Title: Devotion

Summary: Even if we were interchanged, nothing with change…  The younger one will always be more important than the elder one… but that is irrelevant to me… A short drabble about an AU idea for the brotherly love of Asch and Luke…

Pairing: None actually… Just a little brotherly relationship…

~*~

“Another assassination attempt?!” The voice of Guy Cecil rang around the room, his fists almost knocking the table off balance as he stood up from his chair. “How dare they…! Luke has done nothing to them! Why do they keep on wanting to kill him?! Can’t they see how weak he is?!” It was almost too much for the blonde to take… How could those people be so heartless to someone so weak and vulnerable? It was almost inhumane…

The golden-brown haired adviser sighed as he pushed his glasses up to the rim of his nose, folding his hands together as he stared at the enraged blonde in front of him. “You should know it best, Guy. You were once the son of a shogun, were you not? You should know that it would be best to defeat your rivals when they’re vulnerable. Our enemies merely took that chance. It is nothing unusual.” He spoke. His voice was calm, not betraying any emotion that he might be feeling.

“Yeah… but…” The blonde started once again. “Luke never did anything to them… It isn’t fair…”

“Nothing is fair in this world. Many noble families want to rise to the top ranks. This family has always been one of the many families that would always be a hindrance for those who want to rise to the peaks.” He spoke. “It just so happens that this generation is quite unlucky with its present heir… What of them turning out to be twins and more…”

“Jade…!” The blonde was cut off by a loud cough, which was soon followed by a couple more. The two glanced at the northern edge of the room, eyeing the large bed covered by silk white and red curtains. More coughs continued, the next ones becoming harsher than the last. It was then when a brown haired female soldier and another red haired young man stood up, running over to assist whoever lies beyond the curtains.

The woman quickly got a cup, poured tea and herbs into it before handing it to the other man, who quickly rushed over before giving it to the one in need. “Luke… hang in there, you incompetent twin.” He went over towards him, held the other by the shoulders to support him as he poured the bitter liquid into his throat. The other gagged, hating the taste, but the longhaired one held him in place. “No… You have to drink this, idiot.”

“I… I’m alright… Thank you…”

“I hate to say this, young master, but it would seem as if your sickness is growing worse every day. It is quite unfitting for the next head of this family.”

“Jade, stop that…!”

“No… It’s alright… Jade’s right… I am getting weaker with every passing day…”

“Luke… you…”

The orange haired noble shook his head, giving his blonde best friend a weak and yet gentle smile before closing his eyes. “I’m fine. And about the assassination attempts, don’t worry about it. I trust every one of you… It’s bad enough that I, who am supposed to be the head of this family, am such a sickly person. You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivial matters such as my safety…”

“But Luke…!”

“Guy, as your best friend, please… leave…” He spoke, his voice getting softer than a whisper. “You too Jade… Tear… Don’t worry about me…”

The blonde sighed, his bangs hiding his eyes as he stared at the ground. It angered him that his best friend was suffering so much and yet he could do nothing to help him. If only he weren’t just a mere guard… He gritted his teeth, not wanting to comply. “Is that an order…?” He whispered weakly, hoping that the sick noble would merely grin and tell him to stay…

“If it comes down to it… I’m sorry, but yes…”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair in displeasure. However, best friend or not, the man before him was at the same time his master. He gave out a small nod, turning around rather reluctantly with the other two soldiers behind him. “As you wish…” He then placed his hand on the handle; sliding the door with ease as he and his other companions took a step out. “I’ll be giving the other guards a night time shift, and not even you could stop me from giving that order.”

“If you say so… then I guess it’s up to you.”

And the door closed, leaving the young noble behind under his covers. He gave out a sigh, a weak and sad look appearing on his young eyes. He hated his position. Why was he the one who was given this responsibility? It was true than when he was young, he had always loved the fact that when he grew up, he would rise up the ranks and become the head of his family, but he never knew that this would be his fate. He never wanted this… He never wanted his family to be run by a sickly person like him who couldn’t even get out of bed without anyone to assist him.

If only he wasn’t the younger twin…

“Shut up. You know that I hate it when you go all depressed on me, idiot.”

