the end of a new beginning {ikaia oneshot}

[Knuckles]

Ikaia Miristioma

He was tired of running, living. Yet the kids were enough to keep him going. But as the sun fell behind the sky, Ikaia wondered if his life was really worth it. Junior and Ekain didn't deserve him as a father, they deserved to live a life he couldn't give them. A life without any worry in the world. A life filled with hope and dreams. Ikaia couldn't give them any of them. All he had was broken relationships slipping further away. A broken heart beat inside his chest, and it was only enough to keep the blood flowing. The pain had come and gone leaving him broken and shattered as he rocked back and forth in the tiny chair. Ma used it, and she used to hold him, and rock him to sleep, and Ikaia longed for that moment. He wanted, needed someone to care for him. All he wanted was to feel the love of another being. The twins loved him, but it wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted to feel what he felt before the Capitol snatched it away in the blink of an eye. It had been far too long, and nothing would fix it. Not even the moon sitting in the night sky lighting the way. The night was clear, but the clouds rolled through his brain.

Living in district eleven wasn't worth it anymore.

So he packed up what little belongings he had, and he packed up the items belonging to the twins. They needed their life back. He was selfish to steal it away from them, but he can't undo the past. Ikaia stole them from a life they knew, a life they loved only to place them in far worse conditions than before. District eleven wasn't for them, and he couldn't offer them anymore. All the food he had went to them while he stuffed himself with scraps they didn't eat. The food they deemed unclean.

He placed the twins in the bed, and he kissed them both on the head before heading out of the room. Tomorrow would bring a new day, and tomorrow would bring the day Ikaia said goodbye to district eleven forever.

It was time he found his own life, and he wanted to make a new name for himself. The name his brother stole away from him. Ikaia didn't deserve to carry the Miristioma name, he didn't deserve the burden. His family didn't need him, and he had no friends. Things needed to change.

And this was the only way he could make it happen.

His dark eyes locked on the twinkling stars for only a moment before lifting a piece of paper into the air. Writing a goodbye letter crossed his mind, yet he couldn't bring himself to make the pen meet the paper. Nobody would care if he was gone. Not a single person would go looking for him, so why should he say goodbye? His life should be filled with pride and joy knowing Kirito won the games, but it placed an unbearable burden upon his shoulders. People didn't know him anymore, and Ikaia needed a change. He wanted to start over fresh. Saying goodbye to his twin was the hardest thing he had ever done, and he never expected to see him again, but he faced the odds, and he won. He should've felt happiness, and for a while he did -

Until he was forgotten.

A heavy sigh left his chest as he laid the pen down. Nobody needed to know where he was going, nobody needed to know if he was alive. All that mattered was starting over, finding a new life, and making the twins happy. He tried to mend the relationship with his brother, but as time went on, Ikaia began to realize the bond was broken, and nothing would bring it back. He was far worse than a prodigal son running away from his father. When the prodigal son came home, celebrations were made, people were filled with joy, but each time Ikaia stepped foot in his brother's house, it felt like he was still being hung up to dry.

He was disposable.

The wooden floorboards creaked with every step as he walked away from the table. He wanted to take it all in, he wanted to see the house for the last time as this would be the last time he ever saw it.

His eyes locked on the old fireplace, and he could almost see the fire Pa created with his own hands trying to keep the family warm during the winter months. The pictures once strung across the mantle, everything was perfect, and now nothing but dust and broken memories remained. The old ragged couch Ikaia devoted so much time to fixing up so he had a place to sleep while the twins stayed warm in his old bed. The room his parents slept in. All of it would soon be a memory.

The life he was living right now wasn't a life he deserved to live.

As the sun slowly peaked over the horizon, Ikaia woke the twins, and he told them to bundle up and get ready. He made sure everything was packed, and his eyes locked on the piece of paper once last time. He sighed as he lifted the pen from the table.

To whoever finds this, I'm okay.
IM

He threw the pen across the roon and wadded up the piece of paper before sitting it down on the table. Nobody needed to know anything. Nobody would care, and it was something he understood, but it didn't make it any easier.

The twins appeared at his side. None of them said a word as he ushered them from the house. It was a bittersweet moment. Leaving behind all that he knew was really hard, yet he was looking forward to the new beginning he was giving himself.

Dead grass crunched beneath his feet, frost nipped at his nose.

Walking a short distance took a while, and it took a lot out of him. He stopped as he crossed in front of the victor's village; his eyes dropped to his twins. He couldn't risk it. He couldn't let them die in the winter. If Ikaia died, the world wouldn't care, but if the twins died, he would never forgive himself.

But he didn't want to leave them behind.

A heavy sigh slithered past his lips as he moved on. Step by step he followed the twins. All he could see was trees once filled with fruit stood before him as they prepared to sleep for the winter. Maybe one day he would see them again. He shook his head, and he kept moving forward until he was near the fence leading into the open.

All he had to do now was wait for the perfect chance, and there he would wait until the final moments came.