8 A name that fits Pt. 2
Ren walks crestfallen. "Today was a tragedy, wasn't it?"
"There will be other birthdays ahead," Madara, being in a good mood, tries to comfort him.
"But none of them will be four years old again..."
"At least you got a gift from Fumikage, didn't you like those bows?"
"Yes, you're right. It was a really nice gift!"
"Do you think Shouto's fire feeds on hate too?" Sasuke changes the subject.
Madara glares at him, then shakes his head. "I don't think so. It's not all fire powers that work like our clan's..."
"Oh! Can you make fire too? Awesome!"
• • •
Touya feels he is being pushed to his limit.
He has fewer obligations now. More free time. Natsuo and Fuyumi call him to play with their crooked smiles as if nothing has changed in him...
But...
Shouto. Dad only has eyes for Shouto.
But... why?
Touya looks at the way Shouto shakes, the way he cries, and he just can't understand.
He's stronger, isn't he? His flames are more powerful than any fire Shouto could ever create.
So why does he only have eyes for Shouto?
He grips the doorknob tightly.
"What are you doing this time?" The three, who were around a paper and several pens, turned to look at him.
"Ah, Touya-nii! Touya-nii! We finally chose our trio's name!"
"Yes, and it's such a good name that even Madara approved!" Ren adds.
Madara raises an eyebrow. "You're taking my silence as approval?"
"You're a very...critical person, yes, that's the word. If we don't get any bad comments, it's a breakthrough!"
"What's the name?" Touya interrupts.
Fumikage looks worried. Ren just doesn't care.
They prepare themselves and—
"We are the Official Anti-Endeavor Trio!" And they put themselves in dramatic poses.
"..."
"..."
"...."
Touya finally remembers how to speak: "What's with the poses?"
"..."
"I warned you it was ridiculous," Sasuke whispers.
"But it was in the magazine," Ren whispers back.
"Trios need a glorious entrance!" Shouto protests.
Madara was not the least bit embarrassed by his childish act of letting children choose that name or strike that ridiculous pose.
No, this was a comedy he was really enjoying watching.
Sasuke wasn't exactly in the judgment seat, as he himself had done the same thing.
"Oh... if you say..." A short laugh escapes Touya. "Good name, by the way."
• • •
They knew from the start that it was a situation that required care.
Shouto was an exception to the rule. He yelled, of course, but then covered them up. Despair, perhaps, or madness, call it what you like.
But Shouto's siblings? They might as well have a saner head and call out to Rei as soon as he saw them.
Or worse, call out Enji.
But despite everything, Fuyumi keeps her promise not to scream. "What... but-but— Touya—."
It was hard, of course, but she made it.
And Ren, with his infinite wisdom and common sense, introduces himself as "a member of the Official Anti-Endeavor Trio."
Natsuo is too shocked to do anything but stare at him with his mouth open.
Madara even manages to think that Guruguru would be smarter at times like this.
• • •
October 30th is Fumikage's birthday. He, unlike Ren, tells them this a week in advance.
Ren decides that taking him to the park they walked in — invaded — the day they first met is a good idea.
"Looks like they're getting ready to reopen the park..." Ren comments, seeing how much cleaner the place was.
"That guy must have been arrested," Sasuke mutters.
And of course, he took the four Todoroki with him.
"Wow... it's so beautiful..." Shouto says as he looks around.
"Yes, Fumikage even cried when he saw the tulip path for the first time."
"Eh... you didn't have to tell them that..."
"For real?" Touya laughs at the birthday boy's despair.
"Natsuo! Stop right there!" Fuyumi holds him by the shirt. "Leave the owls alone!"
"But they're so cute..."
It was the first time Shouto had been this far from home, and the autumn-colored leaves were falling like rain.
• • •
A week later, Fumikage wakes up in the middle of the night, his throat feeling like the desert itself.
That's when he sees two eyes staring at him, the creature's body being one with the darkness.
His mother jumps out of bed at the scream that comes from the next room.
• • •
Two days pass and Fumikage is still euphoric.
"His form looks like you," Ren tries to touch the shadow that watches him curiously.
It looks like the shadows he saw long ago.
"He still doesn't have a name... I can't think of anything."
"You should hurry, or they'll name it for you after a few days. It was like that with Touya-nii."
