Falling out was never harder

Falling off was for a martyr

Falling in left out all the rest

Falling on this broken mess

I'm just chasing cars now

Asking for more life, no way, no how

Blindly following my way out

Not knowing what this is about

But you're on my mind

Yet so far behind

This one's for you

And the sun as well, too

You were my reason to live

Positive when I was negative

Talked me away from the gun

Kept me company while on the run

So my dear friend

Sadly, it's close to the end

I've got to take this cue

To let you know I love you.

Never knew I could write poetry, did you, Hal? Guess this is our last goodbye. Take care of Sunny, and take care of yourself. I mean what I write.

Your brother,

David

Hal Emmerich folded the paper up once again, placing it on the nightstand next to his bed along with his glasses that he had thrown down. They now had a crack in one lens, going from one side to the other. His hunched-over figure trembled slightly, curled up with his knees under his chin. He's gone… how could he be gone…? he's gone… why is he gone… I can't go on… His thoughts, while repetitive, were keeping him somewhat sane. Just barely, though, as the destruction of their room clearly detailed. The breaking point had been when the hearse came. To Hal, the hearse was a symbol of what Solid Snake would never face, yet only hours ago, his lifeless body had been driven away in the same thing.

Hal stood and looked in the mirror, snarling in disgust while running his hands through his hair. Sunny had knocked once and he had yelled at her to go away, pounding his fist into the wall with anger. Hal had almost-no, he had been blaming her yet holding her up on a pedestal. She's a genius, shouldn't she have figured out a way to stop the aging? If she could stop the Patriots, why couldn't she stop a simple genetic twist? He fell back to the bed, hands balled up, pulling his hair roughly at the roots with enough force to cause Hal to hiss in pain.

It had only been five months after Liquid's Insurrection and yet it had still been too soon. Hal had only been able to cherish but a few precious moments with David, and even those were still not enough to fill the hole in Hal's heart. It was like a vacuum, one that would not stop until Hal was nothing but a lifeless husk of a human he barely had been. It was as if he had Death's curse placed upon him; as if he was only able to look, not touch. Atoning for what he had done… maybe this was the price for all the wrong he had done. Was there even a price that amounted to enough?

Dad's suicide…Emma almost dying then while I was in starting to screw up my whole entire life… Then working on Metal Gear REX when I didn't even know what the hell it was being used for… I almost got innocent people killed… Emma dying because I couldn't protect her… I couldn't even help David in the end…

A small creaking sound pulled Hal from his brooding, letting loose of his hair and finding loose strands in between his fingers. Sunny's tiny gasp was all that Hal needed to wince. He could hear her turning to go when he said softly, "Wait, Sunny…"

The brushing of her sweater against the wall stopped and the door cracked open again. She poked her precious face inside, her eyes framed with stains from the crying. His breath caught in his throat as the guilt kicked in. She was dealing with David's death as much as he was, if not harder. Hal's mouth opened to say something and she squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating a shout. The sight of it made him fall apart inside, the sorrow in his heart gnawing away more at the hole. "No…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…don't go like that…please, Sunny…" He slowly slid to the ground, covering his eyes to block out the light. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you…I didn't mean to hurt you…" Tears slid down and he took in a shuddering breath, moving his hands to cover his temples, eyes closed. "I never wanted to hurt anyone… I'm so sorry, Sunny…"

His hands were pulled away from his head by another pair of hands. He opened his eyes to see her withered face close to his. "Don't b-blame yourself, Uncle Hal. It's not your fault. He's h-happy now. It's the happiness he's been looking for." Her eyes watered up and she shook her head. "And he's not s-suffering anymore. All we have to do…" She drew in a shaky breath and put her hand on Hal's chest. "…Is live one day at a time. L-like he taught us."

Hal gave her a weak smile and chuckled. "Yeah." He covered her hand with his. "Live one day at a time."

Sunny nodded with a bit of her old cheer and helped Hal up, sitting him on the bed. The long-forgotten glasses were picked up and slid up the bridge of his nose. He straightened them and stood up. "We have to start telling people," He said softly.

She looked down at her feet and nodded. "O-okay…" Sunny wiped her hand across her face. It coaxed a sigh out of the doctor and he sat back down on the bed. She's only a child…so why is she being put through this? He stared at her, trying to get answers that he'd probably never figured out. Fate was a cruel mistress and only crueler to those who seemed to upset the balance of life. With Fate, it was like a sword that aimed not to kill you, but to weaken you to the point of being on your knees, head down to the ground and hands curled in fists. It just wasn't fair to anyone in this situation, especially to a little orphan who was still trying to find her way through the world.

Hal put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them. "We're going to do this together, okay? I promise: no more self-pity parties from me." Sunny looked up at him and her eyes watered, lower lip trembling. He opened his mouth to say something, to plead with her not to cry, but he was stopped when she ran into his arms, her cries of sorrow coating his heart with null numbness. He held her close, held onto her for all he was worth, joining in with her cries until both their hearts were empty of misery.