my life isnt complete if i dont write any tragedy!
Tasuku didn't know what to think when he saw the blade pierce Gao's chest.
Something gnaws in his chest, something that feels akin to horror, dread, disbelief, and most of all... heartbreak.
His scream gets stuck in his throat as Gao limply falls into his arms, blood pouring out of the other's mouth, staining the smile Tasuku always loved to see.
He almost doesn't notice the assailant pull the sword back, almost doesn't register the weapon aimed at himself, almost doesn't see the masked assassin get pulled back and thrown onto the floor roughly by another palace guard from nearby. It could have been Baku, it could have Tetsuya who had done it.
It couldn't have been Gao who was stabbed.
He, the crown prince of the kingdom, had been taking a leisurely stroll with his right hand man, Gao. Neither of them were armed or guarded. It was just supposed to be a walk. A walk they always took when they were free and wanted to spend time together.
It wasn't supposed to be this.
Even as Tasuku hears more shouts from the palace knights rushing in to protect him, everything blends into a background of noise. His focus is only the bleeding man in his hold.
"Are... you... hurt?" Gao rasps, and Tasuku hates him slightly for still caring about him when he's dying.
"Of course I'm not." Tasuku says, gripping Gao's hand in his, fighting back tears and desperately wanting control of the situation. "It's because you were stupid enough to jump in front of me instead of pushing me out of the way!"
Gao smiles again, the trail of blood running down his chin still there. Tasuku begins to notice that Gao's navy blue shirt is starting to get stained with the offending liquid around the rip. He gulps.
It almost sounds like Gao is trying to chuckle, but it comes out rickety and hoarse. "That's my... job... isn't... it? To keep... you safe..."
"But not at the price of your life, Gao..."
Gao grips Tasuku's hand tighter. "For you, love... it's... worth... it..."
Tasuku wants to say more, wants to refute it, wants to argue against that statement. But he can't. He can't because the hand that had been gripping back so tightly has gone limp and Gao is no longer breathing.
A teardrop falls, and so does a great warrior.