Incident at mass grave

by The wand'rer of worlds

AU. A Cocoonian lad remembers an encounter with a Pulsian who is about to pass away. Set after a war between Cocoon and Pulse. Rated M for content

Incident at mass grave

After the war, Oerba's defeat,

I volunteered to bury the fallen,

layed sleeping Pulsians into their eternal bed,

their faces unmoving, skins without heat.

Foul was the overall grave-digging mood,

"May all Savages soon be worms' food!"

Respect for the dead, no friend but enemy,

Did not occur to anybody.

Heaps and heaps of unfortunate souls

Were dumped into a massive pit.

I could not stand straight nor idly sit

For spiked, crimson eyes glared, I froze.

Once I carried a young man of war,

Gravely scarred and still holding two swords.

I heard him mutter the following words:

"The end for you, Cocoonians, will not be far."

"Curse you, who have started this ungodly war,

Who thought we use Etro's gift for evil deeds,

Who burned down my hometown down to scorched weeds,

The end for you, Cocoon, will not be far."

Then I felt cold metal at my neck,

I shivered and stammered quickly:

"I'll grant you your last wish if you release me",

For blood dripped on my tunic, a dark red speck.

He replied: "My comrades are all gone,

My wife and children nowhere to be seen.

To share a grave with others, on that I'm not keen,

I want a grave for me alone.

He tossed one sword three feet away.

"I choose here to rest in peace

With one blade between my palms, for eternity,

Use the other to send me to my soul's final bay.

I agreed and did what he asked of me,

Dug a sole grave, placed him in there.

As I sent him to Etro, little could I care

that my hands were shaking, blood splattered free.

Now, you might ask if this tale is true,

I'd show you this artfully forged Pulsian blade.

My memory of his smile would not fade

When he whispered again: "Your end is due."