Winter: I Cried; And I Cried And I Cried; And Then, I Laughed PT. 4/6

"Well, what should we do now?"

It had been three days since they had woken up, and the six of us who weren't hospitalized had met up in our hideout, which had grown bigger over the past year since we had gotten it.

It was Erebus who had posed the question, and everyone looked towards me, somehow becoming the de-facto leader with Major out of commission.

"I, I think I should tell you guys something important…" I started, and everyone tensed up at my words.

"I never really knew for certain before, but after what Major said that day, I am sure of it." I looked at each of them, preparing myself.

"One day soon, Major will destroy the world."

"On what evidence do you say that!?" Erebus yelled out, getting up from his chair, and I shrunk back, hesitating.

"It's the truth, I swear! I never really knew for certain, since from what I saw, he goes by Depra King, but once I heard Major say Depra from his mouth that day, I had feeling it was him I saw destroy the world in front of my very eyes."

"Depra?" Hemera's eyes widened at the nickname. "Yeah, I heard it too! He did say that name, as if someone was calling him that!"

"Wait, you too Daytime Beauty?" Erebus said, scowling. "Why would he do something like that?"

I bit my lip, unsure of how much to say. "Well, we were saving him from somebody, and then he watches something very painful happen to him…"

Everybody was hushed into silence, and Erebus leaned back into his chair, letting out a sigh.

"Um, this isn't the first time I've seen it though! I just thought it was a reoccurring nightmare I've been having since I was five years old, but after that day, I really know for certain that it'll come to pass!"

"So, what do you want us to do about it? How soon do you think it'll happen?" Nyx asked, wrapping herself in a black blanket.

"It looks like we're pretty old when it happens, so about 6-7 years from now," I said, and Nyx nodded, sighing to herself.

"It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" She murmured.

"But, do you have a plan then?" Hemera asked, and I shook my head.

"No, and I don't really know when I'll have one."

Aether scoffed. "Typical of those below me. Why haven't you come up with one yet?"

"Because," I started, staring down at my hand, "I can't control what I see just yet. It always happens pretty randomly, although I'm slowly getting better at it." I squeezed my hand shut, nodding to myself.

"Hmm, I see then dear Lachy~. But why tell us now?"

"Because you all were there, including Necessitas," I said, and all of their eyes widened. "And we all completely and utterly lost, each and every time, despite the small variations within each one."

"So, you want us to get stronger, is that it?" Erebus guessed, and I nodded.

"We've trained plenty together, but when was the last time any of you learned more about your abilities by yourself, without King's help?"

They couldn't respond to that, and I nodded before continuing. "That's why, I think we should split up for now and go our separate ways."

I could feel everyone tense up at my words, and I raised up my hands. "Wait, let me rephrase that. I think the seven of you should go on your own and train. I'm not saying you can't still hang out, but I won't be there."

"And what will you be doing?" Aether asked, frowning at me.

"Keeping an eye on Major and figuring out a plan. Once I come up with it, I'll contact you all, got it?"

Silence, and I started to twirl my hair around my finger, anxiously looking at all of them.

"Okay then," Erebus said, standing up. "If this is what I can do to help repay the debt that I owe him, then I'll do it."

"I must agree with you dear Eru~," Eros purred, a soft smile arising on his face as he stood up. "Saving our dear King is the least we could do after he saved all of us."

"I also agree. As the only one who can be my equal, I'll save him from that destiny of his," Aether nodded to himself, standing up.

"Alright then, I'll do it! It's not much, but if this will be able to help him, then so be it!" Hemera exclaimed, getting up also.

"Well, guess I'm gonna be bored for the next couple of years then, but for him, it's worth it," Nyx said, smiling to herself as she stood up.

"Oh, what about Necessitas? I murmured, getting up as Erebus put his hand in the center of our makeshift circle.

"I'll take care of her, so don't worry about that Lachesis," Erebus said, a sad smile appearing on his face. "I still have a promise to fulfill that me and King made to one another after all."

We all put our hands together before cheering aloud, that being the last day we all had gathered within the hideout together for almost 7 years…

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Huh? I frowned at what I had just seen, twirling one of my locks of hair around my finger.

What is Major going to leave his house for? I thought as I stood up from my bed, stretching out my tired limbs. I walked out of my room to see my mom humming to herself in the kitchen.

"Oh, what's wrong Lachy?" She asked, noting the hesitant look on my face.

"Um, I might have to go out for a bit, okay?" She simply nodded before continuing to cook.

"It must be about Major again, isn't that right? I swear, you love him too much, you know that?"

I felt my face grow hot at her words. "H-hey! It's not like that!"

