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Rui walked along the grounds outside the palace in a daze, spells chanting in his mind as he recalled the previous meeting held by the Imperial Soldiers.
Their numbers were dwindling and morale was declining, if this continued they were sure to lose. They needed something to threaten the palace with, and they came to one conclusion. Tenma Tsukasa, the strongest member of the knights and the crowned prince, must die. If he, a figure everyone and their mothers loved died, outrage would spark in the kingdom. If Kaito's intuition served him right, that would be the perfect opportunity to strike.
Several protests were heard among the members. Sure, they were rebels who swore an oath to bring down the tyrant king no matter whose blood they had to spill, but Tsukasa was well-liked by them too. Some of them had personal relations to him, some even closer. Others countered their arguments, saying they've killed their own families before so why was a person actively hindering their cause any more important?
After a little more back and forth that may have included Kaito breaking up a physical fight, everyone eventually agreed to his plan. Kaito's intuition was never wrong. And so Rui was summoned to his office.
Unlike the others who publicly announced their alliance to the rebels, Rui and a couple other knights and servants didn't and worked as double agents. Truth be told, Tsukasa had no interest in taking down the rebellion as he often turned a blind eye to the very obvious signs that some of his subordinates were rebels. He was also never present during the public executions of rebels that had been caught, having excuses such as feeling a little under the weather or going out to patrol the border. It was something Rui had noticed. Perhaps he too wanted the king to go down but was too close to him to defect?
"You have to be the one to strike, Rui. You're close to him and he trusts you like it's breathing. And... I simply cannot bring myself to entrust this task to his siblings. For their sake, I want you to make it as painless as humanly possible. Bring back his body as a symbol of your success," Kaito had instructed him.
That's why Rui found himself standing in the knights' training ground. He knew Tsukasa liked to train well into the night. That's how their weekly sparring sessions began, how their friendship started and bloomed into the current romance they had now.
One that would ultimately end in betrayal.
They locked eyes and his face lit up almost immediately, the joy on his face rediated the same energy as the stars shining above them. "Rui! What brings you here out late? Want to spar? Or did you simply want company?" he greeted, patting Rui rather roughly on the back. Casual, loving, and blissfully unaware of his impending doom.
"Good evening love. Mind coming with me to my lab? I wanted to try something," he invited. Tsukasa sheathed his blade and nodded, linking his arm with Rui and giving him a peck on the cheek.
This was going to be a lot more emotional than Rui expected.
The two made their way up the stairs and into the secluded tower that was the way to Rui's lab. The sorcerer entered first and pretended the flip through his spellbook. Tsukasa locked the door with a click, knowing Rui liked it that way so he wouldn't be disturbed.
"So, what's--" before he could finish his sentence, Rui casted a restraining spell at him. His arms were firmly tied behind his back magic rope, his legs were bound together causing him to fall to his knees, and the rope wrapped itself around his mouth to gag him.
Make it as painless as humanly possible...
The spell Rui was about to use to murder assassinate subdue the love of his life was a painless killing curse that vaporized the victim in an instant. They only feel numbness then the sweet kiss of death. He knew he promised Kaito to bring back his body as a trophy, but he couldn't. It hurt to think he'd make his journey back to base carrying a reminder of the crime he had to commit in the name of justice.
Tsukasa noticed Rui's stance which was one he took when he was about to kill. He lowered his head as a sign of surrender and waited for Rui to strike.
But nothing came.
"I can't do this," Rui cried as he released Tsukasa from his restraints. The knight got up. Rui fully expected him to draw his blade, summon reinforcements and have him executed on the spot. Rui fully expected him to be enraged, betrayed. But no, he looked at Rui gently and patiently. Careful steps made their way to the trembling sorcerer. Tsukasa held his face, rubbing his thumb against his cheek in a soothing manner.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, honey laced in his voice. “How are you not upset? I tried to kill you! You should be fuming right now!” Rui took a step back. “You have your reasons, don’t you?”
If Tsukasa was any other person, Rui would’ve assumed he figured out the plan and was toying with him to delay his mission because of how calm his voice was. But no, Tsukasa wasn’t as cruel as the king to do that.