"Hmmm..."
Sasuke watches the creature thoughtfully. Would it be something like the shadows of the Nara clan?
"I was thinking about Dark Shadow, I like that name..."
Madara stares at the child, inexpressive.
Well... at least he's not the only one terrible at naming things.
• • •
Shouto is tired.
He's advancing, yes, but it hurts.
Every time he leaves training.
Every time Touya looks irritated for no reason.
Every time mommy is pushed away by dad...
This pulls him further and further down.
Shouto is doing his best, he swears he is, so why doesn't he feel anything other than the wounds on his body?
Isn't being a hero supposed to be good?
Then he finds a small cell phone on the bed.
"...See this as a reward for good results." That's what Dad says, before walking out of the room with Shouto giving them a lot of space.
He takes out the cell phone, studying it for a long moment.
Then Shouto has an idea.
❐ ❏ ❐ ❑
Touya created "Secret Gang"
Touya added "Fuyumi" to the group
Touya added "Natsuo" to the group
Touya added "Shouto" to the group
Natsuo: Wooooh it worked.
Fuyumi: Im feeling like a spy
Shouto: @ Touya add Fumikage pls
Touya: send his number
Shouto: Ok
Touya added "FumiCrow" to the group
Natsuo: Heeey!
FumiCrow has sand an audio
Touya > Natsuo: Wooooh it worked:
Of course
Natsuo: Hold a sec
Natsuo: Touya, give me mod
Natsuo its a mod now
Natsuo: Ty
Natsuo change the group name to "Fuck u Endeavor"
Touya: good name lol
Fuyumi: Nat we have 2 baby here
Fuyumi: You too Touya?!
Shouto: I like it
FumiCrow sent an audio
Natsuo: My earphones are broken, w u saying?
Shouto sent an audio
Touya: he can't read
Natsuo: LMFAO
Fuyumi: What we do now?
FumiCrow sent an audio
Touya: We can send audio tomorrow, today is too late
Natsuo: True
Shouto sent an audio
Fuyumi: Shouto, dont talk now, dad can hear
Natsuo: Fuck Endeavor!
Fuyumi: If he listens, who's going to fuck off is us
Natsuo: !!!
Touya: 😱
Shouto: 😱
Fuyumi: What is it?
FumiCrow sent an audio
Natsuo: 😱
Touya: You? Saying fuck????
Natsuo: 😱
Shouto sent an audio
Touya: Thats illegal!!!
Natsuo: 😱
Fuyumi: I just telling the true
FumiCrow: 😱
Fuyumi: Fine, fine... lets change the focus here
Fuyumi: Wheres Ren?
Fuyumi: You guys dont gonna add him?
Shouto: He dont have a phone =(
Fuyumi: Oh =(
Natsuo: Ask if he can borrow from his mom
Shouto: omg
Natsuo: Maybe shes nice
Natsuo: Wha?
Touya: Hes orphan Nat
Touya: His living in an orphanage
Natsuo: FUCK IT
Natsuo: I FORGOT
Fuyumi: Language
Natsuo > Fuyumi: If he listens, who's going to fuck off is us:
...
Fuyumi:🙄
❐ ❏ ❐ ❑
"AAAH I LOVE YOU KAKASHI SENSEI!!!"
Sasuke examines the card in his hands carefully, not caring how Naruto crushed Kakashi in his embrace.
It's the chance to put his learnings into practice he's been waiting for...
Sasuke grins. Now... asking Madara to give you special training before that won't hurt anyone.
• • •
Kakashi is suspecting something.
When he asks if something is wrong, Sasuke just gives him a weird look and avoids him for the rest of the day.
Too sudden, perhaps?
Now, of course, Kakashi knows he's not the best person to deal with kids... he's horrible at it, actually, but still...
He worries, and being forced to piece this puzzle together bit by bit is just making him headache with stress every time he thinks about his student.
Because they are shinobi, it takes one slip, one little extra second, and death would be knocking at your doors.
And Kakashi, of course, doesn't even want to think about that possibility.
• • •
Madara is bored.
Even Ren, bad at noticing emotions as he is, can notice.
Well, it takes a few days and several sighs, but he gets it, and that's what matters.
And what does he do with this discovery, you ask? Ren has some ideas to distract him using that 3D model of his that he discovered a week ago...
