"Why?"
In elementary school, Even was often alone. He sat by himself at lunch and during recess, always reading a book. His classmates often picked on him. "Hey egghead," Braig said one day, snatching a book away from him. "Don't you do anything all day besides read?"
"Give that back!" Even demanded, trying to take it back.
"Wait a minute. This isn't a textbook..." Braig realized, looking at it. "It's a comedy."
Even took it back, his face red from embarrassment and anger. "Well it is recess! What did you think I read?!"
"I don't know. You're smarter than everyone else. I thought this was how. Boy do I feel dumber now."
Even continued to glare at him. "You should."
"Sorry. I just didn't think someone like you would be interested in the same things I am."
"You like comedy?"
"Are you kidding? What's not to like?"
When their classmates noticed that Even wasn't studying during breaks and was still scoring higher than them, they were more jealous of him than Braig was. When a group of them started throwing things at Even during lunch, Braig came to his defense. The two of them used their lunch trays as shields against the onslaught of balled-up paper and other projectiles. That day, they made a pact to study together and practice comedy acts in their spare time. When their classmates didn't like it, they had each other's backs as well.
However, Even's strict father idn't like the idea of his son being one half of a comedy duo; he wanted him to be more serious and get into medical school.
"Yo! Did your old man let you have it again?" Braig asked.
"Just drop it," Even said, not wanting to talk about it.
"But..."
"Don't you get it? It's over..."
"Why?!"
"You wouldn't understand. You're free to do whatever and go anywhere you want."
"So could you."
"I can't. I'm sorry, Braig."
"Fine! Be that way! See if I care!"
The two friends never saw each other again until they both started working for Ansem the Wise - Even as a scientist and Braig as a guard. To make up for Even's deficit in humor, Braig became even more of a joker. Some of what he did was to get Even to lighten up again, but instead it only deepened the rift between them.
When Braig was injured by Terra as part of Xehanort's plan, Even was the one who bandaged his wounds. "They'll never heal properly," Even told him. "You'll be scarred for life." Braig was in too much pain to answer right away. "What, no witty retort?"
"Just give me a minute..." Braig groaned.
Even sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Why in the heck?" The standard Osakan gag. Even glared at him but said nothing. "Come on," Braig urged. "Scolding isn't the same as taking a dig at me. You know you want to."
"Just give it a rest, will you? And get some yourself while you're at it."
As Even left the room, he met Ienzo out in the hallway where he'd been waiting. "Is Braig... Will he be all right?" Ienzo asked timidly. He hadn't really taking a liking to Braig but he didn't want anything that bad to happen to him.
"He'll be up and around again in no time," Even assured him. When they went back in to check on him, however, he was gone. "Okay, that was fast even for him," Even muttered.
"Where does he keep going?" Ienzo wondered aloud.
"I could ask you the same question," Even retorted. Ienzo knew better than to answer him, though.
When Braig returned with nothing gained from trying to tell Xehanort he quit, he found that his master and fellow apprentices weren't happy with him running off. "You've had everyone worried," Ansem scolded. "You need to stay in bed and give yourself time to heal."
"You're right. I'm sorry," Braig admitted dejectedly, still in pain. He let Even give him another shot of pain killer, but this time he'd upped the dosage.
"If you're going to be a flight risk, you've left me no other option than to incapacitate you so you can't leave," Even said.
"In plain English?" Braig asked. "I have trouble understanding some of the words you use when I'm not drugged out of my mind."
"Ienzo's going to take you to bed so you can sleep it off," Even said plainly, walking away before either of them could protest.
"Oh, is he?" Braig asked, amused. "This is a switch. Usually I'm the one taking him to bed."
"Come on," Ienzo said, tugging on his hand and walking him down the hall to his room.
"Are you going to read to me too?" Braig asked, getting into bed.
"When have you ever read to me?"
"All right, fair enough. You can get back at me for all the pranks I pulled on you while you were sleeping."
