(Hercules AU - Part 4)

Eijun approaches Kazuya's prone form, his steps slowing. He looks so broken and pale, his face drawn in pain but still with that almost smile frozen on his face. Eijun looks down at the ethereal soul in his arms.

It's even paler than Kazuya's body, translucent, fragile.

They have that in common.

Sinking to his knees, Eijun carefully, reverently, and with no small amount of nervous anticipation places soul above body. Unsure of what to do, he simply lets go and watches life melt back into Kazuya.

Kazuya is in a daze.

Everything is dark, murky, muffled. It's almost comforting.

Nothing hurts which Kazuya appreciates – or he would, if he could feel anything.

There is no warm, cold, anger, pain, sadness, happiness. He doesn't even know where 'here' is. He knows and feels nothing.

And maybe that's also exactly where he is – nowhere at all.

Then there is suddenly a feeling, a sensation, something. It spreads throughout his whole body – he has a body - warmth, gold, the beat of a heart and a breath like a deep sigh.

Another beat and a third. Fourth. Fifth… his blood sluggishly begins to move.

More air streams into his lungs. They expand, filling them to their full capacity.

Kazuya gasps and opens his eyes wide.

The first thing he sees are innocuous shapes moving above him. There are some muffled sounds, somehow insistent and almost annoying. He is almost tempted to just close his eyes again, to just drift away. But then something catches his attention. A name. His name.

"…zuya? Kazuya, can you hear me?"

His hearing and vision suddenly sharpen and focus on what he actually is seeing and just who it is who is calling him. Kazuya's eyes grow even wider and his mouth opens slightly in speechless shock.

"Eijun?"

A wobbly smile and barely suppressed sob is his answer and only warning before he is engulfed in a warm and suffocating hug.

"Kazuya!" Eijun sobs out, his face pressed into his neck. Kazuya's wonderfully warm, alive neck, heartbeat underneath skin thrumming.

"L-let go. You're gonna kill me again." Kazuya wheezes, but he isn't making any effort to move out of the hug. In fact, he clings to Eijun with as much strength as he can which is why he is unpleasantly surprised when Eijun suddenly does lets go.

""I – I'm so sorry."

Kazuya blinks. An apology is not what he had been expecting.

"What for?"

The little distance between them is suddenly too much, too cold. Kazuya shivers.

"Y-you died. Because of me. Because – " Eijun breaks off, looking away when his eyes start to feel suspiciously warm again. The tears of joy on his face still haven't dried.

"You're an idiot." Kazuya states, his face serious but the corner of his mouth is twitching. "I didn't die because of you. I died for you."

Eijun stares at him with wide eyes, thoughts of crying forgotten. He opens his mouth to speak but Kazuya isn't done.

"You shouldn't use your head so much. It's bad for your health." he teases, breaking out into a grin when Eijun scowls. Anything is better than seeing him as broken as he had done moments before, even if only a little bit.

"But you still died." Eijun argues, not letting go of the issue. He comes close and clasps Kazuya's face between his hands. "And you dying for me doesn't make me any less guilty."

Kazuya falls silent, not because of a lack of words but because Eijun is tired of staying away.

Eyes shut automatically as lips finally meet, past love confessions, past death.

Everything is salty tears, warmth, hope, love and gold – always gold.

It isn't just one kiss, not truly, as it is a multitude of small kisses, repeated brushes of lips against lips, soft and safe, a happiness tempered by deep relief soothing still fresh grief.

There is time.

Once they part, they stay close, Eijun's hands around Kazuya's face, Kazuya's hands on Eijun's. Their foreheads lean on to one another and their breath intermingles warm between them, silent and content.

Then Kazuya smiles, edging towards a smirk. It's not soft but not sharp either.

"You know, you never told me you loved me back."

Eijun almost cries again at the sight of that smirk. He can finally admit to himself that it sets his insides aflutter. But he presses his lips together in a line and mock frowns at Kazuya instead.

"You died in the middle of my confession. You have horrible manners."

"Why, thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment, asshole."

But then Eijun ducks in for another kiss, taking the sting out of the insult – though he has an inkling it stopped being one a long time ago.

They part again for another breath and just before he kisses Kazuya again, it comes out like a sigh, a breath on the wind, like a trail of gold left by the dying rays of the sun or the streak of a falling star.

"I love you too."