In fact, Ren feels he has a perfect idea.
• • •
Madara wakes up to Sasuke holding back laughter.
From all the years of experience that weigh on his back, he knows that this is one of the signs of the apocalypse.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I am not!" One of the worst lies of his life. "By the way... you should check the bathroom."
"I have no interest in giving instructions on personal hygiene."
"What— no! He's not showering or anything, just...go look."
That feeling gets worse.
Madara thinks about going back to sleep.
It would be great to wake up in a few years...
But being an adult is a sad thing, as he knows that even if he sleeps for years, the problem will not go away.
Now, if it were centuries we were talking...
Madara puts his thoughts aside, getting up with what was left of his strength and heading to the bathroom.
An absolute disgrace.
"... Ren, may I know what the hell you did?"
It's not exactly Ren standing there, watching himself in the mirror while looking delighted, but Madara knows it's Ren.
And he's using his face.
"Oh, Madara! I found a children's model of yours and decided to use it. Didn't it look good?"
Madara, for the first time in a long time, is too shocked to remember to be angry.
It's true, Ren is wearing his youthful face, and it brings back memories.
Throwing rocks into the river with Hashirama.
Watching his brothers play.
His clan accepting him as part of it.
It's identical to what he saw against the surface of the lake. Just... the smile is different. Just that.
He misses that time so much. A little before the ambush...
Then Sasuke, seeing the shock on his face, lets out the laugh he's been holding back.
Then Madara finally remembers that he should be angry.
"Ren, you better have a great explanation or... no! There's no explanation at all! You brat, what have you done!?!?"
"Well..." He got off the little bench he was on. "It's just that you were bored so I thought I'd do something to get your attention..."
"Take it off."
"But..."
"NOW."
"But... but... ah, please!" He kneels in front of Madara. "I never asked you for anything! You, who were born handsome, would never understand how terrible it would be to not have a day in my life as a handsome boy! Please, I'll even try twice as hard to be sensible while wearing your looks! "
Not even during the battle of the Valley of the End Madara felt so close to death.
In fact, not even during death did he feel so close to death.
Man, that's not healthy...
And Sasuke laughing like a maniac doesn't help at all.
"You..." He wants to curse, he swears he does, but he doesn't know if there's any curse that can express what he's feeling right now.
"Pleaseeeee..."
"Ugh..." And without warning, he punches Sasuke right in the head. "SHUT UP YOU TOO!!!"
And that's how the two, without even wanting to, confirm that there is no way to die in that place.
"S-Sasuke? Are you okay?!" Ren calls, worried, looking at the place where the Uchiha had crossed. "Sasuke? Oh my God! You killed him!"
"I didn't use my chakra, it will survive."
"What the—" Sasuke isn't even in pain, he's just stunned and angry as fuck, man. He jumps, only half his body showing up upstairs. "WHY DID YOU HIT ME? IT WAS HE WHO STOLE YOUR APPEARANCE!!!"
"You know we couldn't touch him! And you deserved it too for daring to laugh at me!"
And he wouldn't hit himself in the face, there's that detail too.
And he wouldn't hit Ren, the child was too tormented to spank.
But, well, not explaining these things just made Sasuke even angrier, you know?
"WHAT TYPE OF EXCUSE IS THAT? YOU'RE DEFENDING HIM! YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M STILL HERE! I'M LEAVING, GOODBYE!!!"
And just like that, he disappears, probably waking up in his bed in Konoha and forever leaving (according to him) the two of them behind.
The two mentioned above face each other.
"Please?"
Madara takes a deep breath, trying to calm down.
It doesn't work out, so he tries again.
It doesn't work again.
Izuna, please forgive him, but sometimes Madara wishes children didn't exist.
• • •
Sasuke is back an hour later.
Looks like it's too early to stay in Konoha.
Ren still looks like the young Madara.
"So there really are favorites around here, hm?"
"Wanting another punch?"
• • •
Ren couldn't be more wrong when he thought a pretty face would make all the troubles in the world go away.
Most problems could be solved, but not all.
In fact, having a pretty face can even create some problems! Who would have thought?!
In short: it took Ren about five minutes to convince Fumikage that he was really Ren.
Fumikage is astonished.
Shouto and Touya also took a while to believe, but that's just how life is.
