#antillia

Keith wandered the halls of the great building, the chatter of the ongoing event echoing over the P.A. system. The soccer game was still going on, as evident by the commentary of the two radio DJ’s. Well, so they were called by the rest of the island. It was primarily Ishida Yamato and Yagami Taichi, but since Taichi was the soccer captain, the commentators were Kazama Hiroto and Hiwatari Seiji. Hiroto was obviously having a bunch of fun commenting, Seiji was primarily laughing. He was laughing at that moment while Hiroto was exclaiming about a move someone made on the field. Keith didn’t know everybody yet, nor did he want to. He was still afraid of being rejected. Though, he did have to admit, not a single person he had met thus far seemed that concerned that he was part Galra or anything. But, then again, they hadn’t had to deal with Galra oppression, so it wouldn’t register in their minds that he shouldn’t be trusted. Once the others started talking about the Galra Empire, they would, they really would reject him. He paused when he turned the corner, there was a group of boys standing in the middle of the hall, one of whom was Yamato. The others were Jack Frost, Kinimoto Syaoran, Nico di Angelo, Hyuuga Natsume, Adrien Agreste, and Kujou Kazune.

Keith let out a sigh. “What do you want?” He glared at Nico, who merely glared back. He knew the demigod had shadow-traveled the group to that point and had been waiting for him. Maybe they didn’t think they needed to fear Keith because of Nico? Ridiculous, he could take him out, son of Hades or not.

“Listen, we want to help you,” began Syaoran.

“So spill it, though Nico’s probably said the same things already,” quipped Jack.

Nico growled. “Shut up.”

“I think we all have said one thing or another that’s similar,” stated Yamato. “Point is, we know you’re hurting, we’ve been hurt too. Let us help you get through the pain.”

“Why would you do that?”

“It’s what friends do,” replied Yamato. Keith glanced down, did he dare hope?

“Why don’t we start off with, when’s your birthday?”

Keith glanced at Jack in surprise. “Why do you need to know that? I thought the island got all that information when I entered.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like it just hands out that information, either,” quipped Kazune as he crossed his arms.

“Wait, it, it didn’t tell you?” asked Keith incredulously.

Syaoran shook his head. “No, I’ve told it not to tell me anything about anybody, I want you to trust me enough to tell me yourself.”

“Oh, so, it didn’t tell you that I was Chat Noir?” asked Adrien.

Kazune scoffed. “It didn’t need to, you made it way too easy to figure out.” Adrien grinned and chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. Natsume and Kazune both rolled their eyes and groaned. Keith turned to leave when Nico spoke up, making him pause.

“So, you don’t trust us, do you?” Keith paused and glanced over his shoulder at them. He thought for a second, should he tell them his fears? “No, you just don’t trust us to want to be your friends. You’re scared that we would not like you after we got to know you.” Keith glanced at him, almost startled. How?

“Or you’re afraid that no one will ever care for you as you truly are,” piped up Adrien.

“Or they’re afraid of your power,” mentioned Natsume as a small flame ignited in his hand before glancing between Adrien and Nico.

“I guess I am the only one with the fear of not being believed in, which means no one can see me.” Jack paused for second before taking a breath. “But I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore, Peter will always be able to see me.” Keith knew that, of the three Peters he knew of on Antillia, Jack was talking about Peter Pan. “And Nico has no choice,” he continued with a grin.

“Oooh, yay, lucky me,” Nico quipped sarcastically. The others laughed.

“Hey, don’t worry Jack, I’ll always believe in you. I want to, I wouldn’t have as much fun otherwise,” stated Adrien and he walked towards Jack.

“Awesome, thanks man!” said Jack as they gave each other a high-five.

Syaoran turned back to Keith. “Point is, we’ve all had our share of trouble and sorrow. We might not completely understand what you’re going through, but we understand pain, and we can help you get through it.” Keith glanced down, should he? Should he take that risk? Make that leap of faith and hope he finds solid ground?

“I know it’s hard to trust people when you’ve been hurt so deep that you don’t know if you could ever heal from it.” Keith glanced up at Yamato. “But not everybody is like that. Not everybody is going to hurt you. Yes, you’re going to come across quite a few people who will hurt you, but there are many more who, if you give them a chance, they will care for you until the end of time. Get a new family to replace the broken one you came from.” Natsume nodded at the last sentence, followed not too long by a nod from Nico.

