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Prolog
A soft smile spread across the woman's face as her golden eyes found those of her love's. Endless crimson wept from the wound over her heart, staining her kimono a deeper red tinged black. Her lovely white face showed no sign of the pain felt from the wound; her smile as sweet as the snow was white. As soft as the white flakes that fell to the earth, sprinkling so gently it was as if it were lighter than the smallest feather.
His vision blurred, mixing the lovely face before him with the whiteness that floated between them. He was frozen, cursed with a shock so deep he could barely watch the scene before him without the loss of his wakefulness. She stood there, adorn in a black silk kimono decorated with crimson death butterflies. Her black and white hair pulled back into two separate ties fastened halfway down her back, in the right one her snow white tresses, the left the midnight black. Her face was so calm, white as the floating snow, liquid golden eyes that only brought the flowing gentleness of water to mind, fading soft pink lips.
The death goddess spread her lips to speak her final words when her legs gave. Her body lay to her side, one arm resting near her upturned face, the other over her stomach, her legs curled in a little, eyes closed. She looked as if she were sleeping; if not for the crimson that slowly stained her lips and bled to the snow.
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The funeral drums beat to a rhythm that made the young death god's heart ache; he let the cold tears blur the rest of the world from behind his mask as the procession lead closer and closer to their destination. He wore what was expected, black and tattered the kimono fixed with the pictures of spirits rising and ascending to heaven swept around him, the white skull death mask hid his face from those around him. The wear was for the loved ones, meant to explain to dead's soul to leave this world and hide the faces of those that they might stay in this world for. He was the only to wear such though. She'd had no one, no one but him, him who had failed to save her…
The body of the beautiful goddess lay out on the carrying table supported by four men from the four posts that lined each corner. Her tranquil white face raised to the heavens, her black and white hair spilled from the sides of the table, waving sadly as she was moved. She wore a white silk kimono, solid and unadorned in anything but the red silk under kimono and belt. It was like that of the black she'd worn at her time of death, flowing out around her ankles, fitting perfectly around her shoulders, sleeves swallowing her small hands.
Around her musicians played the funeral song, meant to assure her soul of what it saw when it looked down at the scene. Snow floated from the heavens trying to console the lonely heart of her loved one as they left the small village and made their way towards cliffs and sea.
It all seemed to pass to quickly, why did life move on even in this day of mourning? All to soon he stood at the edge of the cliffs, far from the rest of the procession whom left him to her burial. The table to which her body lay sat not for form him, left there by the curriers, his heart felt as if it were being ripped apart within his chest as he stared at her.
It was not the normal burial form what he would to for her; she was a goddess who deserved the burial she'd once said she'd wanted. But no matter the form, a grave, a fire, the water, they hurt just the same. So he found as he took her into his arms, her head rested against his shoulder as his arms gripped around her upper back and behind her knees. Her long flowing hair floated in the wind of the sea just as the snow did.
As he lay one last mournful kiss to her lips, his mask left to the care of the snow covered ground, his heart felt as if it would leave him, and perhaps in some way it did. He carried her to the edge, tears falling more freely as he lifted her but a few inches and… She hovered over the cliffs edge only a moment the kimono and her hair floating around her making the scene all the more angelic and heart breaking. And then her body started to dissolve and form death butterflies that flew past on a gust of wind from the sea, and the young death god closed his eyes, his love leaving this world truly before him, and wept.