“I have something to confess,” Rui murmured. “You’re a rebel?” Tsukasa guessed. The sorcerer meekly nodded. “How’d you know?”
Tsukasa shrugged. “There’s a lot of maids and knights who’re rebels too, y’know? Besides, Shiho, Ichika, Saki and Toya defected not that long ago. It wouldn’t surprise me if you did as well,” he grimaced. “And besides, I understand. That’s why I haven’t been doing any investigations into your attacks lately,” he added. “Then join us! Please, Tsukasa, don’t let me kill you. Come back to base with me!” Rui pleaded.
Tsukasa held his hand gently and pushed the handle of his blade into Rui’s grasp. “I can’t. If I join, the king would get suspicious and it’ll blow everyone’s cover. Saki’s disappearance caused a lot of suspicion in the palace, I think you know you can’t take that risk,” he explained. “Think of this as a favor for me. I want my siblings to have a fighting chance and if this is what it takes, then by all means go ahead.”
Rui’s lips trembled. He dropped the sword and engulfed Tsukasa in a lung-crushing embrace. “You… Why are you like this? Why are you so… So…” he couldn’t find the words to describe how he felt about Tsukasa. He ran out of synonyms for the word ‘kind’.
Rui slammed his lips onto Tsukasa’s who kissed back just as desperately. The kiss deepend, holding all the feelings they had. Passion, longing, desperation and dread mixed together into the messy makeout session. Rui pushed Tsukasa against the door, pinning him in place as he broke the kiss before diving back in. He held Tsukasa’s waist tightly as he placed his other hand over Tsukasa’s heart.
A spell to turn someone’s heart into ice. It was slow but painless.
Rui bit Tsukasa’s lips hungrily with passion. “I love you,” Tsukasa said in between breaths. Rui tried so hard to engrave everything into his mind. Tsukasa’s voice, his warmth, the adoration that slipped into his voice despite the fact that Rui was killing him softly. The sorcerer loosened the collar on the knight’s uniform and began leaving marks on Tsukasa’s neck and shoulders, savoring the warmth his lips touched before it was all gone. Salty tears fell onto Tsukasa’s shoulder as Rui began to cry, feeling the warmth gradually disappear from his star. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I love you so, so much! Please forgive me!” he sobbed. Tsukasa rubbed soothing circles on Rui’s back. “I’ll always forgive you,” he said as he placed a warm kiss on Rui’s forehead. His head rolled back and a puff of cold air left his lips. His hands went limp to his sides and the warmth of his body was replaced with the bitter cold of death, a single tear fell from the corner of his eye.
He was gone.
Rui killed him.
There was no more warmth, no more affirming words that quelled Rui’s worries. Just the muffled sobs of a broken man who murdered his lover in cold blood. Rui snapped fingers and shattered Tsukasa’s frozen heart, ensuring that nobody would be able to bring him back. Blood trickled down the side of the knight’s icy lips, lips that were permanently drawn into a smile as he was just happy to have died in the arms of his lover.
When Rui returned to base carrying the cold husk that was once a radiant star that warmed up every room, no cheers could be heard. Not even from the man who ordered the entire thing. Saki nearly passed out from the shock of seeing her brother truly, undeniably dead in his lover’s arms. Toya fell to his knees as he watched Rui set his savior’s body down into a casket Kaito had the decency of preparing.
“I left his sword and his cape on the grounds as instructed. Covered in blood, enough to send the message to the king that his strongest has been slain,” Rui informed in a stoic manner, voice devoid of emotion as if when Tsukasa died, he took Rui’s soul with him. “I see. I shall host a burial for sir Tenma. Unlike the king, we treat our enemies with respect,” Kaito announced, placing a bouquet of flowers inside the casket.
Rui gazed once more at his work. Tsukasa looked so calm, so peaceful, so dead. And he caused it. He took away the star everyone held so dear. He didn’t care if this was a step toward the greater good. There was no greater good if it meant a world without Tsukasa in it.