His eyes widened, not realizing that there was still another presence in the room. Didn’t he tell everyone to leave? He glanced around the room, eyeing the corner that was concealed by the darkness. And lo and behold… there he was. His own green eyes pierced the younger one through, it’s owner glaring at him as he walked out of his hiding place into the light of the dimly lit room. He stopped a few ways away from the small candle lighting the room up, the shadows of his face giving him a lethal like expression that all of his enemies feared…

“Haha… You know we well enough, Asch…”

…except his younger brother.

The longer haired noble gave out an annoyed sigh, sitting on the bed beside his sickly brother as he placed his hand on his brother’s hair, ruffling it in disarray. The younger one flinched, almost growling at the gesture. “Asch, don’t! You might get sick too…!”

“Shut up. You know that I don’t care about that.” He stated, his eyes narrowing in annoyance at his brother’s statement.

Asch and Luke fon Fabre were the twins of the Fabre family, born of nobility and elegance that was unlike the other noble families of Japan. They weren’t pure of Japanese blood, which made them different from the others. Their elegance and charisma were something else, which other Japanese nobles envied. They owned a large part of Edo, and hence became one of the best-known clans of nobility. Their people have always had great leaders, and everyone had been expecting the best from them. However, it would seem that their generation was a failure to their expectations.

Normally, the clan’s eldest child would the heir. Gender never really mattered. However, a different case applied to twins. If a pair of twins was born to the family, the younger one becomes the heir, the elder one his sworn protection. It was a tradition that was never really explained. It was just there, and right now, that tradition was in motion. Asch, as the elder one, was trained in swordsmanship, mastering every single technique there was to know in order to protect his younger brother. He was dedicated and serious; obeying whatever his clan wanted him to do.

Luke, the younger one of the twin, was taught about the government and its policies. He was taught the ways of negotiations and strategies, and other skills and knowledge that he would be needed in the years to come. However, unlike his brother, Luke was never really serious with anything. He was a bright child, yes, but his brightness consisted with his charm, glee, and never-ending optimism. He was never as strong as his brother, never as smart as his brother, and there were even times when his own brother had to help him learn, despite the fact that Asch was never actually given any formal education about the subject.

Everyone loved the twins, but it was an obvious fact that Asch was the better candidate for the heir. However, no one had the will to break the tradition, nor did they have the heart to shatter the younger twin’s bright and optimistic dreams of leading his family to prosperity. Luke was their bright sun, and Asch was their moon.

Everything changed, however, when Luke was suddenly infected by an unknown sickness. At first, it started as a minor fever when he was young, which soon healed. The situation changed though when he turned ten. His body started becoming weak, his immune system failing him and making him vulnerable to diseases. It wasn’t really alarming that time, but when he turned twelve, everything changed. One day, he just collapsed, and didn’t wake up until two days later.

It was found out that his entire body was failing him up to the point that he could not even get out of his bed without someone assisting him. Since then, Luke had been having assassination attempts once in a while, their enemies taking their chances because of the boy’s weakness. Asch was devastated, not even knowing what to do. He stayed by his brother’s side through thick and thin, protecting him from harm just as his duty as his protector dictated him. But more than that, he was doing his duty as Luke’s elder brother.

And until now, nothing has changed.

What the people noticed was that the two brothers were never found separate from each other. Whenever Luke went, Asch was with him. They would hear them talk amongst themselves, their chatter filled with whines from Luke and insults from Asch. It was as if they were fighting, but the people knew better. It was during those times when they could actually forget the real situation at hand and see them as normal teenagers who were fighting amongst themselves…

If only…

“If only I were born first, you wouldn’t be suffering like this…” Luke said, his voice lower than a whisper. It even made Asch think if Luke even wanted him to hear it. “I’m sorry…”

“Tch…” He grunted. “What’s done is done. The fact that you were born second clearly meant that you’re better off as our head.”

“But I’m not as strong as you… not as smart as you. Clearly the birthright has always belonged to you…” He said, his eyes glistening to show his tears. He wasn’t crying because of the birthright. He had no need for that anymore. It pained him to know that he was weak… weak enough to make his elder brother suffer so much. “If I could just give you my birthright, I would. I’m a weak link, Asch. You don’t have to protect me. If I’m gone, it would be less burden for the family, and you’ll get to claim your true right as the family head…”

“Just shut up, you moron!” Asch was reaching his limit. There was no way he was protecting someone as weak and unconfident as this guy…! “And don’t you dare talk about you dying, because I won’t allow it…! Don’t flatter yourself just because you’re infamous enough to be getting enough assassination attempts that may cause you your life one of these days…!”

