Hope was always full of life, happy and healthy, forever smiling around him, because he had a purpose in life. He never took a day off, even now;

As he lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to a thousand machines, breaths shallow and short, skin covered in black spots, arms covered in bandages. He was whistling, doing his paperwork happily. So many things crossed his mind as he sat in the corner of the room, a great distance away from him. Doctor's orders…He couldn't care less that he would catch the disease, but they would not allow any contact whatsoever. He was the future boy, savior of the world, and he wasn't even allowed to hold him close as he slowly withered away.

"Noel…Please just leave and get yourself cleaned up. You've not left my side for two weeks now…You need to eat and rest…" He turned his head over to the other, his eyes full of worry. He wouldn't leave, no matter how much he begged. The other had to go, for the goddess' sake…He didn't have to watch him fade away slowly. He was being cruel to himself as usual. The other just shook his head, and got up from his position on the small couch, taking large strides towards the other.

"I promised I'd never leave you, remember? That's why I wanna marry you, once this is all over and you're better-"

"You know that's a lie Noel. You know that they said directly to you that I'm dying, just face facts, and leave." He spoke sternly towards the hunter, wanting to get in that thick skull of his. He just couldn't take a hint anymore, so he had to be blunt, for his sake.

"You never know, a miracle can happen…" He smiled softly, running his fingers through the dull gray locks of his hair. "…Lady luck can still be on our side. You never know."

"Miracles are nothing more than fairy tales Noel…Please, just go and never come back. Forget me, and find someone else, okay?" He winced between breathes, the pain coming back full force again. He needed more morphine and a godforsaken bullet. He was tired of living. He was tired of Noel sitting there, smiling, praying and rather sure he was going to make it. For once in his life, why couldn't someone that loved him dearly leave him? The other promised if he died before him he would take his own life so he didn't have to be alone. Noel was nineteen and more than willing to take his life for him. He couldn't have it. He couldn't bear the fact of the matter that he would be responsible for him being gone from this world. Not gonna happen on his watch.

"Why do you want me to go though Hope. You always wanted me to never leave you…Why the sudden change?" He crossed his arms, frowning.

"Because it's not fair that you have to watch me die. Why make yourself suffer more than you need to?" He looked up, already feeling teary. He didn't man anything he said, not one bit. He loved him to the end of Gran Pulse, so long as Valhalla would house the destructive chaos. But he needed the other to move on. Because it wasn't fair to take him down alongside him. Someone else was meant for the hunter, he could live with that if Noel would be happy and smile once again…He could easily watch over him.

"No, and that's final Hope. Let me call the doctors, you're in pain…" His voice went from stern to comforting as he spoke and walked out of the room. It broke his heart to see the hunter like this…

But the worst was yet to come.

Weeks went by, and things were only looking bleaker for the director. His skin soon took on the very color of the blotches, his hair dulled and so did his eyes. He didn't even stay conscious enough to feel the pain anymore. All he knew was that Noel was there when he woke up and when he was put to sleep each day. He was happy to see the hunter's face each day. It gave a reason to keep holding on a bit longer.

But even that had to end sometime.

And that day came much too soon for Noel.

Hope just didn't wake up one day, and soon his heart stopped beating and he took his last breath. And he had no idea how to react to such a phenomenon. People used to die everyday. Why did it hurt so much now…Because of the fact he had gotten used to the idea that people lived long here. And he could never understand the prospect of Hope dying. He seemed so eternal…But everything came to an end, as so he had now learned.

Well, now…He had a funeral to plan, didn't he.