't alone in that feeling, sister. Look harder."
Mythra closed her eyes and focused very very hard on the emotions she was feeling. Of course she felt her presence, as well as Pyra's, but there was a third party…
"Frankie…" She intoned sadly.
"Such is the life of a Blade, Mythra. These are his emotions as well as our own… we are all connected in this crazy little game called life… a game that moves on and on in a repetitious circle…"
"Pyra… I-I'm sorry…" Mythra was fighting back tears again, causing Pyra to worry some more.
"Mythra, what are you-"
"I hear what you're saying but I can't take this anymore!" Mythra started hyperventilating and concentrated so very deeply, straining herself in the process.
"MYTHRA, YOU'RE HURTING ME!"
"THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, PYRA! JUST GET OUT THERE AND FORGET ABOUT ME ALREADY!"
"MYTHRA!!!!!"
Bang bang bang!
"Mythra! Are you in there?!" Kaito's voice called out from the front of the shed.
Mythra suddenly stopped what she was doing and reeled back, trying to catch her breath. She looked toward the door and furrowed her brow in disgust.
"It's Kaito, Mythra." Pyra said with a pained but harsh tone to her voice, one that astounded Mythra, who hadn't heard such a tone from her in a good long while. "I'll forgive you if you let him in." She demanded.
"I… I refuse."
"That's not a request. Do it. NOW."
"No! I-"
The door slowly creaked open.
In the doorway stood the fuzzy man, a bit out of breath himself.
Mythra just stared at him in utter confusion.
"Uh…key…" He held his hand up to show the shed door's key. "Had to…huff…run and get it…hoo boy…"
He rested his hands on his knees and took a moment to catch his breath.
He took one big breath in and regained composure, looking over towards the Blade.
She shuffled away from him in a vein attempt to hide away, as the wall of the shed soon pressed against her back.
"Ah…bad time I take it?" Kaito nervously put his hand behind his head.
Mythra simply stared at him with an expression that could only be described as blinding fury filtered through soul
-crushing defeat and despair.
"Oh…oh big sis you-"
"JUST GET OUT OF HERE, YOU DON'T-"
"MYTHRA!"
Kaito shouted at a volume that neither Mythra nor Pyra was expecting. They knew Kaito had a deeper voice than his height and general stature would denote, but his lackadaisical mood meant his delivery and tone was always soft and somewhat unenthused. Even during the trial he never outright shouted seriously.
This made its sudden volume ring deeply, to the extent Mythra completely backed down.
Kaito sighed, as this was precisely why he didn't like his voice.
"I'm sorry, but…if I told you I know what you're going through, would that at least get you to listen?"
Mythra, recovering from the shock, let out a bemused chuckle as she finally gathered herself to her feet.
"Yeah, right… that's a good one… not even my own Driver gets me, how's a tiny little runt like you gonna reach out to me so casually?" At that point, Mythra slowly walked over to the entrance of the shed, but Kaito came to her side and tried to stop her.
"You have no idea, do you?" He asked her, dead in the eye.
"I guess I don't. And I never will, now buzz off, you little insect. Go back to that brat of a girlfriend and that dummy big brother of yours." Mythra shoved a hand in his face and pushed him aside as she continued forward.
"You know, it's funny, you call Frankie a dummy all the time, but you're just as bad, if not worse." Mythra stopped suddenly and whipped her head around threateningly.
"What was that…?" She lowed.
"Hm? Oh nothing. I was just thinking out loud, don't mind me." Mythra scoffed at Kaito's snide remark and continued to grab the shed's doorknob before storming out so she could be alone in peace. "And the reason I say that is because anyone with half a brain could take a look at me and Frankie and realize that… we aren't really brothers."
Moments before Mythra was ready to turn the knob, she froze in place and turned her head once again to face Kaito in surprise.
"You… you're not…?" She sadly asked.
"Well, we are, from the day we first met at least… but there's no blood in there at all."
"There isn't…?" Mythra glanced downward at herself… a brother who wasn't really a brother… but one who still loved their older sibling unconditionally even though they weren't there from the beginning.
"Don't get me wrong, Mythra, I'd adore it if Frankie and I were blood related. But as it is now, we're brothers by bond, and I'm proud to call him that. I'm not stupid, you know… and… I know Frankie himself is glad he has someone like that in his life, he's an only child, you know…"
Mythra shifted her eyes slightly upwards as Kaito continued. Everything he was telling her just felt… familiar… but what really sealed the deal was what he told her next.