Luke’s eyes visibly widened. He knew that Asch cared about him despite the way he talks, but… just when did he come this concerned? I mean… sure… They were brothers, and it was only natural for brothers to care this much about one another, but still… Those words coming out of Asch’s lips were just… surreal…

“Hmp… And besides, you’re so weak that you’d die even without the assassins coming after you. Heck… Even a bump would be enough to kill you…!”

Luke blinked before giving out a bright grin. “Stop teasing me, Asch. I’m not that weak…” His voice out, his tone almost sounding like a childish whine if not for the fact that his voice was as weak as it could be.

That grin again… It has always surprised Asch at how his brother could always give out a smile at the most unexpected of times. Even through his suffering, Luke could always give out a smile for anyone anywhere. Luke never was the one to care about himself. He was always so kind… so noble that Asch knew that he could never do the same. Just seeing his brother’s smile made his own lips twitch, a small reluctant and yet real smile appearing on his lips, which soon changed into a cocky smirk.

“Hah… No way. If I don’t tease you, everything would bore me to death. And are you trying to give me an order? Because if yes, then shut up. You know that protector or not, heir or not, your orders are irrelevant to me. I do things my way, and I’m not letting anyone order me around… especially not someone like you.”

“Oh really? You always let yourself be bossed around when you were young.” Luke said, suddenly getting the urge to tease his brother back. Unfortunately, that stare his brother was giving him was clearly showing that he failed.

“At least it was better than being an idiot who couldn’t even learn the government laws right.”


It was that smile…It was one of those rare smiles that Luke cherished so much… just because they almost never happen. Asch’s smiles were rare, and yet they were always gentle. They were as gentle as the moon’s light… not nearly as bright as the sun, but a lot gentle and soothing that the sun’s light gives out. Asch’s smile… is the smile that I want to keep…

It was that grin… That grin that Asch always admired. Luke could always give out those grins, even in his weakened state, to anyone who needed them. His grins and smiles were bright, giving light and joy to anything it touched. They were as bright as the sun’s light… not nearly as sublime as the moon… but bright enough to lighten a person’s dark day. That grin… is something that I wish to protect…

Luke started to cough. It was light at first, and then became hard… hard enough to jerk and curl his body on the bed and wipe the rare smile off his brother’s face. Asch was immediately at his brother’s side rubbing his back in circles though that was pretty much out of character for him. Luke’s cough didn’t cease, his hand covering his lips, making Asch’s eyes go wide as he saw what trickled down his brother’s chin, staining the sheets below…

Blood…

He quickly stood up and was about to go to the door to alert Tear when a hand suddenly held his. His head swiftly turned around, looking at his brother’s pained face. Luke shook his head, his free hand still covering his lips although it was futile to hide the substance that had just come out of his lips. “Luke…”

“Don’t… please…”

“Don’t mess with me, you idiot…! You need medical assistance right now!”

“Please… stay… Don’t leave me behind… alone…”

Asch gritted his teeth. He wanted to scream “no”… to refuse and slap his brother’s hand away and call Tear and the others, but the look on his younger brother’s face was something that he cannot just ignore. Argh…! Sometimes he just hated his brother…! Frustrated, he answered… “Fine.”

And still… Luke smiled…

“Thank you…”

“Shut up…”

Asch sat down beside his brother, looking at the wall while refusing to look at his brother’s eyes…

“I’m… dying… aren’t I…?”

Death…

Luke was… dying…?

No… it was impossible. It felt… unreal… like he was merely reading a novel in where the main character would get into a serious case of life and death… and yet somehow escape from death’s clutches. The character would escape and then rejoin his friends as if nothing happened and lives happily ever after… only… he knew that it was reality… and reality could never end like fairytales…

He glanced at Luke’s face, never meeting his eyes and merely stared at the blood that flowed down his chin.