Ren is feeling a little offended.
"I don't know what's so creepy about it... admittedly the hair is a little wild, but I found it quite charming."
"...You said my hair is what?"
"Ren..." Fumikage finally managed to say. "You have two Quirks!?"
"Hm... I think it's wrong to keep calling it a quirk, it's more like a control panel with multiple fun..."
"Don't talk about it, you idiot!" Sasuke scolds him.
"But..."
"You promised you'd try to be more sensible, didn't you?" Madara points and the result is almost immediate: Ren seems determined to keep the matter a secret even under torture.
Madara feels grateful.
• • •
With the end of the year approaching, Ren is seen running through the rooms of the orphanage, full of energy as he helps Rosita tidy up.
The reason? This is the first Christmas where he is conscious! And it's time to celebrate Jesus' birthday.
Sasuke watches him sweep the living room. "You didn't look so excited on your birthday..."
"It's because my birthday is not important, but Jesus' birthday... oh, I have no words to describe how important this day is! I confess that there were many times that I wanted to meet Him personally... but Dad said I'm a terrible sinner, and Mom said terrible sinners will never meet Him in person... but I don't know if I believe that, you know? Jesus is very kind, I'm sure He would be happy to receive anyone who wanted to meet Him, even if it's someone like me... Josh said my thinking is correct so I have faith to meet Him one day! Because Josh is the best of the best!"
"You speak very well of him..."
"It's because Josh is the best person in the world! He was the priest of our little town, and he also made the best bread and cakes in the world!" Ren lowers his voice as if he's about to tell a big secret: "And don't tell anyone, but I think Josh was an angel, a real one! He said himself that not all angels have wings!"
"That's good, I think." Madara interrupts the adorable speech, not knowing how long it could be. "But I was talking about Jesus. I think I've heard that name before, but I didn't know he was so famous..."
Ren drops the broom.
"What? WHAT DO YOU MEAN!??!?"
"Don't scream brat!"
• • •
And that's exactly how Madara ended up being forced to listen to a four-hour, thirty-seven-minute, thirty-three-second speech on the Christian religion.
He must really be paying for his sins...
Sasuke was in the same boat, having to listen to the speech when he himself had done nothing to trigger it. He needs some space to recover now, for real. He's even paler than usual, you see.
"Holy shit, won't you ever shut up?" The woman grumbles, walking out of her small room down the stairs.
"Oh, Nekko, how long have you been there?"
"From the beginning of your interminable speech. Seriously, where did you learn these things? I dreamed I was in the flood because of you..."
"Well, maybe it's a sign."
"Yes, a sign for you to stop talking to yourself. This is getting scary already. Now, if Rosita looks for me, tell her I'm out."
"Are you going to spend time with your family?"
"No, I'm going out with my boyfriend."
"But... but... it's Christmas!"
"For that very reason. Now go play with your imaginary friends, go."
As Nekko walks away, Ren sits on the first few steps of the stairs, letting out a rueful sigh. "The people of this place are strange, aren't they?"
He doesn't notice the indignant look he gets from the two of them.
• • •
"Rosita! Rosita!"
"What? Something happened!?"
"Yes, it's Christmas Eve!" He hops closer to her.
The tension leaves her shoulders. "Please don't scare me like that, I thought it was something bad..."
"No, it's a really good thing, actually! Come!"
He guides Rosita into the living room with his small hand, and she watches, somewhat surprised, as he pushes the small armchair closer to the cheap Christmas tree.
"You seem excited the last few days," Rosita sits in the armchair, just as Ren beckons her to do. "I never saw you like this in the years you were here."
"It's because today is a very special day, it's Jesus' birthday!" Sasuke shudders in his seat at the slightest possibility of another speech. "But everyone seems so apathetic..."
"We can't buy gifts and no one here is a Christian. But... where did you learn all that?"
"Mom and Dad taught me... and Josh taught me too, and so did the church."
Rosita looks worried, but does her best to sound friendly: "If you say so..."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Ren nods. "I am Shinto."
"Oh, I see...but... at least you'll spend time with your family, right?"
"I don't know if anyone in my family would want to see me..."
"Why?"
"Ah... adult stuff..." She rests her hands on her lap. "You shouldn't worry about that."
But Ren somehow feels he should be worried.