Keith let out a sigh. “Listen, I just don’t belong . . .” 

“Nico said that too, and that he was going to leave. Now look at him, as snug as a bug in a rug,” quipped Jack. 

“Don’t you mean like a puzzle piece?” asked Keith with a grumble. 

“Is that what’s concerning you, Matthew’s analogy that Antillia is one big puzzle and we’re all its pieces?” asked Syaoran incredulously. 

“It’s better than being compared to a chess set,” quipped Nico. 

“Yeah, at least in a puzzle, we’re equally important to completing the big picture,” pointed out Adrien. 

“And in a puzzle, it means that we each fit together just perfectly,” continued Yamato. “Wouldn’t you like that, knowing that you fit?” Keith glanced at each of them in turn before turning around. They wouldn’t understand, not one bit. He heard a groan from Nico before he saw him stepping out of the shadows in front of him. Keith clenched his teeth, if he did anything. 

“Jack, use your powers.” 

“Oh man, if Nico di Angelo is telling me to use my powers, it’s bad,” quipped Jack. Keith could feel the air behind him getting colder. He took a step forward, but Nico stopped him by grabbing him by the arms and spinning him around. Just in time for Keith to get a snowball square in his face. Keith didn’t know how, but he could just feel the joy bubbling up from the depths of his heart, and burst out laughing. “Snowball fight!” exclaimed Jack as he threw a snowball at Nico and then Adrien. Adrien ducked, and it hit Kazune. 

“Jack! OK, that does it!” Kazune rolled up his sleeves, bent down, grabbed some snow, quickly shaped it into a ball, and threw it. Jack quickly moved to the side, and the snowball hit the back of Natsume’s head. Natsume glanced at Syaoran. 

Syaoran chuckled. “Alright, yes, snowball fight!” At that, everyone dove into the snow to make balls, and in the next instant, snowballs were flying. Some hit their target, others missed by a long shot. 

“Adrien, stop moving around!” 

“I can’t help it if my cat-like skills keep me from getting wet. Oof!” Adrien got hit with a snowball that made him fall backwards. 

“Nice shot, Yamato!” 

“Thank you. Hey! No fair, Nico!” Nico laughed before dashing off, getting chased by Yamato. 

“Natsume, I said snowball fight, not fireball fight!” 

“Yeah, you need to . . . chill!” 

“Jack!” 

“Hey! Oh, you were trying to be sneaky, eh, Keith?”

“Maybe.”

“And, here’s one from me.”

“Nice shot, Kazune!”

“Why thank you.”

“Hey! Adrien!”

“Catch me if you can, Syaoran!” 

“Oh, you’re on!” The snowball fight lasted for a few more minutes amid shouts and laughter, before everyone paused as a howl reached their ears. 

Keith glanced around. “What the? Yamato!” Yamato turned, just in time to have a wolf pin him to the ground, and start licking his face. 

“Toboe! OK, OK, knock it off!! Came to join the fun?” Yamato asked as he petted the wolf. 

“I wish, but, Makoto-kun sent me to tell you that he made a new dessert he wants you to try.”

“Ooh! Dessert!” exclaimed Jack and Adrien.

“Don’t you care about your teeth?” asked Nico. 

“I always brush mine, it’s the model in me,” quipped Adrien with a smirk. 

“And mine always sparkles like freshly fallen snow, and since I’m technically already dead, I can’t rot anymore,” quipped Jack with a grin before the two disappeared around the corner.  

“Coming!” Toboe let out a bark and led the way back to the kitchen. 

Keith walked over to Syaoran as the others followed, leaving the two alone in the hall. “So. he’s another piece of the puzzle?” 

Syaoran laughed. “Everyone here is, even you. If you want it, that is. We’re not going to force you to stay, but we will try to make it as hard as possible for you to leave. It’s great here.” 

Keith glanced at him curiously as he followed Syaoran to the kitchen. “So, all of you have been hurt?” 

