And Dusk

Chapter 19: The End of Something

Warnings: guns, blood and violence, mentions of death

Word Count: 6722

It was winter of 2006 when nine black umbrellas filed into the courtyard of the Hargreeves residence. Leading the group of children was Vanya Hargreeves, followed by Diego, Luther and Allison, (Y/N), and Klaus. The solemn look on each of their faces was fitting for the circumstances they found themselves in.

Before them was the closed casket of their deceased brother, Ben, a small photo of him displayed on top, tentacle designs surrounding it to symbolize his power, the monster that lived within him. With his death following the disappearance of their other brother four years ago, the group of strangers was feeling less and less like a family than it already did.

As the final member of the family joined the funeral, Pogo shifted his walking cane to stand straighter. "Your father is ready to give the eulogy, children." He quietly announced, Reginald speaking a beat later.

"The world is full of injustice. Good people die along with the bad. This cosmic equation will never change unless evil itself is wiped from existence. Thankfully, there are powerful forces pushing back against the wicked and iniquitous, individuals who have the strength to pull together against insurmountable odds to face adversity with unblinking courage, and not to hesitate to sacrifice themselves for another. Unfortunately, none of you are such people."

(Y/N) snapped her head up from where she had been staring at her shoes to look towards Klaus, who had already been widening his eyes at her. When he caught the way her (e/c) orbs glistened, he quickly and firmly grabbed hold of her hand and soothingly ran his thumb over her knuckles, inhaling deeply.

"Despite years of training and weeks of preparation, you allowed Number Six to die on this mission."

At this, Allison gasped and turned to him with teary eyes. "It wasn't our fault!"

"Excuses?" Reginald raised a brow as Luther placed a hand on her shoulder to either comfort her or keep her anger at bay. "I will not hear them. The Umbrella Academy has failed one of their own, the consequences of which are dire."

"His name was Ben," (Y/N) shakily spoke up, each and everyone of them turning to her with wide eyes. "Not Number Six. And his eulogy should not be filled with blame!"

"On the contrary, Number Eight, that is all a eulogy needs for a funeral like this. I expected nothing less from you than to lead Number Six to his own demise. Even dead, he has proven to be less of a disappointment than you. Hold onto that feeling." He hissed, not even flinching at the trails of tears falling from his daughter's eyes. She felt Klaus tugging her, and it was then that she noticed she had been challengingly stepping towards Reginald. Once she was back in her spot and shrinking under his gaze yet again, he continued, "All of you, hold onto that feeling. Let it fester in your hearts... so there is never a next time. Training will be canceled today out of respect for your brother. We resume tomorrow at six a.m."

And with that, Reginald briskly walked away, Grace and Pogo hesitantly leaving the superhero team to silently cry before the casket, their father's words stinging worse than they ever had. The only sounds filling the air between them for a few seconds was Allison and (Y/N) softly sobbing between Luther and Klaus.

The Seance hadn't yet let go of her hand, swallowing the lump in his throat and occasionally squeezing her hand for reassurance that he was there. Her shoulders shook as a sob racked through her body, ducking her head to hide her face.

"It wasn't anybody's fault." Vanya broke the semi-silence, but was immediately shut down by Diego.

"How would you know, Vanya? You weren't even on the mission."