Tears stung at the edges of her eyes as she collapsed to the ground, taking his body into her arms. The black stars had stretched from the back of his neck up onto his right cheek, showing how fast the infection was spreading, how fast he was dying. His eyes locked with hers, the pain evident in them, his hand lifting shakily to cup her cheek, wiping away the tears that had escaped.
"Hey, don't cry, it doesn't suit you. I'm sorry I couldn't be here longer, but that's the life of an exorcist. I wouldn't have been able to live if it had been you. I… Love..." He said, his voice raspy, breaths labored. He smiled, sorrow filling his every feature, the stars now a large black mass slowly eating away at his body, turning him to dust.
"No! I need you." Kurea choked out, her tears rushing from her eyes, blurring her vision. She blinked them away, pulling his now cold body towards her chest, burying her face into his neck. "Don't go." She whispered, but knew it was to no avail, it fell on deaf ears. He was gone.
A hand landed on her shoulder, startling the neko. She had forgotten that there were others, that they had not been alone. Kurea turned to the General, grasping Xavier's body tight, unwilling to let go. She could see the sadness in his face as well, how his usual happy voice was deep and doleful when the old man spoke two small words, "I'm sorry."
Tiedoll looked down at the pair. He knelt, taking the decaying body from her as she begrudgingly let the boy she loved go, and brought him into the nearby cabin that they had been staying in, ashes falling from the limp body as he carried him. Soon there would be nothing but a pile of smoke and dust left, the only sign that the skilled archer had ever existed.
Taking this moment of solitude, Kurea wrapped her arms and tail around her legs, letting out heart wrenching sobs and screams that made her ears flatten, as she buried her face in her knees. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but after a while the dark clouds that had been hanging ominously over the field, opened up and cried with her. She was drenched and frigid before a warm, and rather heavy cloak was thrown over her head, making her take a deep breath and look up, wiping at her eyes.
"You're going to catch a cold like that, idiot." Kanda mumbled, although his insult lacked his usual bitterness. She looked at his face, noticing how his usually cold and stern expression was softer, replaced with one akin to remorse and empathy. It slightly dawned on her somewhere in the back of her mind that he too had lost someone he had been very close to, and would know how she feels.
She quickly stood up, aware of how dry and sore her throat was, which was the complete opposite to the rest of the neko, and nodded to him, wrapping the article of clothing closer to her as a gust of wind reminded her of how drenched she was. Kurea had taken a step closer to the cabin before Kanda's hand on her shoulder stopped her, making her turn back to him. She had almost made it full turn when his arms enveloped her into a warm, strong hug. Kurea stood, shocked at this contact with him, knowing how the samurai was never one for touchy-feely type moments.
He placed his forehead on her shoulder, leaning in to her ear. "If you tell anyone, I will deny everything." His cool voice said, as he started to pull away. Kurea, not wanting the hug to end too soon, grabbed at the edge of his coat, pulling him back in again, burying her face in his chest, allowing her to notice how sopping wet he was too.
"Thank you." She managed to squeak out, her lips cracked, even in the torrents of rain that had them both soaked to the bone. His arms came back around, resting on her waist and his chin on top of her head. They stood like that for a few more minutes before a series of shudders through her body, as well as two streaks of lightning, made Kanda break the hug again, forcing her inside with a slightly forceful push on her back in the direction of the cabin. She moved at a sluggish pace, her boots sinking slightly in the muddy field.
When they entered the cabin, Daisya turned to look at them momentarily, smirking slightly when he saw how wet Kanda was, but quickly frowned when he saw the sad, sick look on Kurea's face. Marie turned his head slightly towards the source of the noise, mumbling a quiet 'welcome back' before rushing off into Tiedoll's room in the rear of the cabin.
"Hey are you okay? You guys are soaked!" Daisya commented, attempting to make the mood lighter. Kurea gave a slight nod, her voice in no shape to respond, heading off to her room to rid herself of her drenched clothing. The two men watched her leave, Daisya turning back to Kanda once her door was closed. "So, why are you late?" He asked in a teasing, suggestive tone, wagging his eyebrows at the samurai. He knew what was going on, but wasn't going to waste a moment to tease his blue haired friend.
"I ran into akuma too, you idiot! I was still fighting one when it started to rain." He glared, his hand reaching over to unsheathe Mugen. He kept a blank face, but something was a little off in his tone, making Daisya suspicious.
"Whatever you say." He replied, dropping the subject, knowing that his friend may actually slice him in half if he were to press further. Laying back down on the couch, he picked up his game and resuming it from where he had paused it when the duo had entered. The bluenette stormed off, slamming his door shut, leaving the soccer player alone in the living room.