Work Text:
There are a million different words that could describe my fate.
Abandoned.
Alone.
Isolated.
Unwanted.
And even more that could describe the feelings that welled within my heart.
Hate.
Love.
Agony.
Admiration.
The heart is such a fickle thing after all. It changes so much so that even the brain cannot always fathom its needs and wants. Yet sometimes, even when the mind can tell what the organ longs for, it chooses not to encourage such emotions, knowing full well that it will only lead to more pain and suffering.
My mind was only trying to keep me safe , I thought, as I laid in the pile of snow that I was abandoned in. What a naive fool I’d been to ignore its warnings. My torso was littered with scratches and bruises along its sides and front. My arms lay broken and battered on the sides of my head, immensely sore from having to rely upon them to aid in my defense when my shadows weren’t strong enough to take the brunt of each agonizing blow. My lower body was completely covered in the soft white substance, as well as my forearms and shoulders. I found myself unable to move to be able to remove it, however, the numbing cold having long seeped its way into my worn-down body, leaving me with only my thoughts and my heart to remind me that I am still painfully conscious despite my eyes (eye?) being closed. I could not feel the right half of my face, but I knew there was a gaping hole where my eye socket took the blow of a very familiar weapon, belonging to an even more familiar warmth.
I remembered how he bared his teeth as he punched me mercilessly over and over again, making sure to leave no openings in sight. I could barely put up my shadows in time to defend myself before being forced to resort to my forearms. I had never seen such hatred in his eyes. A familiar pool of scarlet and dilating irises made his ire all the more clear. I’ve seen such rage before, strictly directed at the enemies of the golden primate. Was I the antagonist now? When did I become his enemy?
I realized then that each attack held the intent to eliminate. The intent to kill.
What happened to my old friend? The one who would flash his pearly whites in an enthusiastic smile whenever we would lock eyes? The one who would fill my bowl with my favorite fruits every morning despite me complaining about how I could do it myself? The one who would share his most precious treasures with me and tell me how they reminded him of my being? The friend who would accompany me under the stars after another fun-filled day of adventure and tell me how there was no other place else he would rather be? The one who became my closest, and most trusted companion? My best friend?
Such thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind as a relentless fist met my face and I was sent flying across the deserted land. A trail of small craters appeared behind me similar to a stone skipping across water as I landed a couple feet away from the cause of my suffering. Just close enough for the Great Sage to launch himself high into the sky and come down just as quickly to land the finishing blow, successfully putting an end to my agonizing screams and desperate cries of pain.
As he walked away, I watched the sky begin to cry tears of ice. Soon blanketing the barren land with its sorrow long after the golden primate had disappeared from my vision.
My pride was shattered along with my motivation to continue forward, knowing that it would be meaningless as this loss marked the end of my journey. A small part of me was relieved, however, despite it all. No more searching. No more fighting. No more longing to be reunited with the one that got away.
But even with its counterpart ignoring it, the heart relentlessly pulled and tugged at my very being, unable to rest until its request was satisfied.
I internally frowned, recognizing the feeling.
The unwavering emotion of love.
“Such a pathetic way to go,” I thought, as I succumbed to the darkness.