Linky's Fics

The Weight of It All

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Whenever Minato closed his eyes, he could still see Daiki’s face during his final moments with complete clarity. The streams of blood that dripped down, the life and color that gradually drained from all of his features. All as he died right in Minato’s arms.

He was so full of vigor, hope, and joy. Ready to fulfill his dreams, to take the path to see them through no matter what. Minato wanted to see him continue to walk down that road.

To see where his dreams would end up leading him, and in turn lead the world of alchemy. He wanted to see how far he could go. To support him along the way, and be by his side the entire way. Whenever Minato saw Daiki, he could tell there was a wonderful and promising life ahead of him.

But that journey to his dreams of a world where everything changed were cut short, his future full of hope and promise grasped from him within the blink of an eye.

And it was all Minato’s fault.

All of the guilt he felt was beyond any words. Constantly gnawing away at his mind, at times leaving him unable to move. To speak. Paralyzing him like a deer, looking at the headlights of a car as it rushed forwards.

The weight of it all too was simply much to bear. And when Ichinose passed his alchemy test, it only got worse.

Each time he saw Ichinose, Daiki’s death continued to play back in the very depths of his mind. He was the splitting image of him at times. With all that energy and hope he’d display each day. He had a promising future ahead of him too.

And it absolutely haunted Minato.

At first he was able to cope decently enough during school hours. He had a class to teach, and an image to uphold. These kids looked up to him after all. He had to stay strong in front of them. For the sake of his class, Minato felt he couldn’t show any parts of this side of him to any of them.

It would be in the lone hours of the night, in his apartment where he’d sob himself to sleep. That was when he had to let out how he truly felt. The moment of Daiki’s death playing ad nauseam. Continuing to print itself in his eyelids as he was in a cycle of attempting to sleep, nightmares, and waking up in a cold sweat. His heart pounding, his head aching with pain as he panted.

Ichinose had a promising future too. Minato truly did believe in him. That he could become a big-shot alchemist one day. And because of this, he constantly feared for the worst. His flashbacks playing on repeat, a sinking feeling in the depths of his very soul.

His mind continued to tell him that the cycle will repeat itself. That his efforts to avoid this would end up being for naught in the end.

When the Dreadriver appeared, he slowly began to believe in these thoughts. But he had to continue to stay strong. There was no other way, no other choice for him. Sometimes he was in shock he was even able to pull this facade of functionality in front of everyone.

It was hard, but Minato was able to hold himself together long enough in front of his class. Just enough to when he got home, and the cycle of tears and nightmares began once again.

Kyoka was the only one who knew this side of him. But even then she didn’t know just how bad it truly was.

When Geryon showed up, that was when his facade of a functional man instantly cracked in two. The second Minato saw his face, he was immediately taken back to ten years ago. Daiki’s death flashed back in his mind instantly. Playing on repeat. Again, and again, and again.

At the same time his thoughts also raced to Ichinose.

Would he make the wrong choice once more? Taking away yet another life? Would the cycle just continue to repeat itself, rearing its ugly head every ten years or so? Was this his fate?

In the meantime, he had to pretend. Pretend to be Geryon’s tool, a pawn for his plans. To don the Dread suit, and fight those he held dear to him.

It was hell on earth. To play the villain. To be forced to work alongside the man who killed his dear friend. And to see the anguish and disgust in everyone’s eyes as he feigned the role of a traitor.

But he had to do what he could to prevent history from repeating itself. Secretly playing the role of a double agent. Committing actions against what he truly felt within his heart, all for the sake of taking out Geryon from the inside.

Spanner thankfully picked up on this. Even if it meant angering him so intensely that the dark flames within him burst out once more. Fully intending to kill him, before he realized the truth.

He might have picked up on things, but there was a very real period of time, no matter how brief it was — where someone Minato truly cared about was out to kill him.

And that thought was too much to handle at times.

But it was better than Geryon taking their lives away. The last thing Minato wanted was for more blood to be on his hands. Let alone the blood of his own students, past and present.

Especially Ichinose.

Geryon was after him in specific due to his driver. Every second he put on the mask of loyalty, Minato felt complete and total fear overtaking his senses. How Geryon spoke about Ichinose, and the driver. It absolutely chilled every part of Minato’s body and soul.

He couldn’t let Ichinose die. That was the one thought that played on repeat in his mind as everything flashed before his very eyes once again. Taking him back to when Daiki was killed.

It didn’t help that Geryon knew exactly what he was doing. The fact Ichinose had so many similarities to Daiki was just a bonus way to torment Minato to him. And he’d take full advantage of this whenever he could. Taking Minato to the side, reminding him just what would happen if he failed his mission.

Poking and prodding him with that cube he held in his hand at all times. The very tool that snatched Daiki’s life away.

Plus it was within plain sight, in Geryon’s hands. Taunting him. Reminding Minato of the future he ended.

And how with one wrong move, he could end yet another one.

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