"Mythra, he saved my life when we were younger."
Mythra's heart jumped and skipped a beat as she stood up tall in shock. Pyra did the exact same thing from inside the crystal. Their memories were fuzzy, it always was when dealing with past Drivers after they finally were gifted the chance to forget, but… they felt a sense of kinship… so suddenly with this tiny little man, and a sense of relation with that Driver of theirs who was still locked up in shame. Now Mythra turned herself around fully to face Kaito, a worried look painted onto her face. Both of them stood there, staring at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Mythra grabbed a milk cart and sat down quietly, a clear sign she wanted to hear Kaito's story. Kaito smiled lightly and grabbed one himself.
"You can do whatever you want to, Mythra, but please just… listen. And for the record, I know for a fact Pyra can hear me too. So for her, keep your ears open."
Pyra stood up tall and looked straight ahead, just… waiting for this strange little man to tell them his own story.
"So how do these things usually start, huh? How about… once upon a time…"
—————————————————————————
Kaito was 17. Not a child, but most certainly not a man. Just on the cusp of being an adult, however. The issue was that Kaito just sort of… existed throughout life. He went to school, he played games, got to be around friends and family, but that was it. It was about as milquetoast a lifestyle anyone could get. The most upsetting thing about it was that Kaito tired easily, not on a physical level, but emotionally.
For a long while he didn't even know why he was so tired in this way, it was only in retrospect that he began to understand it. In a world that was rapidly expecting him to handle greater and greater negative experiences with little regard, he was finding it extremely taxing to just…take in all of that negative energy and not feel able to express it anywhere or be given a chance to recover.
It's not that his family and close friends weren't supportive, they were wonderful for the most part. But if Kaito were to expound too much of his emotions towards them, he'd notice how upset they would become over it. So he chose to keep it inside, both the negative emotions and his desire for a, in some ways, childish sense of comfort from them.
However, this was not healthy, clearly. Not feeling able to talk to anyone about his emotional state left Kaito with only one individual who knew about these things. Himself.
And Kaito was nothing if not a self-critical individual.
What proceeded was Kaito developing a voice in his head, one that mocked and berated him for anything he did that seemed out of line. Making mistakes, expressing certain emotions, feeling certain emotions, any slight immaturity on his part would be subject to ridicule from this voice.
This voice would only get louder and more consuming when he would go through extreme negative experience.
Horrific world events, family traumas, the death of a loved one…
All only serving to grow that voice even louder and more painful, to the point where Kaito just wanted it to...stop.
…
Frankie was 22. For a while now, society as well as the law viewed him as an adult, and to say it felt strange was a massive understatement. Even in his late teens, it was difficult to hold a job for a variety of reasons; emotions, schedule with school, a general lack of experience, the stress of handling business and pleasure at once. As a result, he always made it a point to look at the future… and only the future. This as a result always brought painful memories of his past to him and how it would effect said future.
To him, it didn't matter if a majority of, if not all of these incidents occurred when he was still a child; namely his downright violent outbursts in class whenever someone pushed his buttons far too much. Oftentimes, he had a chance to hold himself back and chase them off like a lion defending his territory, if not snap back with a loud screech or sternly worded callout. But if things ever got physical… he would get physical… a bit too physical. Whether it was pushing a group of similarly aged kids off of him trying to board the bus or an outright fist fight over a case of personal bullying the aggressor would weave into casual conversation in an effort to make Frankie look like the one in the wrong; even though Frankie himself knew all too well what they were doing, and it made him even more upset that no matter what he said, the offenders had a good alibi, and though his parents would back him up on nearly all cases; unless he was the aggressor himself, he still couldn't help but… worry about himself.
As a result, he would wander through life with a stone faced expression, silent and hardly ever breaking out into much of a smile at all, just constantly reminding himself of all the stupid things he did in his grade school days, always plastered with concern as he wasn't a kid anymore and everything he did would be his own fault, and his alone. His mother would always tell him to face the day with a smile since every day was a new one and the past was in the past, it was, after all, a lesson the young prince Simba had to learn himself, from a movie Frankie wouldn't hesitate to call his favorite. If only it were that simple…
He was never one to just be told what to do; obey his authorities, sure, if a bit begrudgingly later in life, but being told how to feel was another story. Masks just weren't his thing. They never were. If he was upset, the whole world would know about it, and indeed they did. As a result, it made him incredibly hard to approach, his plain furrowed expression gave off a horrifying first impression, a large symbol telling everyone to back off. And for the most part, he was fine with it. Keeping to himself suited his lifestyle just fine, no need to care about a girl or an unplanned child, any social meetings to go to, just go through the days however he wanted.
