it's more than just a fairytale {cameo}

A single bead of sweat rolled from his brow. Long locks plastered against the side of his face, yet Ikaia never once took his gaze off the door. Kirito was gone to the Capitol mentoring tributes for the hunger games, but the house wasn't empty. Ma lived inside, and right now he needed her to look after the twins while he went off on a short mission.

Shifting his weight back and forth, he leaned on his good leg using the door as support.

Seconds turned into minutes, and he wondered if anyone was home. Perhaps he misjudged the time, or maybe Ma was just out at the square shopping or something. He shrugged, eyes darting back and forth wondering what was happening. It didn't matter because this wasn't his home, and he could easily take the twins with him to the cemetery. The only reason he didn't want to was because he truthfully thought they weren't ready.

A heavy sigh left his chest, and he turned away, but the door flew open.

Normally, Ikaia expected Ma or Kirito to stand on the other side, but the person he saw was neither of them. He stumbled backwards, eyes wide as he wondered if he knocked on the wrong door. Navya and Harbinger lived in the same village, and they had a daughter, but Ikaia was almost positive she wasn't as old as the young child standing before him.

But her words echoed through his ears.

This was in fact Kirito's house, but who was this little girl standing before him?

"No, Kirito is away right now." His words were kind of slow and laced with confusion. "I'm just his twin brother." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders before taking a step back. Lifting a hand, he scratched his head still trying to figure out what was happening.

He had been through a lot trying to mend a broken relationship, and this was just another step in the wrong direction.

"And these," He paused motioning for the twins to come forward, "are Junior and Ekain." The corners of his lips twisted into a genuine smile, "I was looking for Ma." He took a breath, eyes dropped to the ground.

"Have you seen her?"

Junior and Ekain stood behind him eagerly awaiting the chance to run inside. It was hard living a life like this, trying to make ends meet while living on his own. His twin had accomplished so much, and yet Ikaia hadn't done much of anything other than let himself go, but with the help of his brother, he made his life again. He cleaned himself up, he fixed the little shack of a house making it more livable. He still went out to the fields and worked as much as he could. It was all he knew.

But as he looked at the young girl standing in front of him, Ikaia wondered why his twin would keep such a secret from him.

I'm just a Kirito lookalike.

A heavy sigh left his chest as the young girl rushes back inside leaving the door wide open. The twins rushed inside, but Ikaia just stood in the kitchen waiting for Ma. Perhaps he would find out what all was going on, and maybe learn about what he had missed.

An entire lifetime flew by, and now he never felt more alone. But for his family, Ikaia put a smile on his face, and he tried to make sure his life was worth it. The twins needed their happiness, and if that meant spending more time at Kirito's house, that was exactly what he would do.

Ma came to the door, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her embracing her in a hug. A few years ago she was so close to death, but Kirito brought her back. He made a difference in the lives of those he cared for, and Ikaia was thankful Ma was still alive. Losing Pa had been hard, and Ikaia couldn't fathom the idea of losing his beloved mother.

"Ma, I was gonna see if the twins could stay here while I went to the cemetery." He stated before pulling away from the hug. "But now I was wondering if I made the right decision." His voice dropped extremely low trying to prevent the young girl from hearing it.

"Ikaia, ya can take them with ya if ya want to. Perhaps take her too. She is your niece ya know?"

His heart fluttered, leaping into the back of his throat. So much had changed, and now he wondered if trying to fix mistakes was worth it. Maybe it was best for him to live alone with just the two boys with him. Maybe he shouldn't even try.

But he loved his brother despite all that had happened, and he wanted to make a difference.

"I'll have dinner ready when y'all get back."

Ikaia called for the twins to follow, and then he knelt down in front of the young girl trying to get below eyelevel;

"I'm Ikaia, Kirito's twin brother." He paused, "Would you like to go on a walk? I have stories to share."

A genuine grin twisted across his face.

Maybe everything was worth it after all.

His words lingered in the air as he watches the small girl. Knowing her name was important because it made the relationship more personal, but right now Ikaia wasn't even sure she understood that. Yeah, it was a given as she's only a child, but didn't every child know their own name? It was beyond his wildest imagination, yet he pushed the thoughts aside long enough to try to make eye contact. Sometimes it helped, but with his fake leg and unsteady gait, he nearly toppled over many times.

Soon she had a name.

Anastasia.

A genuine smile twisted across his dirty face slowly spreading from ear to ear before his gaze shifted to Ma's. She helped him through so much, and perhaps this was another step needed to mend a broken relationship.

