Till Death Do Us Part

By: Prince Arjuna

The sealing procedure was a success. Even though she did not defeat it, at least the danger it posed had been contained.

Death.

The Shadow of the Thirteenth Arcana, the one destined to bring forth the end of the world, had been sealed into the body of this boy who happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. As defeating Death was not possible, the only thing that could be done was to seal it away as a last-ditch effort.

The mechanical maiden sustained major damages after battling Death, and as she allowed her programming to analyze the extent of the damages, she approached the boy whom she used as a vessel to seal Death. She could see minor scratches on his body, but overall, he was unharmed. The boy showed the signs of fatigue, probably the side-effect of becoming the container of Death.

She stood over the boy, still looking at his youthful visage. Judging from his look, she assumed that he was probably five or six-year-old in age. Then she glanced at a wrecked car which was nearby, and the boy was previously seen coming out of the car before she sealed Death inside him. The others who were with him had perished during her battle against Death earlier.

"…It has not been completely sealed," the mechanical maiden muttered as she looked back at the young, blue-haired boy. While Death might have been sealed inside him, there was no telling if it would remain there. Constant surveillance had to be made in making sure that the seal would remain intact. "I cannot let him out of my sight."

She kneeled beside the boy. Sparks could be seen on the damaged parts of her body. The damages she sustained were worse than her earlier estimation, but she had no way of shutting herself down, as there was something important to be done.

"I… I must always be by his side…" She muttered. "That would be my highest priority…"

Then, the boy stirred and opened his eyes. As he was lying on the pavement, he looked at the mechanical maiden who kneeled beside him. She blinked and tilted her head as she continued observing the boy.

"Ugh… who…?" The boy said. From his tone alone, it was clear that he was really tired. Perhaps the sealing procedure had taken more than what she had expected. As the boy looked up, he saw the beautiful visage of the mechanical maiden. Despite being marred by dirt and soot after battling Death earlier, the boy considered the sight before him to be rather breathtaking.

She continued observing him. Apparently, the boy seemed to show the signs of interest, despite his state.

"W-what a beautiful person…" The boy spoke, smiling slightly. She blinked again, noting the boy's choice of words.

"Beautiful?" She said. "I am afraid that in my current state, that expression is inappropriate." Not only that she was badly damaged, with parts of her body torn open, she also considered being beautiful was an expression to be used on humans. And she did not consider herself human, but a weapon.

Even so, the boy chuckled. "You are beautiful! Even more than my Mom…" His voice wavered when he mentioned his mother. "Mom…" Weakly, she raised her left hand and spoke, "Where are Mom and Dad?"

The boy started to tremble. Tears gathered in his eyes and he started crying. She took a few seconds to comprehend what was going on with him, noting that he needed comfort. Tentatively, she reached out to touch the boy's raised left hand, holding it with hers. She noted the difference between their hands, as the boy's small hand was made of flesh, while hers was synthetic in nature.

"I'm… *sniff* scared," the boy sobbed. His parents had perished, and he was left alone. With teary eyes, he looked at her and spoke, "P-please… stay by my side for now…"

"I will stay by your side," she said to the crying boy. "But not only for now. From this day forward, forever and always…"

The boy slowly stopped crying as he looked at her with his teary eyes, stunned. As his left hand was tenderly held by her, he used his other hand to wipe his tears before he smiled. "I know what it is! It's your 'proposal', right?"

She blinked a few times. Then, he spoke further.

"Are you my bride?"

She continued looking at him as their fingers intertwined.

"In sickness… and in health…"

Even though there were still tears in the boy's eyes, he seemed happy.

"Forever and always, from this day forward, for better or for worse…"

He closed his eyes, his expression seemed blissful.

"Until death do us part…"

Then the boy spoke no more. He seemed to have been overcome by his fatigue and passed out. She processed the words that the boy said earlier, before she muttered, "Marriage… union through which a man and a woman become husband and wife…"

She let go the boy's tiny hand before she stroked the boy's cheek.

"…A human union."

One thing she was aware of was that she was not a human to begin with.

"Such a thing is impossible for me…" She said, gently stroking the unconscious boy's face. "I must let you know once you… wake… up."

Due to the damages she sustained, her system forcefully shut her down, putting her into stand-by mode.

"I too… am a little tired…" She spoke softly. She took a last look on the boy's face. "Until… we… wake up…"

And then, she said no more.

END

Author's Note: So, I was thinking about making a one-shot after reading a doujin. So, here it is. The event happens during the fateful night at 1999, after Aigis sealed Death into Minato. I hope you readers will like it, and if you guys don't mind, will you leave reviews too? Thank you.

Prince Arjuna (2015)