Syaoran’s mouth twitched, but a soft smile stayed on his face as the sorrow seemed to grow in his eyes. “Yes, in different ways.” He paused and let out a sad sigh before walking again, more slowly this time. He seemed to bend over a bit, like the knowledge of so much sorrow weighed on him. “You have no idea the extent of some of that pain. Nico? He’s been through a lot, especially for a kid his age. Frodo? Not much different, even though he does wish he could give Nico the childhood he had, at least. Kira? War really took its toll on him, he has such a kind heart. Jack? Well, after three hundred years of loneliness, I’m not surprised he can keep a smile on his face, he’s so overjoyed at how many people can see him now. Some have lost family, parents, a sibling, some have been unable to make many friends, yet others are feared because of what they can do. Some were even exploited because of their powers. Everyone has a sob story. And, I’m not saying that because of all of these sob stories that they make yours any less tragic. I’m just trying to say that, you’re not alone. Somebody, somewhere, even if it’s not on Antillia, has experienced what you’ve experienced and has felt the same pain. How they react to it will be different than your reaction because they are not you. So, some will hide their pain with a smile, or have it out there with scowl.” He paused again, they were now outside the kitchen doors. He turned and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Listen, I understand that you’re set on your decision, but I beg you, please give us a chance. Get to know some of the people here. These things take time. Give me a time-frame and if you’re not satisfied with the results at the end, then you are most certainly free to go. But, I’m willing to bet that, if you open up to some of the people here, you’ll find that you are home. And I can direct you to a few people who thought the same as you, and ended up staying.” 

“Like Nico?” 

Syaoran smiled and nodded. “Yes, like Nico. And I’m glad he’s here. I know Kazune especially is glad he’s here. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to break up a game of Mythomagic to get their attention for something.” 

“Right. So, what’s your story?” 

Syaoran’s eyes widened before a sad smile appeared. “I, I don’t know if I should tell you that yet. You might, you might wonder how a monster like myself became the king of Antillia.” 

Keith’s eyes widened. “But, but you can’t be a monster! You’re such a better leader than I ever could!” 

Syaoran laughed, the sorrow melting away. “Oh yes, I thought that I wasn’t capable of leading these fine people, but, Matthew just likes to keep proving himself right. And, out of everyone, I think . . . I think he’s not ready to tell his story.” 

“Nope, just waiting for everyone to get here so I can just tell it all at once.” The two jumped as a red-haired teen joined them. “Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have to repeat yourself over and over again?” 

“Which is funny because you like to repeat yourself, over and over again,” quipped the older, brunette as he too joined them. 

“That all depends on what I’m talking about, Steven. My story? Boring!” 

“What? Your story’s boring? But you’ve been all over the place!” exclaimed Syaoran. 

Matthew grinned. “That I have. But, trying to blend into the local life isn’t as easy as it looks, trust me. So, are you two going to get in there and taste Makoto’s new dessert, or are you going to let Jack and Adrien eat all of it?” 

Syaoran chuckled. “Oh, alright. Let’s go. Their desserts can get surprising, but it’s always good.” 

Keith grinned. “Oh, I don’t know, Hunk’s kinda spoiled us.” 

“Guess we’ll just have to do a cooking contest, huh?” asked Syaoran with a wink as he opened the doors. Keith, Matthew, and Steven followed him in, and paused. 

“Um, where is everybody?” asked Keith as Matthew and Steven joined Syaoran. The three turned around and all shot him mischievous grins. 

“Uh, guys?” shouted Matthew. That’s when everyone jumped out from behind doors and under tables, shouting, “Surprise! Happy birthday, Keith!” Makoto and Hunk came out with a big birthday cake, decorated with red and purple lions and sprinkles on white icing. 

Keith glanced at Syaoran. “But, but you said . . .” 

“The island didn’t tell me.” 

“No, that was me,” stated Shiro as he approached Keith. “Happy birthday, little brother,” he said with a smile. The two hugged. 

“Th-thanks, Shiro. Did, did you plan all of this?” 

“Actually, you can thank our head resident genie for that. Matthew thought that, since you were feeling so down in the dumps, throwing a birthday party to show how much we all appreciate you was a good idea to bring up your spirits,” said Nico. 

“Hey, it worked for you, figured it would work for him too,” stated Matthew. 

“And Jack was his second-in-command,” quipped Kazune as he pointed at the grinning sprite. 

“We had some help from Coran, too,” stated Jack. 

“Thank you, everybody, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”