Azure: 19

Navy: 18

Two blistering hot fireballs were being shot at his head, and Azure had no idea why. The look of rage on Navy's face was all-encompassing, driving out any other emotion and blinding him to any rational ways of communication. And Azure wanted to understand why; he wanted to be able to understand what he had done wrong, where it had all started, and why this was happening, but in the heat of the moment, what was he supposed to do? Let himself die? He had already made the mistake of trusting Navy in the first place; and now that he was trying to kill him, he couldn't just calmly accept the fact and try to peacefully deal with the situation all in the name of friendship. If he wanted to survive, he needed to fight back. And as he stared at the melting balls of heat and the glowering boy behind them, he sighed, letting his emotions flow through him in waves of pain and anger and fear. And since he could do nothing else, he let them take control, allowing them to move his body in ways he himself never could, giving him the blistering power Navy had just thrown towards him.

They were turning into their fathers, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. All they could hope was to save their homes from the blistering fires blazing from within, something their fathers had failed to do.

It hurt. His hands were peeling, his feet were scraped and bloody, his face was red and itchy, but he couldn't stop. His body couldn't focus on those things; all Azure could focus on was the navy-haired, silver-eyed boy across from him as he hurled power ten times his body's natural capacity to hold. All he could focus on was that boy's swirling and twisting body as he avoided and deflected and dodged every. Single. Shot. His mind was crying with anger and relief, battling himself when he needed to be focused on battling Navy. Navy was quick, agile, and smart, knowing exactly where and when to strike, dodging everything Azure could throw at him and divulging more strikes than Azure could counter, all the while growling and shouting, screaming profanities that not even he himself could understand.

The roof of Dusk Co. was utterly destroyed. The floor was black and charred, all the supplies that had been decorating the edges simply melted or gone up in flames. The cement was blistering hot and oozing, and who knew how long it would remain substantial. Their shoes had melted and caught fire long ago, their shirts and pants singed and falling apart from the many close calls and heat emanating from the ground. Their eyes watered, their skin peeled, their hair singed, but neither of them would give up. Neither would let go until one of them was dead.

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Their anger was going to push them right over the edge.

And as the pain scarfed up Azure's right leg, his ankle giving out and sending him sprawling to the floor, Navy hung over him, victorious as he gathered the heat in his hand, laughing maniaclly and grabbing Azure's collar in his hand, spitting into his face, "How's it feel to be on the recieving end, OLD MAN!!??" he asked, growling into Azure's face. The face that had simply given up, accepted its fate and embraced the heat sucking at him from all sides. Azure realized that nothing had changed. They weren't any better or worse than their fathers. They were exactly the same. That was the way of the world, wasn't it? Navy had said so himself; trust wasn't a thing. It was in mankind's nature to destroy and hurt and decieve, and no one person could rewrite human DNA to make it any different. Why should they be any exemption? Why should they be any better than the rest of the world? Perhaps they were just the gateway to a new existence; one of no wars, no pain, and no deception. Perhaps if everyone died...

Something better could start.

And so Azure stared up at Navy's hands and the heat held within, the heat that would end his life. And he smiled. Because maybe they could change it. If not in life, then in death. Just maybe...

But something went wrong. The searing pain that should've hit his neck, or his face, or his chest hit somewhere else entirely. Azure screamed as it burned through his shoulder, shaking and twitching and rolling on the ground, trying futilely to make it stop. He felt the looming presence over him shift, looking up to see Navy sprinting to the other side of the roof, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. And through the pain, Azure recognized the bittersweetness of it; he was alive. Such a shame. Everything would have been better if he simply hadn't existed at all...perhaps if he just let everything die...perhaps that would be better for everyone. Because of course no one could be truly happy, could they? Not with the curses laid upon humanity. Not with the anger and deceit and failure laced into the core of everyone's being. No one could truly be happy. They were all so...insignificant. They didn't matter. Everyone could die and no one would matter. Something better would come. Just like it had at the very beginning. Sun and Moon had tried, but ultimately, everything always fails, doesn't it? That's the beauty of death; it's just another failure. A failure to live. In the end, everything is a failure.

And so shaking with effort, Azure stood up. He wobbled over to the edge of the building, smiling as he looked down at the spot where he had so desperately clug on. He should have just let go...

Leaping the gap, he made his way over to the entrance of the building. Clutching his shoulder and crying, he stumbled along the walls, making his way to the elevators and plugging in the five...

Everything was dark. He could see, he was sure, but not consciously. He had no idea where he was going until he was there and he slumped unconscious against the door before he could even knock.