"I don't want to."
"Ah, you're no fun, kid. Don't be like Even."
Ienzo frowned. "I'd rather be like him than like you. Based on today, we both wandered off and got attacked."
"Yeah, but he let you wander off. It's kind of my job to go out on patrol...Huh...I guess we're all a little bit irresponsible."
"Just get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning." Ienzo turned to leave.
"Hey kid?"
"Hm?"
"You were really worried about me?"
Ienzo nodded.
Braig smiled a little. "Thanks, Ienzo."
***
After getting in some bed rest, Braig was allowed to get up and move about again. Even had come in and changed the bandages, and since the bleeding had stopped he gave him an eye patch to wear instead. "His lordship has advised that you not to leave the grounds until you've gotten used to your loss of depth perception."
"Okay," Braig sighed resignedly. "You forget who you're talking to. I can shoot targets with both eyes shut."
"You've only got the one good eye. Don't be in such a hurry to lose it too."
"I won't. I'm just saying."
"And don't come crying to me when you break your nose walking into a wall."
"As if."
Even shook his head and left, frustrated and annoyed with his reckless friend, who was being way too nonchalant about this whole ordeal.
Braig's aim wasn't terrible, but he was still getting used to having only his left eye to guide him. He had good intuition as well, but that wasn't always enough to keep him out of trouble. He finished working out and went into the kitchen to get something to drink. When he turned around, however, Xehanort was suddenly there. Startled, he asked, "How did you get in here?"
"I have my ways," Xehanort said dismissively. "It's time for you to join the fight in the Keyblade Graveyard. Use the dark pathway to get there."
"I told you I'm done with this, old man. Threaten me all you want."
"Don't test me. We've already had this conversation," Xehanort growled, summoning his Keyblade to his hand and pointing it at Braig again. Braig flinched but managed to put on a brave face. Xehanort seemed to read his mind. "Are you willing to die for them, Braig? You're only delaying the inevitable."
"Leave them out of this!"
"I will...so long as you promise to cooperate. If you don't, I'll take them out one at a time and save you for last."
"As if!"
"Do you actually believe that any one of them will stand a chance against me if you can't? I'm untouchable. I can attack them when they are at their most vulnerable...anytime, anywhere. Maybe I'll start with the little one. It would be a shame to waste so much potential, though. Perhaps I'll save him for last instead and take him under my wing. Before that you can explain to him why the others had to die and then shoot yourself in the head." Xehanort manipulated Braig's darkness, using it like the strings of a marionette to make Braig point one of his own guns at himself.
With increasing discomfort, Braig imagined what it would look like if Xehanort killed Ansem and the others or stole their hearts with his Keyblade; the thought of their prone and possibly blood-stained bodies haunted his mind and tortured him into giving in. "Okay, fine! I'll fight your battle," he conceded. "Just don't hurt them...Please...Just don't...They're my family..."
Satisfied, Xehanort let him go and put away his Keyblade. "Very good. And not a word of this to them when we're done."
***
Once Braig had done his part, he lit out of there as fast as he could toward home using the dark pathway. It was already past sunset when he arrived. "Where have you been? You missed dinner," Aeleus asked, concerned.
"Out walking, getting used to the way the world looks through one eye," Braig answered. "I'm pretty exhausted so I'm just going to go to bed now. Goodnight!"
"There's something very wrong with him," Dilan commented.
Braig stayed in his room the rest of the night and spoke to no one. He'd helped an evil man do a terrible thing, and for what? He hadn't seen the actual outcome, so maybe those other Keyblade wielders had managed to defeat him. The next morning, however, he found an unconscious Xehanort in Terra's body along with Aqua's armor outside in the courtyard. "Aw damn it," he cursed to himself before running back inside to get help from Ansem and Dilan.
***(But in the end Xehanort did take their hearts, and though he was against it, once again there was nothing Braig could do to stop him.)
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