Because there are dark circles of increasingly uncontrolled fatigue.
Because her skin is too pale to be healthy.
Because her clothes are too old and too thin for the freezing cold of winter.
And even though Ren is Ren, he thinks he understands.
Then he climbs onto her lap, hugging her tightly and tenderly, just like Josh hugged him on those bad days. "I'll be your family this Christmas, so none of us will feel alone!"
It takes a while, but slowly, the hug is returned.
Madara and Sasuke, a little further away, silently watch her eyes water.
"I... I... thank you..."
"No problems." Something wet lands on top of his head. "...Hey Rosita...I know I can be really annoying, but Seidi said I was a good listener. You can tell me anything you want!"
"Oh Ren...stop saying that kind of thing...you're a wonderful child."
"But I'm quite inconvenient."
"All of us are a little..."
"Even your family?" Ren asks, in the inconvenient way that only he knows. "They were inconvenient and now you're mad?"
"Oh, no, no, no, I just... made a big mistake, and now they don't want to see me anymore..."
And it makes Ren remember himself.
How much heartbreak has he caused his family?
"Come here, Ren..." The voice calls from inside the room, and when little Ren realizes who it is, he is startled. Peering through the half-open door, he sees his brother weakly waving him in. "Come..."
And Ren, in a moment of courage, enters the room without looking around first. He closes the door, careful not to make any noise. If Mom or Dad found out he got in there, they'd be so angry...
Even so, Ren goes to his brother, kneeling beside his bed.
"Do you need something?"
"Yes... I need..." And he seems to have trouble facing his little brother directly, his eyes shining as he waits for some order to obey without question. "There's... some medicine in the bottom drawer of the dresser... it's in a black box, can you... get it for me?"
"Right." He responds without a second thought, running to the dresser on his short legs. "Are you in too much pain again?"
"... Yes." His brother admits for the first time in a long time, drawing in air through clenched teeth. "Everything hurts, Ren...all the time..."
"Oh..." He walks back to the bed, the box with the black belt in hand. "But... after taking the medicine, the pain will go away, even if just a little bit, won't it?"
And there's a long, long silence before the low reply: "Yes, it will pass."
Ren hands over the medicine, and without needing another command, picks up the bottle of water on the side and carefully hands it over as well. "In that case, you'd better take the medicine soon. It's not good when you're in pain... oh, why are you crying?"
The boy puts the bottle aside, trying to wipe away the tears that continued to fall. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything, Ren..." But that only confused the younger one even more.
"But you didn't do anything..." That only brought a wistful look from his brother.
"Oh... my God... Ren... I wanted to help you, I swear I did.... but... I can't... I can't..." He laments, and without warning, holds the small hand, squeezing it tightly. "I wanted to get you out of this damn place, I swear I did, but...but I..."
"No... you don't understand... I'm sorry..."
Ren remained there, beside him. He doesn't remember how long, but he does remember that his cold hand felt warm under the grip.
He remembers his brother sobbing and shaking, trying not to make too much noise.
Ren remembers leaving the room, about to close the door...
"Good night, Seidi."
"Good night, Ren..."
The next day, Seidi was dead.
And the next day, there was a coffin in the middle of the room.
His parents were crying rivers of tears, and Father Josh was praying for his soul.
Mom didn't answer him, she just cried harder.
Dad didn't answer him, he just slapped him in the face and told him not to bother Mom.
Josh didn't answer him, he just smiled pityingly and took him out for ice cream.
Seidi was dead. Seidi died at seventeen years, six months, and twenty-three days, Ren remembers.
From that day forward, the room where Seidi stayed for years was empty, and no one knew what to do with it.
Nobody ever answered him, he had to figure it out himself.
Maybe... no one knew how to explain to a silly little boy what death is.
But... when he thinks about Seidi, pale in that coffin, he just... feels guilty.
Ren couldn't leave as Seidi wanted, he was killed before that.
Ren failed to be a good boy, and he never received his parents' love.
Ren didn't get to have the happy life Josh wanted him to have.
How much disappointment did Ren bring to the people around him?
"They wanted me to have a quirk marriage... but I got angry and... and left... I'm alone now, I don't have anyone else..." Rosita continues, her voice cracking.
"You're not alone, no! You have me, and you have all of us at the orphanage! We're not evil like your family, right?"