Leaning against the kitchen table, he forced himself into a standing position. Bones popped in protest, but it didn't stop him from doing what he wanted. Eyes darted around as tiny feet ran towards him. The twins always sought his permission to do anything, but today they weren't staying here with Ma. The four of them would walk through the district and Ikaia would share stories of a man he grew to appreciate more than he ever realized.

"Alright, Anastaisa, Junior, Ekain," He paused looking around at every single one of them motioning for them to follow, "Let's go for a walk." His voice was calm as he waved goodbye to Ma letting her silently know he'd take good care of the young child he just met. He'd been doing it for years since the twins came home with him - they saved his life just as much as he saved theirs.

Once they all were out the door he closed it behind them.

"Don't go running off." He stated mainly towards the boys, but he wanted his niece to know that was the only rule he had.

"Alright, for the first story, I'm going to tell you all about something that's more than just a fairy tale. This one is a true story." Downcast eyes locked on the ground because the story he had planned didn't have a happy ending like the ones he read before. But it was one they needed to hear.

"Eighteen years ago, a boy was born into the world here in district eleven, but he wasn't like the other kids born. See, he had a twisted leg and a clubbed foot. Healers said they should leave him to die because he wouldn't amount to anything, and he would have life long problems from the deformity. They said he wouldn't ever have a job because he couldn't work, and he would only be a burden to his family." He paused and scratched his head. Eyes darted from one child to the other wondering what flew through their childish minds, but it didn't stop him from continuing. "But his parents were against everything the healers suggested. They wanted to give him a chance at life. They wanted him to grow up and live life like he had nothing wrong with him. For a while he struggled, yet he kept growing stronger."

Tears pooled in the corner of his eyes, but he blinked them away before anyone had the chance to see because it should've been him. Iain should've been bringing the twins and Anastasia to his grave not the other way around.

"His name - Iain Miristioma."

The twins looked at him wide-eyed especially Junior. Perhaps his world was making sense since he was named after the one Ikaia talked about. He stopped dead in his tracks making sure they were still following, but he wanted them to have a chance to ask any questions if they ever desired.

Junior and Ekain glared at him. Eyes wide wondering more of what Ikaia was speaking about. A story was told, and the name was only the beginning. Yet this story didn't hold the happy ending most deserved. Iain died, but sharing his story to the world was important because he didn't want anyone to forget the brave man he became when his life was on the line. But neither of them asked a question. Instead, the question fell from the lips of Anastasia wondering where he was now and if he was better.

Perhaps in a second life Iain was doing well, but Ikaia wouldn't know until his time was up. Entering the second life was impossible unless the bridge was crossed, and the structure broken leaving no hope for return.

Ikaia sighed.

Dark eyes turned to the sign hanging across the cemetery. For years tributes had been burried there, and right now Ikaia was entering into sacred grounds with three young children following him.

Squatting down, he motioned for the three to come closer, and that was when he pointed to the sign.

"He's in there."

Liquid pooled in the corner of his eyes threatening to fall down the side of his face at any given second. So much time had gone by, and Ikaia still blamed himself for the death of his young cousin. Many times he lied in bed bawling his eyes out because it should've been him. Iain should be the one walking around telling the story, but the past is behind him and nothing will ever change it.

Ikaia stood and motioned for the three to follow as he entered into the sacred grounds.

"Just two years after Kirito won the games, Iain was reaped. He journeyed through the arena. He made friends. He proved that he was stronger than anyone could ever imagine. Iain made friends. He found someone that pushed him along. He did everything that he could to keep himself alive." He paused taking a deep breath unsure of what to say, "He fought bravely. He proved that just because he was crippled that anything was possible."

Sorrowful eyes locked on the tombstone the name was etched into and carefully knelt down in front of it.

"Not every story has a happy ending. Iain died in the hunger games. He made it so far, but it wasn't enough. You see, every story from fairytales have happy endings, but this one is more than just a fairytale. This story is about a young man I'm trying to prevent the world from forgetting."

Sometimes he talked too much, but that never held him back. Ikaia set out on a mission, and it was one the world needed to know about. Yet Anastasia and the twins may have been too young to understand where he was going. The twins saved his life, they gave him hope he didn't deserve, and so much had changed.

Ikaia yearned for the days huddled together under the tiny shack he once called home. He missed the days when his world was ruined - it gave him the life he strived for. But now all he had was the little hope of living a while longer.Sometimes he wondered what life would've been like had Kirito never been reaped for the games.

Living nightmares turned into wild dreams, and Iain faced the ultimate price.

Maybe one day the tiny children would understand.

He took a deep breath, eyes locked on the three standing beside him. Ikaia wasn't sure if the twins could read - he tried to teach them, he wanted them to know how, and yet he was so stuck in his own life, his own troubles, their education was placed on hold.

