smashcon | Afterglow - Short Story 2017

Title: Afterglow
Rating: G
Prompt: Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.
Fandom/Series: Ensemble Stars!
Word Count: 1652
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: The sunset brings forth memories of darkness and defeat amidst the fleeting endeavours of youth.

Afterglow

A dependable king was all he wanted to be.

Someone reliable, unwavering and prideful with a heart so wide that it could engulf everything that encountered them. Someone who could lead his knights to victory with passion and undying charisma, never fearing what the outcome may be. Someone who you could fall back on when times were tough. Someone who could reignite that spark of hope within you just before you're about to give up.

All he wanted to be was someone you could love.

It's a shame how one moment in your life could ruin everything. When days had initially passed fruitfully and as sweet as youth should've been, that one moment can and will negate anything you had deemed wondrous in your life, leaving you to submerge yourself in a pit of darkness with no end.

This was why Tsukinaga Leo disliked reminiscing.

Leo tapped the end of his pencil against the tip of his nose, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed in concentration while he stared intently at the musical score he was working on. Coming up with a new composition proved to be quite a difficult feat when the time wasn't right, even for a genius like him, and he cursed himself for not putting pen to paper when inspiration had struck him. Seated in the empty 3rd year classroom, Leo slammed the pencil down onto the table in frustration before running a hand through his ginger hair.

"Ahh!! My melody is disappearing..."

He pouted for a short moment before he turned towards the window beside him, taking notice of the beauty the vibrant sunset held. Leo's emerald eyes shone in reflection to the orange tinted sky before his eyes widened as if something had suddenly overcome him but he pushed this thought away and continued on.

"It's so beautiful. I wish I could show Sena this!"

Leo chimed on before that same wave of what could probably be described as déjà vu engulfed him again.

"Hang on a minute..."

He realised that this exact scene was before his eyes just a year ago. He was with Sena Izumi, a fellow unit mate and close friend, at a windowsill, gazing upon the exact same sunrise with beauty that could not be described with words.

Leo racked his brains for a minute to see if he could recall anything from that time since he never really thought that Sena was someone who would watch sunsets with other people. He shut his eyes tight in an attempt to try and visualise what had happened before.

"You're just as beautiful as this sunset, King."

Leo smiled at that fond memory before he realised there was something else Izumi had said.

"So please, those tears don't belong on you. Stay smiling, like the shining sun."

Oh.

"We can learn from our losses. Let's win next time together."

That's right.

The "war" between all idol units of Yumenosaki Academy happened a year ago, where dreams were crushed by the bare hands of the "Emperor" which prompted the flourish of the unjust hierarchical microsociety created by the same man.

Leo slid down his chair onto the floor and laughed wryly before scrunching his hands in his hair. His breath hastened as he stared at the ground, bombarded with a rush of memories he had initially locked away deep within his heart. He shivers at the thought that remembering something heart-warming like Sena's sweet words could lead to something traumatic resurfacing. Leo tried his best to suppress the memories that were coming back and felt himself break out in a cold sweat. He realised it was futile to resist. Leo held himself in his arms and shut his eyes weakly as he let himself be engulfed by scenes from what he deemed to be the dark era of his life.

"I'll make the best songs as our weapons to lead my perfect knights to victory!"

A burst of sunshine filled the music room with 3 members seated together around a piano. The orange haired teen hummed happily as he scribbled whatever melodies came to mind on sheets of paper, already scattering the floor with paper beneath the piano they sat at.

"I like King's songs the best~ They make me feel loved when I sing and play them."

A black haired boy drawled on before rubbing his cheek affectionately against the shoulder of his king. Leo paused writing to stroke the boy's hair and laughed.

"I love you Ritsu!"

The silver haired boy scoffed and folded his arms.

"What are you two being so chummy for? It's so annoying, though?"

Leo and Ritsu threw themselves onto the seemingly sour man for a group hug, laughing at the latter who was scowling.

"I love you too, Sena!"

"Secchan is nice to hug~"

A light blush made its way onto Sena's face and the knights continued to chatter happily about their new songs and performance opportunities. In the midst of writing, Leo mumbled softly, only audible for himself to hear.

