_The Echo in the Emptiness_
Aziel turned and walked away
The crowd slowly swallowed him
People passed between them until his figure faded into a sea of strangers
Ash's hands trembled
"Aizel..."??
Ash muttered lowering his eyes
His eyes blurred
"I thought I was the only one suffering all this time…
But when I saw your soul, I realized something far worse
You were the one suffering every single second… in silence."
He felt a heavy ache in his heart
"Aziel… forgive me."
I don't deserve
Yet
Please .....
Forgive me
_Even though i could never forgive myself _
His voice cracked
_"Forgive me for taking everything from you."_
Aizel....
_Flashback_
Itsuki — the father of Ash and Aeth
Yuzuru - the one in the shadow place where Yuri was brought rescued
Yuzuru and Itsuki — Childhood
The orphanage was quiet at night
Rain tapped softly against the windows
Most of the children were asleep, curled under blankets
But one boy stood alone near the window (itsuki)
golden eyes staring at the rain outside
He was silent
Too silent for a kid
Footsteps approached
A boy with violet eyes stopped beside him(yuzuru)
"Why are you awake?" the boy asked
Itsuki looked at him quietly
Itsuki:
"I can't sleep."
Yuzuru:
"I'm Yuzuru."
Itsuki blinked
Itsuki:
"...Itsuki."
For a while, neither of them spoke
Yuzuru:
"You always look at people like that," he said
"Like what?" Itsuki asked
"Like you're seeing something no one else can."
Itsuki stayed silent
Then he answered
"I can see their souls."
Yuzuru stared at him and said nothing
Itsuki pointed toward the sleeping children
"That boy is lonely."
"That girl is scared."
He looked at yuzuru
"The caretaker hates everyone."
Yuzuru smiled softly…. ..everything Itsuki said felt true since he is an observer
Seeing yuzuru smiling softly made itsuki's eyes widened
"You're different," Yuzuru said
Itsuki :
"I know."
Yuzuru eyes softened more
"Good."
Itsuki blinked
Itsuki:
"Why?"
Yuzuru:
"Because I'm different too."
That night, the two boys sat by the window talking
From that day on, they were inseparable
When other kids bullied Itsuki or bad mouthed him
Yuzuru fought them
When Yuzuru got into trouble for fighting, Itsuki take half of his punishment during punishment
Itsuki wasn't silent anymore
Not awfully silent for a kid anymore
After meeting him
Yuzuru
Yuzuru never felt so different from others after meeting itsuki
Years passed
They grew stronger
The orphanage couldn't hold them forever
The streets became their new home
But no matter how dark the world became, one thing never changed
If Itsuki stood somewhere—
Yuzuru would always be beside him
And if Yuzuru fell—
Itsuki would be the first one to pull him back up
In the end
They hold each other
And that bond never broke
The city burned under the night sky
Flames rose from broken buildings. Gunshots echoed through the empty streets
They entered an dark alley
Itsuki and Yuzuru stood back-to-back in the empty alley
Around them were dozens of enemies
Both of them were injured
Blood ran down Itsuki's arm
Yuzuru's lip was split, and his breathing was heavy
More men slowly surrounded them
One of the enemy leaders laughed
"You two are finished."
Neither of them answered
Itsuki glanced slightly over his left side
Itsuki:
"You still alive?"
Yuzuru wiped blood from his mouth
Yuzuru:
"Barely."
He looked at the crowd surrounding them
Yuzuru:
"Looks like we're dying tonight."
Itsuki sighed quietly
Itsuki:
"Yeah."
For a moment
silence passed between them
Then Yuzuru suddenly laughed
Yuzuru:
"You know… this isn't how I imagined dying."
Itsuki asked calmly,
"Oh?"
"I thought I'd die somewhere cool," Yuzuru said
"Maybe after saving someone. Something heroic."
Itsuki smirked slightly
Itsuki:
"You talk too much for someone about to die."
Yuzuru chuckled
Then his voice softened
"…Itsuki."
Itsuki:
"Yeah."
Yuzuru:
"If we die here…"
He paused
Yuzuru:
"…I'm glad it's with you."
Itsuki didn't said anything
He stepped infront of yuzuru
Itsuki:
"You're not goona die when I am here "
Yuzuru eyes sparkled he smiled softly
The enemies rushed forward
The fight exploded
Punches Blades Gunshots
Itsuki knocked one man down
Yuzuru slammed another into the ground
They finished them one by one
The last enemy fell
Yuzuru laughed breathlessly
Itsuki closed his eyes and fell
yuzuru catched him before he fell
Yuzuru held him tightly
Yuzuru:
You always act invincible… and then pass out."
He lifted Itsuki onto his shoulder
His voice softened
"…Don't scare me like that."
Then he muttered quietly—
_"How will I live without you…"_
Itsuki smiled softly.....