…
But even he had to admit that it got a little lonely after a while…
The meeting between the two young men wasn't initially something incredibly notable. They met in the same town due to them both attending the opening of a new Pokemon Center store in the area, a welcome excursion to celebrate the younger man's 18th birthday. After a bout of banter regarding the quality of the current Pokémon anime that started with an off handed remark from Kaito criticizing the Ash and Serena pairing as Frankie took a Serena doll and looked at it in disgust, with Frankie adding on that he finds it hilarious in the first place seeing as how it was all but stated outside of the Word of God that Ash was asexual that the ship would be doomed to crash and burn anyways. This then turned into a discussion about the differences between competitive and casual, Kaito rambling on about why he loved the Sun and Moon series of the anime, Frankie's love of the games it was following, as well as excitement for some of the upcoming content Sword and Shield would be receiving, with all of this, the two realized they were quite similar in many ways.
During their exchange, Kaito said something without thinking all too much about it, but said comment would reflect largely on how their relationship would end up after that point.
"Heh, if we were closer in age, we'd be like twins."
"Aye, come off it, now, I just didn't think XY was that remarkable, neither was what they did to my homeboy Ash…"
"Well, I'm just saying we see eye to eye on a lot of this typa stuff, ya know?"
"Well… you didn't have to get quite SO sour when I brought up competitive you know… or are you just afraid I'd wipe the floor with you…?" Frankie flashed a cheeky smile at the younger man.
"W-well…ya know…I just need some prep time. I'll show you!" Kaito feigned confidence.
"Bring stall, and you're dead where you stand…" Frankie mockingly threatened back.
"It's a perfectly valid tactic!"
"And just like that, you and I are enemies, and I'm not leaving until I wipe that silly grin off your face!"
"And I'm not leaving till I prove I can beat you!"
"Let's get to it then…"
And that was the rest of the day for both of them; hanging out in the shopping plaza going back and forth on Sword and Shield's current metagame, either one just barely outpacing the other, some causing forfeits, others causing cleaner sweeps than expected. Frankie was an expert at Single Battles, while Kaito was in his element at Double Battles. They didn't even stop to eat, rather, they were forced to stop when the battery of their consoles was running out, and without a charger to support them, the day had to be cut short, but they were far from done yet. Immediately, they exchanged Friend Codes and Phone Numbers and quietly planned strategies for themselves as they left for home for the day, ready to prove to them who truly was the very best like no one ever was.
And thus the seeds of an unbreakable friendship was born.
The two began to chat to each other over text regularly, which soon came to physical face to face visits whenever they could first chatting every other day, then every day, to the point where there was barely a waking moment when they weren't interacting in some way or another. Kaito in particular took great pride in the fact that he got Frankie into anime almost single handedly.
This was uncommon for the two of them, since they both had so much trouble fully expressing themselves to others. But when the two of them were with each other, it just…was so much easier.
Kaito could finally express his more immature and childish emotions to someone who wouldn't see them as something to be disregarded, but embraced and engaged with. And so when talking to Frankie, his tired feeling just…went away. The voice just…went away.
Frankie still had a trouble smiling a whole lot, even around Kaito, but based solely on the fact they talked so casually and frequently with not even a hint of animosity between them, Kaito just knew that he appreciated this time so very much. They were each other's emotional rocks in a matter of speaking. The feeling of Frankie's loneliness dissipated gradually the more he hung out with Kaito, to the point that he never even felt alone when not with him, the next day would come soon enough, and with only the walls of his room to keep him company, he finally smiled, at long, long last.
Then… 'it' happened.
The days went by normally enough for the duo a few weeks before 'it'. Frankie especially really counted on Kaito to get him through the recent midnight shift he had taken up at the local casino, which was absolute torture, especially if he got stuck with the corner restroom, on top of all that, it cut in to the time he could spend with his good friend, which was second worst only to going to sleep in the light and heat of the afternoon. Not so much over the phone, but for sure face to face, which they simply weren't able to do due to his infrequent schedule. Kaito was more than happy to push him through this difficult time of his life, together with Frankie's own mother, they had all come to the decision to try and find a new, more manageable job, which he quite literally jumped on the idea.