But now they were in school learning like everyone else.

A huge grin spread from ear to ear the moment Anastasia said she wouldn't forget about him because she didn't forget anyone. It meant the world, and Ikaia couldn't think of a way to tell her just how grateful he was. She deserved more than what he was giving her. The three didn't deserve to hear the stories of someone who died.

"How about we head back and perhaps I share a happier story?" The words slid from his tongue, and the twins started jumping for joy. Happier was something they deserved. Happy endings meant the world, but not everyone received that happy ending.

He turned towards Anastasia still unsure of what to say. Coming off too strong was something Ikaia wanted to avoid, but now he felt like he had already done something wrong.

"What kind of stories do you like?" He asked her trying to get her more involved. He knew the stories he shared with the twins - maybe she would want to hear them too. Ekain tapped his shoulder and whispered almost inaudibly in his ear. "What about the bean?"

It took him a minute to understand what was being said. Jack and the beanstalk was one he had heard many times, and now he had the chance to spread the story with many people.

"Or the sleep princess." Ekain stated even louder. For a moment Ikaia turned towards him before shifting his gaze to Junior then Anastasia.

Princess stories wasn't something he enjoyed, but if it made the three happy, Ikaia would happy oblige.

For a moment, his eyes darted between the two boys back to Anastasia wondering what story they would like to hear next. The twins loved listening to fictional fairytales, but the young girl enjoyed listening to real stories. Stories that were true. Ikaia didn't know many of them because his life had been a lie;

He had to come up with something.

"Okay, no princess stories."

A gentle hand patted Ekain on the shoulder knowing he wouldn't hear one of those stories today, but what else could he share? Could he share of the way Ikaia worked in the fields to help raise the family? Was it appropriate to tell how the twin brothers ended up falling apart because Kirito was reaped for the hunger games? He didn't know because nothing was there. Maybe he could share the story of how Kirito saved Ma while Ikaia sat back and did nothing.

A heavy sigh left his chest as he tried coming up with an idea. All of his life was nothing more than a fairytale, and now when he wanted the truth, it all walked away.

He tried to force a smile on his face, but it was hard since Ikaia was still at a loss of words. Sometimes he yearned for his old life back, and maybe his life story was one he could share. It didn't have the exact happy ending because it was still being written; however, it was the closet thing he could find.

"Okay, I got one."

He sat on the ground in front of the grave motioning for the others to follow. Maybe it would make Iain happy knowing Ikaia was trying. Perhaps this was what he was created for. Ikaia believed every person came into the world for a reason, but at this current moment, he wasn't so sure.

"Once upon a time, there was a set of twin brothers brought into the world. While they didn't have a lot of money, their parents worked hard to make sure they had exactly what they needed to survive. They worked together, and everything in their life was perfect." He paused long enough to take a breath; "At least, for them it was. Living in a poverty stricken district was hard, but somehow they managed to get by. One day, the twins were out and about working when people gathered around a single man lying on the ground. The twins dropped everything they were doing as they ran towards the man. One of the boys stared at his bright red face while others talked about him suffering a heat stroke. The workers did everything they could, but it wasn't enough. The twins ended up losing their father that day."

He took another breath unsure of where he was going, and it definitely wasn't the happiest story in the world. But it was his story. The story of his life.

"After they lost their father, one started working as many hours as possible in the fields while the other twin stayed at home with their mother. She fell ill, and they had to take care of her because they wanted to stay as a family. For a while, everything was going well, but then one of the twins was reaped for the hunger games. He headed straight towards the Capitol leaving the other twin behind with no guarantees of returning home. The twin left behind did everything he could to take care of his mother while making sure his twin brother was alive. He saw his twin go through things he never imagined possible. He watched the pain, yet he never understood it. But at the end of the games, his twin brother somehow returned home alive."

A single tear slid down the side of his face. It was such a happy day when Kirito returned home alive, but it all changed. Ikaia became someone different because everyone was all about Kirito. He became forgotten while his twin somehow remained stuck in the spotlight.

"The twin who came home used some of his money to save his mother from dying, but the other twin somehow fell to the side. They fought. They bickered. They didn't talk much. Even after they lost another family member in the games. They spent hours trying to mend a broken relationship, but they both were on totally different ends of the spectrum. But to this day, they're still working together trying to fix the unbreakable."

Junior curled up in his lap slowly drifting off to sleep, and Ekain just glared at him. Ikaia shifted his gaze towards Anastasia wondering if she realized who this story was about.

"They're still working on fixing it, but I believe one day everything will be okay."