"Yes... yes... maybe you're right..." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, my little angel... you're so small... I shouldn't be telling you that kind of thing."
"It's all right," Ren reassures her, smiling. "We are family, after all."
Rosita trembles, feeling the weight of her actions on her back.
She remembers it like it was yesterday: her packing her backpack while her mother tried to convince her she was being dramatic, but Rosita...she just didn't care.
Because her face still hurt, she still had the slap mark from that bastard who'd offered her family a generous amount to marry her— to marry her quirk.
And as she walked away, she looked back and felt... happy, to leave that damn house behind.
She should have known that every event since then was her fault.
Because Rosita was a fool to believe that things would get better with time.
"You can stay at my place as long as you need to," that guy said, and she really thought they were friends until she realized there was an eye spying on her as she tried to sleep.
So she worked like a crazy woman until she managed to rent a small apartment with moldy walls and a bed in the kitchen.
And of course, Rosita knew she would become a slave the moment she set foot in the orphanage, but she just... had no choice at the time.
She just takes a deep breath when Grenn yells at her. She is only surprised when little Yanmei hits her.
When she finally stops covering her eyes and looks at how broken her life is, the only thing Rosita can think is: nothing.
There is nothing to think about, after all. She was the one who chose this, wasn't she? She was the one who left home. It was she who accepted the invitation of that "friend"...
A rope awaits her at home. It looks weak, but it carries it by the neck without difficulty. No one will cry for her, and it suffocates her for whole minutes, minutes where her fingers try to claw at the rope in an instinctive movement to survive, and she just thinks, thinks, thinks: She took the first step towards hell, and she was happy when she did.
But... now what?
It's just... she feels like she shouldn't be in the orphanage right now... she can almost feel the rope around her neck... but...
She looks ahead at the Christmas tree and thinks: nothing.
Rosita bites her lower lip and holds the child tighter in her arms.
"I want to be happy again..." She whispers, almost angrily, because it's not fair.
And Ren... he just listens to the things Rosita has to say.
After all, he's still a good listener.
• • •
It's midnight. All the lights in the orphanage are off.
"Still awake?" Madara questions, and Sasuke, lying on the floor and somewhere between dream and reality, raises his head.
"Wha?"
"Not talking to you."
"... Ah..." And not knowing if he was dreaming, he stretches.
"This is the first Christmas where I'm conscious in this world..." Ren whispers, walking down the stairs to the living room. "I need to take this opportunity to pray for a better year... and also pray for the souls of those who are gone..."
"The ones that have gone?" Sasuke mutters, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Is that what you do at the end of the year?"
"Yes. It's such a beautiful day... it would be terrible if they felt lonely."
The tree still glows faintly in yellow and white with the few ornaments found. It is overhanging to the left, but it holds itself upright with some effort.
Ren kneels before the light.
"Holy Father, everlasting God, and our Good Lord... we ask You for Josh, for Seidi, for Keiko, and for everyone, You have called from this world..."
There are times Sasuke wonders if his parents feel lonely.
Wonders... where they are.
In a paradise, maybe? He hopes so.
Sasuke sometimes wonders if they blame him.
"Would you like me to get revenge for you?" His words always seem meaningless. Bodies continue to bleed from the living room floor, and his mind refuses to let him rest. "Would you like... if I joined you?"
"Give them happiness, light, and peace..." Ren's face remains peaceful.
There are moments when Madara wonders where his siblings and acquaintances are. Where Izuna is.
He doesn't like those thoughts, not even a little. Madara isn't exactly a good person... much less optimistic, and he has his reasons, of course.
When he thinks of his brothers, he thinks of their dead bodies in his arms. When he thinks about their souls... they are disappearing into infinity, while looking at him with contempt.
But a voice in the back of his mind keeps whispering about a paradise. A perfect world, where he can see all his loved ones again. A world without pain, without wars, without losses...
A voice whispers about the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Strangely, that whisper is not on his mind since he appeared in this world.
He had even forgotten what it was like to be able to think without that voice echoing inside him...
"Where are you all?" It's hard to keep melancholy thoughts buried in silence. "Izuna... can you hear me?"
"Forgive their sins that they may attain immortal life with You in the eternal kingdom. Amen."
