Those Gentle Hands
The sky was monochrome, as if it indicated heavy rain would fall to the Earth. Living things died; the trees were burnt, the dead bodies of animals from enemy forces remained in a grotesque view that ordinary people would had wished not to witness it. However, there stood the victories of the day, the students of Suzaku Academy - the elites from the special Class Zero in the vast battlefield. They were surrounded by nothing but carcasses. Men were crying in agony when they were hit by a powerful offensive force. Blood splashed everywhere on the ground. It was a bloodbath. They didn't choose to have a war but they must protect their beloved country.
Even though they were victorious, a soul didn't - no. He COULDN'T express his satisfaction. Instead, he kneeled down over his dear childhood friend, who was lying on the ground. Their black uniform and red cape were bloodstained.
"Please do not leave me, Rem..."The boy whispered.
He held her small, cold hands.
"M-Machina... Is... that you?"The girl replied in return but she had to catch her breath because she already lost too much blood. Her clothes were torn, revealing some parts of her flesh. She was scarred. She was in real pain.
She had fought so hard in the war. Seeing that, he couldn't help but feel that he's the one to be blamed because he had failed to protect his dear one.
"If only I was stronger...! Damn!"He cursed, and before his fist managed to touch the surface of the ground, Rem's fragile yet gentle hands touched his face.
"Rem?"Machina was startled by her rather abrupt action.
"Please... do not blame yourself. I-I'm happy... to have you... protecting me... until this day. Your heart... is strong enough... and that's all I need."Rem managed to finish her long sentences.
"Strong heart? I don't get it, Rem. I don't get it so, please. Please do not leave me all alone here. I've already lost brother Izana and I don't want to lose you!" Machina was on the verge of tears and his voice was hoarse. It wasn't the same calm voice that Rem used to hear whenever he spoke since the day she was a child.
"You don't need to... understand. Because Machina is Machina. There's something that one... doesn't need to know. The answer is naught. That is... one's heart. Only his or her precious one understands him or her... the best."The brunette answered slowly to his question.
"What is that even supposed to-" he began to raise his voice but he noticed his younger partner's eyes.
The pair of pretty red eyes owned by the young maiden stared deep into his. It was a gentle, motherly and loving look. Then he noticed she moved her lips slowly, only to say something that he never expected at all.
"I love you."
Then he lost the grasp of the damsel's hands. Her eyes finally shut, for eternity.
At that moment, it started raining. The blood flowed away together with the rain that reached the ground. It somehow created a pattern of the vermillion bird, Suzaku, around those two. Machina shed his tears and cried in sadness but these actions were invisible to the rest of the Class Zero students as the sound of heavy rain falling somehow concealed it.
He took Rem's hand and kissed it gently while whispering "I love you too."
Later, a melody from Deuce's flute was heard. It was a tune to soothe their mind. She only stood from distance, watching the sad Machina. The rest helped each other; some treated injuries, some collected their broken weapons. They were getting ready to return to the academy.
Machina carried the slumbering Rem in his embrace. He placed her twin daggers on her chest and walked slowly outside the battlefield when the other 12 students were out of his sight.