Aiko wasn't surprised when she coughed up the first few flower petals. No, she was relieved, if anything. It was about time. She had been waiting for so long for this to start.

The village called it "The Heartbreaker Illness". It was reserved only for the very worst, in a Smurf's eyes- the ones who fell out of love with their mates, as Aiko had with Gutsy.

Could they really blame her though? After all he had put her through? She scoffed as she thought of it- returning to Rosanna, his first wife, and even bringing her home on occasions Aiko was away with their children- their children- to fuck the fairy in the bed she shared with her mate, how he had announced these indiscretions to the village freely to her shame the second Alchemist, Vanity, and Poet had caught him in a lie, how he had so foolishly allowed Claymore to fight to defend him after Alchemist's son made a jab at him, which he deserved in her opinion, and gotten their son killed.

She held Claymore in her arms as he faded away reciting piano melodies to her. She had screamed for her son, begged him to wake up, cried and refused to allow anyone to take him from her until he had long ago turned cold as ice.

Now she stood before his grave, looking at a handful of bloodied flower petals sitting on her palm.

She smirked ruefully. She'd thought- perhaps foolishly- that her death would come when she eventually pushed Alchemist too far. No, it seemed fate had something much worse than a duel planned for her. That was fine. Preferable, even. At least she'd have some time to sort things.

~(*)~

Should she even bother to announce what was coming? She didn't really see the point. Half the village hated her; it wasn't as if anyone would be sympathetic, and this would kill her slowly enough that those who would like to watch her slow demise would have plenty of time for that. In fact, she was sure as soon as she coughed up a few more petals, she'd likely be in public. She would love to see the looks on their faces- the looks that confirmed that they had all been hoping she'd up and die already.

When she got home, Gutsy was talking in a hushed tone to his brothers, Hunter and Narcissist. Hunter was glaring at the middle sibling, Narcissist seemed to be mostly ignoring him.

"I'm home." There was no emotion in her voice. It wasn't even the usual flat, cold sound she reserved for Gutsy. No, she liked Hunter and Narcissist. She didn't want to come off as hostile to one of them.

"Aiko!" Hunter grinned warmly at her. "How are you, love?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

"What flowers did you take to Claymore's grave?" Narcissist asked, putting his mirror down and walking over.

"Lilies." She paused. "And a marigold."

It would explain the golden petals if he went to the grave.

"Are the lilies white?" Narcissist asked. She nodded. "Excellent! I'll see if Florist will let me in the shop then, I know just what would go along with them beautifully! You don't mind if I maybe do some rearranging, do you?"

"Not at all." Aiko smiled tiredly. "It would do that place good to have someone with a knack for decorating do something with it for a change."

Narcissist smacked her arm lightly. "Don't be silly. You're not as hopeless as your useless husband."

Gutsy looked up as he was mentioned. "Um, Ai, maybe next time you go to Claymore's grave, I could-"

"No," Aiko said flatly. "And don't call me Ai."

Hunter patted her arm reassuringly. "Ignore him, dear sister. He's not worth your concern."

"Not at all," Narcissist agreed, turning up his nose haughtily at his brother. "Come on, Ai, let's go chat in your room."

Gutsy winced at the emphasis. He had been banished to the spare bedroom after he had announced his affair with Rosanna. His new room still smelled a bit like burned paper- after Aiko had discovered his infidelity, she'd burned every letter he'd ever written and scoffed that he could sleep alone from then on. He'd thought things might be getting better, but then…. Then Claymore had been shot in his duel. The duel Gutsy had agreed to.

~(*)~

The reveal went how she'd thought it would. Well, not exactly. Vanity caught her choking up marigold petals, but rather than cheering in victory that his constant opponent would soon be dead, he'd been furious.

"You?" he'd demanded, staring her down as if searching for some way the petals could be lies; illusions of the mind. "You're the one with The Heartbreaker's Disease? Why the fuck isn't Gutsy coughing up goddamn marigolds?"

"He must still be in love with me." She laughed bitterly. "It only started last week. I was getting worried it was never going to turn up."

"He should be the one getting ready to sleep six feet under," Vanity muttered. "After all that disgusting shit he's done to you. The worst you've done to me is talked too much for your own damn good."

Aiko laughed. "Are you saying you don't hate me, Vanity?"

The Smurf sighed, pushing a few blond locks behind an ear. "Aiko, if anything you're one of my favorite people in those godforsaken Cabinet Meetings. At least you have the decency to attempt being intelligent."

She punched him and he winced theatrically. Seemed the weakness was setting in earlier than she had been expecting.

"How's Daisy?"

Vanity's face contorted into a dark scowl then. "Still crying herself to sleep every night."

Aiko nodded solemnly. "I hope one day it will be easier for her to cope with him not being here."

Vanity shook his head again, his blond curls bouncing a bit with the motion. "If it wasn't for Gutsy, your son would still be alive, and my daughter would still have her mate." His lips pulled together in a snarl. "And somehow the universe thinks you deserve to choke to death on flower petals. Disgusting."

~(*)~

Word carried, of course. It always did. It was unavoidable in Smurf Village. Most Smurfs were delighted.

"About time we were rid of that witch."

"She deserves it. No sense of her place."