As soon as he makes the sign of the cross on his forehead, Ren senses a presence in his surroundings.
He turns quickly, trying to find them. They're there, near the stairs, behind the vase of flowers on the little round table.
Ren puts a hand to his chest, letting out a long sigh. It's not Josh's spirit, much less Seidi's spirit.
And it hurts him.
"Weren't you asleep minutes ago, Kiki?" The boy in question approaches, his head down and his blue beret almost falling off. "Are you feeling unwell? Do you feel sick or in pain?"
"Hm, it looks like your sensory ability is improving..." Madara comments, placing a hand on his chin. It's a brief remark that distracts your mind from unwanted thoughts.
Training, battle, skills... Madara comes down to that in the end, doesn't it?
How pathetic...
"Tsk, of course not!" Kiki grumbles, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm pretty tough, for your information; I've never been sick!"
"Oh? Really? But wasn't there a time when you got a high fever and—"
"Shhhh! Quiet!" Speaks irritably, louder than it should. "I was faking this time, that's all!"
"Uh..." Before Ren can say anything else, Kiki moves closer. "You won't be getting gifts from Santa, so there's no point in staying up all night."
"But of course, I won't be getting gifts," Ren replies as if it's basic knowledge. "He only gives presents to good people, I'm not a good person... but that's okay, isn't it? Because if I don't receive presents, someone really deserves them! Isn't that right?"
"Hm... actually, you won't get gifts because he doesn't exist..."
"Oh yes... I've been told many times that he doesn't exist." Ren puts his fingertip to his cheek, thoughtful. "But it's fascinating to imagine that he exists, delivering gifts to people, don't you think?"
"...If you say so..." Kiki bends down, facing the Christmas tree. "This prayer... is for the dead, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is!" Ren smiles. "Then they will know that we remember them! Oh Kiki, tell me are you a Christian?"
"More or less." He frowns. "I mean... my mother was a Christian.
"And she died?"
"Ren..." Madara and Sasuke scolded at the same time.
"...Yes. The heroes were following a gang of villains..." He pauses for a moment, still staring at the tree lights. "She was crushed by one of the buildings that fell during the fight..."
"What about your dad?" Kiki grimaces in disgust, adjusting his beret in a nervous twitch.
"The idiot left me when he found out I have no individuality."
"Hm. That's why the bad boys beat you too, right? Because you don't have individuality?" Kiki almost falls backward.
"Eh? How do you know that?" He pauses, then 'corrects': "Who invented that? Nobody's ever hit me! Nobody! Because I don't need a fucking Quirk to be strong and beat up anybody who tries to do anything to me!"
Madara runs a hand over his face. "Children are awful at lying..."
"Rosita wouldn't make up that kind of story!" Ren says with conviction. "And Rosita is an adult! She's strong and has a quirk, and yet the bad boys beat her up. It seems to me that you're the one lying."
"Did they... hit Rosita?" His aggressive posture disappeared. There's only disbelief on his childish face.
"Yeah, but they've been gone for a while. So it shouldn't be a problem anymore—" Kiki grabs the beret and hurls it against the Christmas tree. The poor thing already bent over before, falls for good, crashing against the window. Ren runs to fix the poor tree "Oh my! Don't do that!"
"If they were quirkless, they would have been kicked out a lot sooner!! But since they had good Quirks, they can do whatever they want!"
"Hm...you better get back to bed, Ren," Sasuke warns. "Someone must have woken up."
"Even if someone wakes up, nothing will happen. Nekko left early and Rosita went home, forgot?" Madara says.
The two take a brief moment to contemplate the lack of organization in the place.
"I hope they die... I hope they die soon!"
"Well, I don't know if it's an appropriate thing to wish for at Christmas, but... Kiki, are you crying?"
He doesn't get an answer, but honestly, it's not necessary. The lights of the poor Christmas tree reflect in his tears, after all.
And without another word, Kiki runs upstairs, heading back to his room.
And Ren... he remains in his place, returning to praying in the silence of the night.
• • •
The next day, Kiki seems prepared to offer the "best" excuse for any questions about the previous night's tears.
Ren hands over the beret that had been left in the living room and acts as if nothing happened. And the questions... well, they never come.
• • •
In the silence of the room, Kiki holds back his tears and does the best drawing he can for Rosita.
