Chapter Text
He has the kind of eyes that artists love to wax poetic about. A dark blue that rivals the color of the midnight sky, as though infinity was compressed within its depths. His eyes are enough to make you feel like the vastness of the universe is just within reach. Tooru hates how he always manages to pull him in. King Kageyama Tobio- with infinity in his eyes and unlimited potential at the tips of his fingertips. He is an immeasurable force that leaves more questions than answers.
Tooru supposes that infinity has always been a difficult concept to grasp. Tobio, more so. Still, Tooru should know better than to get lost in the tyrant king’s orbit.
“Your Highness,” Tooru’s musings were effectively interrupted as Kindaichi approached him, a perpetual tired look etched on his face.
The fall of the past monarch, Tooru’s own family, filled him with a consuming need for vengeance. But after working undercover as a servant to the new king, he almost forgot what kind of person Tobio is.
Out here, faced with the extinguished hopes of his past constituent, Tooru remembers.
“...We have no need for formalities, Kindaichi. I have not held the title of prince for a long time now. I’m just like all of you.”
“...But you’ve always been that to us, our prince,” Kindaichi said, a frown marring his features. “Had they not stolen everything from you, from us! Had the Kageyamas not attacked the kingdom-”
“I know,” is all Tooru could say. And for a moment, the two fell into silence. Kindaichi appears to have sensed that he has no intention of relieving the horrors of their past.
“...I spoke with Lord Iwaizumi. He feels as though we still need to think things through. Try to be more diplomatic, he says. Ha! We’d be dead sooner if we did just that! Kageyama’s tyranny needs to end now. The rest of Kitagawa Daiichi are already gathering troops, but Kageyama has always been a proficient fighter. So…”
Kindaichi turns to him, handing him a black drawstring bag. Peering inside, Tooru saw what appears to be a vial of poison inside, alongside a sharp silver knife. Beautiful as it is deadly.
“It is time we take back what has always been rightfully ours. Sir, do you understand what you have to do?”
But Tooru could only feel numbness coursing through his veins. And his mind began to flash images of him and Tobio together. Tooru remembers how he deliberately hid his real identity to get closer to the king- slowly gaining his trust over the years. He thinks back to his first day working for the palace, seeing the king look like a small child as he attempts to pet a scrawny stray cat. He thinks of the times they spent sneaking out into the village to play games with commoners, and all the nights they spent mapping out the constellations in the sky. He thinks of hesitant touches, harsh words, awkward smiles, and those stupidly haunting pair of eyes. Suddenly, Tooru feels so tired.
“...Kunimi has considered the possibility of you gaining affection for that monster.”
And Tooru has never been more disgusted with himself.
“What? Nonsense! My heart and loyalties belong solely to the kingdom and the memories of the past monarch. I...I will fulfill my duties. For everyone who has fallen before us and for the future of those who live among us.”
Before leaving, Kindaichi turned back to him. He looked older than he actually is. And when he spoke, his words were full of finality- almost like a warning. “Then you best not hesitate, sir.”
And Tooru won’t. Tooru says he won’t. He promised all those years ago that when the right time comes, he will do what he has to do.
So, why does the knife feel so heavy in his pocket? Why does it feel like a thousand weights have been put upon him, dragging him back?
*****
At last, the day has come. The revolution that Tooru has been planning for years is finally nearing its peak. Yet, his resolve to push through has never been weaker. His mind, the cloudiest it has ever been. He almost trips as he runs across the marbled halls of the palace, barely able to keep up as Tobio drags him deep into secret passages within the palace.
Outside, a heavy storm pours, drowning out the sounds of people fighting and screaming for their lives. It muffles the sounds of swords clashing and bodies hitting the dusty ground.
Tooru is shaking. And Tobio mistakes this for fear. He tries to calm the other down, pulling him in, and whispering in a soft voice, “I got you. I'm right here. For as long as you’re with me, you’re invincible.”
And those hypnotizing blue eyes are staring at him again- sincere and seemingly innocent. As though he is not the monster everyone paints him out to be. Tooru almost falls for it. But he thinks of how Kageyama’s family murdered his parents and left his sister for dead. He thinks about Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s imprisonment after the Kageyamas took over. He thinks of the coldness in Hajime’s demeanor, the weariness in Kindaichi’s face, the bones sticking out of Kunimi’s skin. He thinks of how their kingdom has fallen over the years. And he thinks of all the cruelties his people have been subjected to. All the pain, the suffering that continues to loom over them.
With a war cry, Tooru takes the poison-laced knife out of his pocket- jamming it straight into the king’s heart. For a moment, the world seems to come to a halt. Neither of them dared to move a single muscle, both rendered shocked by what had just transpired.
Then, Kageyama feels a searing pain bloom across his chest. He could feel his knees growing weaker. And he so desperately wants to crash down the cold marble tiles of his palace, but not without getting answers. Not without confirming that this isn’t just a cruel dream. He gripped onto Oikawa’s hand, the one that is currently holding the knife, and felt his heart shatter for a completely different reason.
Tooru cannot help but flinch as he sees those midnight blue eyes look back at him in betrayal. He could almost hear the endless questions being hurled at him. All the “Whys'' and the “How could yous”. And he’s drowning- from the insanity of it all or in the crimson red that’s pooling beneath their feet, Tooru does not know.
Kageyama Tobio always seemed larger than life- limitless and boundless. Yet, as Tooru pulls the knife out of his chest, he sees the way infinity fades from Tobio. The endless depths of his eyes, nothing more than hollow husks now.
Outside, the storm continued to rage on. The last of the Kageyamas has fallen, but Tooru feels neither satisfaction nor relief from finally ridding the kingdom of its greatest evil. He looks at his blood-stained hands- the color, so different from the blue that he unknowingly has come to love. With a heavy breath, Tooru thinks of all the different lifetimes he could have lived. And he prays, against all odds, for an infinite more chance of living a better life.