A shimmer on the horizon (Sancest multiship) [Discontinued]

Chapter 26 - To honor someone?

Cross' PoV.:

When this stranger's voice rang through my head, I had something like a vision. Or was it a memory? It lasted only for a second but I made sure to remember every single detail.

I saw a skeleton, a bit bigger than me, but he looked like a kid. On his head were grey goggles and he wore a blue jacket and black basketball shorts, like Geno. His shoes were big and matched with his jacket.

In this memory, he smiled down at me, a weird blue clock-shaped eye winked at me. Behind him, I saw others but their faces were too blurry for me to see. I think, back then my focus laid on this strange kid, so that I didn't pay attention to those in the background.

'C'mon Criss-Cross!', he said with the brightest smile I've ever seen. 'Let's beat up their asses!'

In the moment the memory broke up and I felt tears running down my cheeks. The voice in my head was the same as in my memory, but the tone he talked in let him seem like a different person. There wasn't any hint of the happiness and carelessness that he had during my memory.

No, this monster was long gone, replaced by someone who had lived his life, experienced it's most cruel sides, some happy moments and didn't regret anything. But he was tired of it, tired even though he didn't want to loose his grip on this cruel life.

When he finally found his sleep and we drunk a toast to TK, there weren't any words for a long time.

Suddenly Killer cleared his throat and said: I don't think that Time Kid had done it, only that we could mourn about his loss. As he said, he did that for himself and not for us.

I looked at him in disbelief, horrified that he'd even said that. Yes, TK hadn't done it for us, but that was no reason not to mourn for what he did. But before I could even open my mouth, Geno was the one who spoke for me. "That doesn't stop us to do so."

To my surprise, he sounded calm, silent tears flowed down his cheek from his single eye that he had focused on Killer. That isn't what he wanted. Do you think he said that without reason? He didn't want that we'd be sad about this. So try to accept his wish.

"You can only say that because you barely even feel emotions, you don't understand how it feels-"

Aye, I don't, Killer's voice sounded cold, monotone and sent a shiver down my spine. His left hand that didn't hold his glass went to the red, pulsing target that flowed in front of his chest. Could it be his soul? But why had it this shape and was outside?

And you know exactly why I feel so numb inside. I heard how you've spoke about TK at your home, Bro. But if you think that he suffered too much, so you have to admit that to any of us. Especially YOU know how it feels to be tortured by-

"That's enough", Reaper said deeply and I saw how his grip thighed around Geno's shoulder as he went stiff at Killer's words. His gaze was rigid and his eyes wide open in shock -or a memory? Reaper's gaze was focused on Killer's empty, dripping eyes, only a warning frown showed how mad he got at the vice.

Killer frowned as well, but seemingly not impressed by the grim reaper cosplayer. Though his tone softened a bit as he continued: I just mean that anyone on this ship has gone through hell and back, multiple times and no one mourns about what we experienced. So I think it's a bit rude to think that WE don't deserve the same treatment as-

"The difference between him and us is that we're still alive, Killer. He's not", Geno awakened from his trance and glared at Killer again. Isn't that even more a reason not to mourn? We should accept his last wish and not feel grief about something that wasn't our-