Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, but I do own the story.

"What is it you wanted to see me about?" she asked, so blissfully innocent. So ignorant of what I planned to do. I had told her to meet me here before sunset, by the ocean. It was one of your favourite places, after all. We had met here many times before, whenever we could find time to escape our hectic lives for some time to ourselves. Our favourite times were when the ocean was too turbulent for anyone else to be there and we could sit, undisturbed, silent for hours listening to the waves crash around us. That day was one of those days. A violent storm was clearing out, and the clouds and ocean would soon be submerged in red as the sun set. I knew that even after she had passed on, the colour would forever remind me of her.

I wanted to savour her one last time. Take in everything about her and keep it inside my heart. Her silky red hair, her delicate features, her lithe form... But most of all those emerald eyes that held everything about you in them. She really was perfection. There was no wonder why I fell for her. Those emerald eyes gazed into my own, rooting me to the spot for a moment. They were filled loving trust. I must always remember I did the right thing. We could never be happy together forever. The world wouldn't let us.

Her boss, William, found out about us, our confusing relationship. He encountered me privately. He told me he would have us both executed for treason. I had no choice but to silence him to save myself and my lady. To this day, no one but I know what happened to him. The encounter did serve a purpose, however. I realised that I had been shirking my duties, letting my whole life revolve around her and when I could see her next. I realised... It had to end. I couldn't go on like this. She confused me. She made me question everything I had known before- question my very being and I wasn't strong enough to bear with that. I knew she wouldn't listen to reason. She was smart, some could even mistake her for diabolical or malevolent, but they were mistaken. I knew her true self- innocent, and perhaps a bit naive. She knew how to get what she wanted and got there, never realising any consequences. She wasn't cruel, just ignorant. And I would have to take advantage of her ignorance because she wanted me and nothing I could do would convince her otherwise, of this much I was sure. I came up with the only possible solution to our dilemma.

We talked for some time, sitting next to each other hand in hand waiting for the sun to set. When it finally began, we stood up and embraced. She kissed me softly, softly on my neck.

"I love you," I told her. I think I meant it, but she confused me like no other being ever has.

"I love you, too Sebastian," she sighed into my neck. I leaned down to her height and whispered in her ear once again, "I love you..."

She pressed her lips into mine and I let myself enjoy the moment. Let it last for as long as I could bear without losing myself again, stroking her silky hair with all the gentleness I could muster.

"But..." I said against her lips. I didn't give her any time to think or retaliate. One of my hands left her back and reached my belt, where I had concealed the weapon I stole from William's body. It was over in a moment. I felt her body jerk as the scythe found it's mark and I tasted her blood in my mouth. The deed was done.

She broke the kiss, so confused she didn't yet register any pain. That image is forever burned into my eyes. Her shock, the look of betrayal on her face contorting into agony as she stood illuminated by the reflections of light in the water, impaled through her heart with William's scythe.

"Se-Sebastian? Wh-why?" she asked in a pleading tone, although she and I both knew she couldn't be saved.

I didn't want her to suffer long, but felt obligated to answer her questions before pulling the scythe back out and ending her misery.

"It's better this way," I cooed, trying to calm her in her last moments, "You confuse me too much. As long as both of us are here, we will be consumed with nothing but each other. It's all we want. The only way to end this madness is for one of us to die. Don't you see?"

The hurt in her eyes told me that she didn't. I was hit by a sudden rush of doubt. Was this really the right thing? I couldn't stand that gaze anymore. I yanked the scythe from her body and let her fall into my arms, her cinematic record rolling in front of me. She tried to tell me something, but I'll never know what it was she tried to say. It came out muffled by the blood clogging her throat. I held her as she let tears escape her eyes. I stroked her soothingly, easing her into death. Finally, those emerald eyes saw no more and I laid her down in the sand, admiring her for the last time and then letting her go. I left, but I never stopped looking back.

In the end, my plan never worked. Even after all these years, I still haven't been able to get away. Every year without fail, on the date of her death I have gone to the beach where she spent her last moments, sitting there alone and watching the sunset. Sometimes, I can imagine she is still right there beside me. I look over to smile at her, reach out my hand to caress her soft cheek only to smile at nothing but emptiness, touch nothing but the air where she should be. I fool myself into thinking she is still there, and I hand her the bouquet of red roses. Her favourite. I imagine she smiles and takes them, but she never speaks and the roses hit the ground. I cling to these moments of hallucination, the only happy thing left in the life of this damned soul. She haunts my every thought and dream, made worse by the fact that I can no longer give in to my desire to be with her. Every time I close my eyes, I see her again. Beautiful even in death, soaking the sand red to match the colour of the sunset sky~