Frankie put more effort in each and every day, even though it was a struggle, he kept both Kaito and the hope at a second chance in his mind, at this point, he didn't even really care if he had to wait a little bit after her quit, he just needed to escape, get some levity in his life, and that's exactly what Kaito was for. It didn't matter how early in the morning his second break was; Kaito always managed to find a way to peek on into their text messages and reach out to him, which Frankie was ever grateful for, and whenever he finally did get off work, Kaito would be right there all the same as in the morning…
Yet… as Frankie's time at the casino drew to an end, with hope on the horizon as a candidate had reached out to him not too long ago, Frankie noticed something odd about the way Kaito would speak to him. There was hardly any animosity between the two, but Kaito always seemed a bit preoccupied in his time with him. Frankie wanted to ask him what was up, but his inflictions in his voice over call or even the way he texted him just seemed… off. To the point and confident, not that Frankie had any trouble with the latter, but he was more familiar with Kaito's wholesome dork persona… he knew something was wrong, but was afraid to press him further on whatever it was that was eating him. It might be personal, and pushing for a response on the matter only seemed like salt in the wound. Regardless, he was still glad to be with his friend and relax with him, even in a not very ideal situation.
And then the day finally came.
Frankie had just landed himself a new job at the local university as a dishwasher. He almost couldn't believe it. The staff seemed friendly, the interviewer themselves was very hospitable and apologetic for being so late to actually speak to him, and the environment never seemed tense in the least. It was almost like Kaito was the first step into turning his life around. Indeed, that was all he thought of as he drove himself home, unable to wait to talk to him about the whole thing, just grinning ear to ear by himself.
When he finally did get home, the first thing he did was immediately get out of his stuffy professional clothing and hop into a nice comfy t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. And when he was good and ready, he immediately pulled out his phone to give Kaito a text.
"Kaito! Guess what!"
Thirty minutes went by without a response.
"Kaito?"
An hour went by without a response.
"Are you there, Kaito?"
Not ten minutes went by without a response and Frankie was getting concerned. He had no choice but to call.
"Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system…"
Kaito was nowhere to be heard, and Frankie was growing more and more concerned by the second. He had wondered if it was something he did, but what? He didn't remember being too nasty or aggressive towards him the day before… or maybe he found out about who Frankie used to be beforehand. A terrifying thought, Frankie plopped down on the couch of the den and just stared ahead in fear and confusion. Would the best friendship of his life suddenly be taken away from him because of stupid younger him? No, he didn't even want to think about that… but he had no choice. Masks just weren't his thing. They never were.
Then he heard a slow knock at the door. Frankie assumed it was his mother coming home from work and had no choice but to answer. When she saw him like this, he knew he'd have to tell her what the issue was, but he didn't have enough time to think of the words he needed to say, but he didn't want to keep her waiting. He crept towards the door and slowly opened it somberly.
"Kaito…?" He gasped. His first time seeing him in person in over two months… and he was greeted with a very unpleasant sight of a downtrodden young man.
"H…hi Frankie…" Kaito's voice was incredibly shaky.
"Kaito, what happened? I've been worried sick about you when you didn't get back to me!" Frankie exclaimed, trying to shift his tone of voice the best he could to make it obvious he was concerned for the smaller young man.
"I…I know, I'm sorry, I just…I…I…haven't been feeling…too great…"
"Oh Kaito… come on, let me take you to the den so you can sit down…" Frankie closed the doors behind him and led him to the comforter he was previously sitting on, rushing over to grab him a water. "Here, take this… talk to me, please…" Frankie sat as close as he could while Kaito slowly sipped his water, both staying in silence for a few long seconds until Kaito decided to just let it out.
"I…" Kaito was still unsure. He knew the moment he started talking, he'd turn into a bawling mess, like a toddler. He…didn't think anyone would judge him for it, much less Frankie, but he just…
"My…my grand…my grandma…she…she passed away…I guess…and uh…my parents are…out of the country so I've just been…at home…alone…and…and…and…"
Kaito just let the tears fall from his face before his words became dribbles. Now Frankie understood. He understood all too well. His mouth hung open slightly as he reeled back gently in horror.
"Oh… oh, Kaito… I… I'm… I'm so… so sorry…" Frankie whimpered, nearing the verge of tears himself.
"D-d-don't be, big brobro…I…"
Kaito could hardly speak now, the tears wouldn't stop and he just…didn't know what to do.
Almost without thinking, Frankie pulled in the younger man for a super tight hug, outright refusing to let him go because he needed someone, and for all the good Kaito allowed to happen in his life, Frankie decided he would be that someone. Kaito was a bit taken aback by this sudden action, but he slowly, yet surely, reciprocated the hug and pulled himself into the taller man's chest, screaming and wailing as he let his tears be dried up by his shirt's fabric.