She smiled, chuckling to herself. "Now, now Lachesis, we both know it isn't good to hide your feelings like that. It's okay to love him. He probably needs a lot of it, judging on what's going on his family lately."

"I, I guess you may be right about that…"

"Aren't I? Now go and confess your undying love for him already! I want grandkids you know."

"M-mom! Stop that!" She giggled to herself, and I could feel my ears starting to burn from embarrassment. "I'm leaving now, okay?"

"Okay, have fun out there with your date!"

I pouted before walking to the front door to put my shoes on. I swear, my mom loves teasing me a bit too much. I feel like I'm gonna die of embarrassment at this rate.

I finished putting them on, grabbing a key from off the wall before heading outside.

"Now let's see, where did he go again?" I closed my eyes before seeing it.

"Ah, he went right then." I started to jog towards where I would eventually find Major, which would be in a park that we had once visited many times in the past with our group.

I looked up at the sky, it being painted orange by the setting sun in the west and let out a sigh. It had been about 3 years since our group had departed from one another in order to save Major from his fate in about 3-4 years, and I was just on the cusp of being able to see whenever I wanted too, meaning our plan would soon be put into action.

Speaking of Major, he had changed a lot in the 3 years our group disbanded, starting to hate and lash out against adults for what he would probably consider no reason. Then again though, adults had already labeled him a troublemaker from all the trouble he used to cause, so maybe that's why he ended up like that. And, even if he doesn't remember, I'm sure he still harbors the feelings of those four years with him from seeing how the adults treated himself and his friends…

I started to see the park ahead, and with it Major, on his knees as he started to clench his fist.

"Maybe, I should be the one to disappear instead…"

Eh? I felt myself slow down until I was just about a foot away from him, my brain trying to process what he just said.

"Disappear me. Disappear! Damn it, I just want to go away, never to be seen again!"

Disappear.

That one word already ruined his life twice now, and hearing him say it to himself was enough to make me crumble to my knees as I managed to get his attention.

"Why are you, saying such things?"

He turned to me, a look of shock on his face as I continued to speak.

"Not you too. I can't lose you too! Not after the first time, you can't leave me as well!"

"Lachesis…" He could only watch as I continued.

"SO, DON'T YOU GO AND DISAPPEAR ON ME, YOU HEAR ME!?"

I started to shake with sobs as I watched Major look up towards the now dark sky, before he took another look at me.

"You're right. I, I don't wanna disappear too. I want to stay and live damnit! I WANT TO LIVE!"

"Then live!" I yelled out, holding out my arm, my hand in a fist. "If not for yourself, then live for me!"

I managed to give out a smile underneath all my tears, hoping I would get through to him before he did something he would regret once more.

"Because, I want you to live too!"

I watched him clutch his shirt, his tears soaking his face. "It hurts so much! And yet, why does it feel so good at the same time!?"

He gave me a fist bump, giving me a watery smile. "So, I'll live for you, and for me!"

I managed to nod before we embraced each other, crying our hearts out, him crying tears of happiness and sorrow, I crying tears of guilt and happiness.

It was unfair of me after all, to say those words to him, but I said them anyway, because I knew just as he was all I had left of our trio from long ago, I was all he had left, one of his last rays of hope in his world. His family hating him, losing his friends, I was truly the last one he had left.

But thinking back on it, maybe it would've been better if he had disappeared that day too. He might've been happier in the long run.

And so, the next day, we found out that he had caused his family to vanish from the face of the world, and just like with Captain, no one was able to find them nor bring them back, leading to an unforeseen third regret.

"DAMNIT!" I roared out, punching my bed as I screamed out those words into my pillow.

Why couldn't I have seen this coming damnit!? What good is this if I can't see anything that's important to me!?

I let out a sigh, turning over to look up at the ceiling. And Major? When he found out, he collapsed onto his knees, a look indescribable on his face, one filled with absolute despair and grief as he couldn't even let out a whimper as his tears fell from his face, just there in the living room, food and decorations still around.

A lot of government officials came by his house to ask him questions, but there he stayed, unmoving as he continued to look at the empty house he had caused. Eventually they left, and I cleaned up the house along with my mom, Major still stationary as he continued to stare at the empty couches.

It wasn't until about a month later, when they wanted him to sign papers declaring them dead, that he finally looked somewhere else, his hand moving to sign paper after paper after paper, and before they left, he asked to sign one more.

When I saw him next, he was still standing in the living room, although he had gone out before. But tears no longer fell from his eyes, and they were instead replaced with a broad smile along with the sound of laughter that felt like you could hear from miles away.

To me, that was the day that my dear childhood friend no longer cried, and I had lost the Major I had once known.

That was the day he had broken beyond repair.