"Ding dong, the bitch is dead."

"Whore, you mean."

"Ignore them," Narcissist advised, turning his nose up haughtily. "They should be grateful for everything you've done. If they want to act like children it's their problem."

Aiko didn't say that she was the only one ignoring the whispers. They were of no interest to her, and she had more important things to worry about, like her surviving children. If she was going to die soon, they needed to be taken care of.

It amused her, though, to see Gutsy's discomfort as the mutterings were whispered in hushed tones as they walked through the village together. She was enjoying it a bit, if she was being honest. She thought back to the days when she had been so… so helpless when it came to Gutsy. So helplessly in love. She recalled Mangaka watching her on her wedding day with sadly envious eyes, even though he knew, unlike her, that Gutsy would never be satisfied with her or their marriage.

She smirked then, remembering as Gutsy's old war companion Painter and his husband returned to the village shortly after he had confessed to his infidelity, and how pleased Gutsy had been to see her twin brother until he had snarled that he wanted nothing to do with her mate.

She wondered, looking back, how she'd never seen this. She knew Mangaka would never betray her, but she should have known from watching Gutsy flirt with him even as they courted that he would never remain faithful. Maybe she'd wanted her marriage to end in her painful death. She did seem to be a magnet for the very worst life had to offer.

~(*)~

The backs of her hands were covered in marigolds that could not be plucked away, and each cough sent whole, blood-soaked marigolds fluttering into her pale blue hands.

Becca sat beside her on the bed, gently stroking marigold petals on Aiko's cheeks. "Momma's really pretty. Momma looks good in gold."

Aiko smiled. She tried to ignore the marigolds in her peripheral vision and concentrated on her two babies sitting beside her instead. "Oh, sweet little Becca. What would Momma do without her little lily?"

The Smurfette shrugged sadly as Aiko rocked her.

"I don't want Momma to leave," Fenris, her youngest, piped up. His black, triangular nose twitched in irritation and he flattened his wolfy ears against his head. The white protection beads around his neck were hidden behind his long mane of silver hair. Oh, how she was going to miss her sweet little boy.

"Momma doesn't want to leave you either, my darling," she assured him in a hushed voice, trying to hide the grief in her voice. They didn't need to see her cry. "Momma wouldn't ever go away if she didn't have to."

"Will Momma see Claymore?" Becca asked, turning her head so her ocean eyes were staring into her mother's ice ones.

Aiko smiled dully. "Momma hopes so, my darling one. Momma hopes so."

~(*)~

When the marigolds finally choked the life out of her and had left her body covered in flowers that could not be removed, Mangaka, Hunter, and Narcissist were there to comfort her. Even Vanity showed up, teasing her that he'd follow after her soon to make sure she wasn't destroying the Afterlife with her ridiculous ideas and talking the ears off anyone who she managed to corner into a conversation.

Mangaka lay alongside her on the bed, holding one marigold-covered hand, and wiping away the tears that appeared underneath the marigolds that covered her eyes. The pain was getting unbearable.

Narcissist sat on her other side, gently braiding her short hair and telling her what to say to her son when she saw him again. And his mother, if she got the chance. Narcissist had so many things he wanted to say to Traditional that he'd never told her before her death. He kept it short for Aiko though- I love you, I'm sorry.

Hunter was giving her an encouraging smile, though she couldn't see it. "You did amazing, old girl," he murmured, his voice thick with tears. "You managed to last a whole month longer than anyone else on record with this. You did beautifully."

Aiko grumbled a bit at the 'old girl' comment, then sighed.

Narcissist wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Mangaka squeezed her hand more tightly.

"If you're ready to go, Aiko," Vanity murmured, walking over and placing a hand over her free one, "don't force yourself to stay."

"He's right, dear sister," Hunter murmured softly. "Everything is going to be okay. Go see your son."

Aiko gave Mangaka's hand a faint squeeze, the best she could do when she was so weak.

He squeezed her hand tightly in return. "I… I love you, Ai. I'm gonna miss you, but… but I can't stand to see you in pain anymore. Please go."

Aiko gave another faint sigh, and they listened as her feeble breathing and weak heartbeat slowly faded away.

Mangaka began to cry.

~(*)~

Gutsy stood in front of his wife's grave, staring at the headstone.

Aiko Alexis (Stone) Smurfette

Loving Mother, Fierce Speaker

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

Hunter placed a bouquet of mixed lilies and marigolds at the foot of it. "Thought you might enjoy these, old girl." There was a teasing note in his voice. "I know you'd love to see the thing that killed you being used to mourn you."

A gentle breeze blew. Narcissist smiled as a small white butterfly hovered over Claymore's headstone.

"This is a beautiful spot. She picked well."

Hunter nodded to the youngest sibling before turning to look at Gutsy, then glowering at the Smurf's shocked expression. "What?"

Gutsy looked up, surprise still evident on his face. "I… I never expected this to kill her…." he murmured.

"Why?" Narcissist scoffed. "You thought she'd forgive you for everything you'd done?"

"No." Gutsy turned to look at the grave then, shaking his head as he reread the words carved into the cold, silvery-gray stone. "No, it's not that."

"Then what?" Hunter demanded testily.

Gutsy looked back up at his brothers.

"I never loved her."