"I'm here Kaito… I'm right here… and I'm not going anywhere…" He soothingly said as he rubbed the smaller man's back.
Kaito, hearing Frankie's words, just completely let go of his pent up emotions. Everything he was feeling, everything that was built up in his head, everything the voice told him in the past, even his desire for a bit of coddling, he just let it all out in that moment and bawled honestly and emotionally into the arms of his dear friend.
And he just kept doing so for a good few minutes.
This…this is what he needed. What he'd been looking for all these years. Just…someone to let him be emotional.
Frankie had saved him. In his heart, he knew that for certain.
"Kaito…?" Frankie asked again as the younger man's crying slowed down to a deep heavy breathing.
"I… I'm fine big brobro… just… thank you… thank you so much… I just… didn't know where else to go… I didn't want to burden Iino with this nonsense, not when her and I are still-" Kaito's lament was immediately cut off by Frankie.
"Kaito, you stop that. This isn't nonsense. You're hurting and you deserve to be heard, it's the least I can do for everything you've done for me; give me a friend to just be a silly dork with, give me a reason to not hate myself every night I go to sleep because there's someone almost my age who actually understands all these stupid emotions of mine! Give me someone that put me on a good path towards life I want to follow for his sake and my family's sake! Make every single minute at that god da- FORSAKEN casino worth something! I'm glad you came to me! I wouldn't ever want to see you like this and have me not be there for it, because… because you mean a lot to me, Kaito… just… so so much… you're my best friend and…" Frankie sighed heavily and hugged the smaller man just a little bit more. Kaito tried to follow back but really couldn't, instead, he continued to bury his face in the taller man's chest and smile just a small bit. And that's when Frankie started to sing.
"Sana sana… collita de rana… Sì no sanas hoy sanarás mañana…" His voice cooled down to a relaxing melody as he rocked Kaito back and forth. Both men had let their guard down at this point, but neither felt embarrassed or even afraid, it all just felt… nice. To just be themselves… who they should be. Kaito sniffed indignantly before chuckling softly.
"Wh-what's that supposed to be…?" He asked with a tiny smile, tears still dripping down his face.
"That's just something my grandma used to sing to me when I was hurting as a little baby… basically just telling you to get better, and if it doesn't happen today, it'll happen tomorrow… you don't mind do you…?" Frankie asked sheepishly.
"That's… that's so silly… I… I love it…" Kaito hugged Frankie as tight as he possibly could while Frankie just stayed in his position, smiling warmly at his good friend, and then he let out a small chuckle himself.
"Big brobro, huh? That's a new one…" He said.
"Oh… I probably shouldn't have said that… it's just… I always wanted a brother… to be here… with me… no matter what…" Kaito explained. Frankie smiled and curled up into a ball alongside Kaito.
"Then if that's what you need… I'd be more than happy to play that part… baby bro."
—————————————————————————
"…and… that's where we are now…" Kaito finished. Mythra sat up in… plain disbelief. She glanced downward guiltily and shuffled her feet a little bit. Pyra on the other hand, was busy fighting back tears.
"Oh… oh Frankie, oh Kaito… I… I had no idea…" The younger blade said to herself as she fell to her knees in sorrow.
"I love him a lot, Mythra… and I want him to be happy… and no matter how long it takes… I know he's gonna find that happiness with you and Pyra… I can see it. Miko can see it. He needs someone to keep that heart of his safe… and I can only do so much…" The young man explained as he teared up quietly. Mythra gulped sadly and closed her eyes as a few tears rolled down her face too.
"Well… what am I gonna do now…?" She said.
"Go to him. Go to him now because believe it or not, he needs you." Mythra nodded sorrowfully as she picked herself up and went back inside the house to try and mend the damage she and her Driver were going through.
"And Mythra?"
The Blade turned back one more time.
"Remember what I said. There's no need to rush things. It'll come to you in time, and you two will find plenty of ways to love each other until then. And…even rough patches can be valuable experiences, got it?"
Mythra simply stood there, just…shocked at how confident this weird hairy doofus was about all this. It was such an odd feeling. An odd…and comforting feeling. Having a third party be so supportive and assured really gave her a bit of the peace of mind that she'd been looking for. And his words rung with a wave of familiarity to them.
'Always the optimist…'
"Heh…oh alright…baby brother."
…
"Your heart holding up well after saying that?" Kaito asked.
"Nope!"
"Figured, get outta here, big sis."