"Thank you for being my knights."

"That Emperor... He's been trampling all over the other units in our school."

Sena frowned as he spoke and knew that his precious knights were also possible victims-to-be in the Emperor, and unit Fine's leader, Tenshouin Eichi's conquest for whole school dominance. Ritsu made a noise that seemed similar to a growl in reply, slightly disgruntled at the fact that units were being crushed.

"Tenshouin... I don't like that guy."

The two exchanged nods when they came to an agreement that something had to be done before they turned to their leader who was still nonchalantly scribbling away at his music scores.

"Hey King. What are we going to do?"

Said man's hair tilted up and he smiled the way he usually did, emerald eyes glistening with hope and radiance.

"Do you even have to ask? No matter what happens, we'll always win if we're together."

His smile was infectious and the other two boys returned the same genuine smiles, thankful for their leader's positivity and confidence. The knights were at a peak, and they knew that they could go further and further, conquering whatever awaited them.

"Fine! Fine! Fine!"

"Eichi-sama is the best!"

The clatter from when the knights dropped their swords was barely audible amidst the echoes of cheers for the Emperor at their long awaited battlefield. Leo feels the darkness creep into him as he fell on his knees at the very feet of the Emperor, eyes wide in shock. What had he done wrong? Was his music not good enough? These thoughts ravaged his mind before his gaze shifted upwards, to where Tenshouin Eichi's face was.

"I guess it’s my win, Tsukinaga-kun."

The Emperor smiled sweetly before flashing a momentary derisive expression and kneeled down, bringing his face closer to Leo's distraught-stricken face. He placed two fingers on Leo's chin to turn his head sideways and whispered close into his ear.

"Checkmate."

Leo cursed himself for being weak. He hated that something from as long as a year ago still had such an effect on him. Unable to control the tears that had welled in his eyes, he let them out and sobbed quietly. Deep inside, he really did know that he wasn't that much of a genius as he made himself to be. Sure, he could make songs regularly that seemed to be liked by many and was already working professionally despite still being in high school, it didn't mean he was a genius.

How could he be a genius if he couldn't even win against the Emperor?

Leo hated reminiscing. Every single time he thought he'd remember something genuinely happy, it would be overpowered by all the things he hated and did not want to remember ever again. He didn't like feeling weak every now and then because of this trauma but there was no helping it; the Emperor broke him and his fragile, cowardly heart. Does he still have the right to be called a king? Leo doesn't know but he stops thinking for a moment and rushes to wipe his tears as he hears footsteps approaching the room.

"Leader, are you here?"

"Stupid King. We had to look for you everywhere. Soo annoying."

Four men stepped in and they all looked surprised when they say Leo sitting cuddled up on the floor. The taller blonde, Narukami Arashi stepped forward first and exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, King! What happened? Your eyes are all red and puffy!"

Leo burrowed his head into his arms and ignored his junior but felt guilty since he could hear the concern in his voice. He heard another set of footsteps approach him.

"Leader, is anything the matter?"

The youngest, Suou Tsukasa, prodded gently but there was no reply again. After a moment, someone clicked their tongue and muttered something along the lines of 'it can't be helped then' and stepped forwards, stopping right in front of Leo and kneeled down. He placed his hands onto Leo's arms and pried them open, revealing a teary eyed king staring right at Sena. The rays of the setting sun tinted his emerald eyes with a slight yellow but it made Sena glow with ethereal beauty.

"Do you remember what I told you before, King?"

Leo wasn't really sure what to expect but kept his gaze right at Sena's sky blue eyes and noticed that the rest of Knights had huddled beside him as well, showing warm smiles on their faces. Ritsu hugged Leo first before all the other members followed suit. His knights shone like gold under the golden sky and Leo was glad to have knights like them. He tried to smile but a few more tears escaped the corners of his eyes which prompted Sena to continue on from before.

"Those tears don't belong on you. Stay smiling, like the shining sun. We love you, our one and only King."

It’s time to live in the present.

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