With trembling hands, he reached out to touch his brother, his fingers grazing the crimson proof…  

He couldn’t believe it…

He didn’t want to believe it…

He would never believe it…!

He heard his brother continue to cough, more blood coming from his lips… more blood staining the sheets… more blood showing him what was soon to come…

He couldn’t say anything as he watched his brother cough out crimson, each amount greater than the last… He couldn’t… do anything…

His eyes, which were once wide in disbelief, darkened, his teeth gritting in anger and frustration. He stood up, walking fast towards the door but was then stopped once again by a bloodied hand. Luke voice rang inside his ears, pleading him to not go and stay. He tried shaking his brother’s hand away, but his hand was in a death grip… as if he would die if he let him go.

“Let me go, Luke! I will not stay here like a useless wreck and watch you die!”

He continued his attempt to shake his brother off, but it only resulted in his brother’s body trashing the bed due to the force of his own arm, which was merely adding up to the damage Luke’s body already has… Knowing this, Asch was reluctant to stop. It was either shake his brother off by force and risk even more damage to his body and then call for help, or just let his brother get what he wanted and stay, which will result in him not getting the medical attention that his body desperately needed.

“It’s alright…”

“Hell…! Don’t tell me it’s alright! You’re dying, for goodness’ sake!”

“It’s not as if this has never happened before…”

Never… happened before…?

“Haha… I won’t last any longer anyway…”

Not… last…?

His eyes widened…

“What… are you saying…?”

And yet his wide eyes were met with a gentle smile…

“You mean… you… knew about your condition…?”

“I’m sorry…”

“And yet you didn’t tell us?! You didn’t even tell me?!” He exclaimed, his rage almost going out of control. He held his brother’s shoulders tightly, shaking him violently. “What do you take us for?! What you take me for?! I’m your protector, damn it!”

“Asch… I…”

“How did you… hide it from me…?”

Luke’s eyes… darkened…

“Asch… not only you can hide in the shadows…”

A sigh… “So I see…” He whispered, his hands letting go of Luke’s shoulders as his bangs hid his eyes. “You knew your condition all along and yet you never told us…”

“I’m sorry… I just… I just didn’t want you to worry about me any more that you should…”

And then silence…

“How long…”

Tell me, please…

“How long do you have…?”

“Perhaps…”

The moon was covered…

“…until tonight…”

“I see…”

“Asch…? Will you… stay with me…?”

“…”

“My final wish… as your younger brother…”

He wouldn’t cry…

“Stupid idiot…”

…not even as he held his brother’s dying body in his arms…

More blood…

More…

…It wouldn’t stop…

…no matter how much he wished for it to…

“I don’t… want to die…”

He wouldn’t let go…

“No one wants to…”

He felt his brother’s tears… He felt his brother’s pain… It wasn’t just Luke’s… The deep emotions secluded from the world… came from the two of them…

It’s… fading…

“Thank you, Asch…”

…continuously fading…

“…for everything.”

The sun gave its final smile…

…and then flickered out…

Yeah… for everything…

Asch held his brother’s body for who knows how long… The night had been long, his arms never leaving his brother’s. He wanted to preserve his warmth… the remaining warmth that the sun had left to offer. Without the sun… the moon would…

No…

It would be pointless to think of such things…

Asch wondered, staring at his brother’s bloodied and yet peaceful image, was it right for him to just allow his brother die in his arms…? Just like this…? Would it have been better if he just slapped his hand away and walked out of the room to call for help? But…  Luke said so himself… It was just… too late for him…

Was it… wrong for him to just have left his brother the way he was?

Asch shook his head… a small sad smile appearing on his face just as dawn started to approach…

There was no right or wrong answer…

Letting Luke die in his arms…

“Letting my brother die in my arms…”

                         …would be my final way to show my devotion…



END

Author’s notes: Well… that’s it then… I hope that you liked it. You know what, when I was thinking about this story, I thought: “Does the setting jive in with the characters?” But then I thought that no… The setting was ancient Japan and yet the names were… English… I thought that it would be weird so I added up that thing that they weren’t completely Japanese… Hehe…

Sorry if I offend anyone.

I know that Asch was totally out of character, but meh… I tried keeping him in character while getting to act like an angsty older brother… xD

Reviews please!