Dlbn: Holy crap I'm back…and with a chapter that I created but never updated when I should have AGES ago.
Nbld: Well let's not waste any more time then. We've got other stories to get to also.
Dlbn: You wouldn't believe how long it's been since I've had inspiration to write, time to write, or energy to do anything. Kind of got caught up in a KevEdd world (Ed, Edd, and Eddy) and couldn't escape.
Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to promocat for reviewing! Green eggs and ham for you!
Promocat: there's a degree where I feel bad for him, too, but then I remember the crap he's done and I'm like nope, you probably deserve this, Seimei. At least Ritsuka finally found the strength in him to kick Seimei to the curb and not let him hurt him anymore. Go Ritsuka.
Disclaimer: I own nothing canon. That all belongs to Yun Kouga. I only own Akira and the Satan family. I make NO money off of writing in this category.
000
I was awakened by a smell that seemed to come up from the sulfuric pits of hell itself. My fingers scratched harshly against cobblestone. Wait…cobblestone…? I was just in Mimuro's arms, my head in his lap…he was crying…why was he crying? What was I doing before that? Was I doing anything before that? Maybe I wasn't…but then why was he crying? Ugh he was always so sentimental…the smell grew stronger as I regained consciousness. I didn't recognize the area I was in. Was I trapped in someone's spell zone? Or was this just a nightmare? That would explain Mimuro crying and my lack of ability to recollect my past activities. Suddenly, like a jolt of lightning, a memory flashed at me. Gomon and her Fighter…Tokino…? Seimei and me…a battle…Mimuro's voice…calling my name…I can see the battle area the girl and her fighter produced. A palace-like chamber with a throne her highness herself sat upon. Darkness swirled behind Seimei and myself. My battle area…we were battling…? The memory faded away and I looked about the area. I appeared to be in a cobblestone palace of sorts. It stunk, whatever it was. My vision was only limited to a small area in front of me, as I couldn't sit up. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I sit up? This didn't look like the battle area from my memory…Another memory flashed to the surface. Falling…I was falling…crashing to the ground…pain…there was blood…lots of blood…it hurt to breathe. Why…? What happened…Seimei…my first thought was Seimei…I'm clutching my throat…he's at my side…he's gasping, choking on blood…no…Seimei, no…I hold my Sacrifice close…my Sacrifice with the wide, scared plum eyes. He's dying…he's afraid to die…no, Seimei's always been afraid of death…that's why we faked it. To spare him! I utter a spell…my throat is dry…I'm suffocating but on nothing…choking from the inside out. The spell fails. My power is weakening. I can feel death calling my name…a voice speaks to me…mocks me…tells me it's over…I've failed. I should just give up. There's no hope left for Seimei and me. There never was…I ignore the voice…Seimei is my priority. I try to speak, to coax him through it, to calm him, but no words come.
"S….S…Sei…" I can't even speak his name in his last moment. Is this what death felt like? Were we both dying? "So…So…sorr…" I look around me.
Two more figures, blurry in my haze, stand a little ways away. The shorter is turned inwards towards the taller one to avoid looking at the horrific scene. I don't know who they are. I call out something…a name? A plea for help directed to one of the figures. The taller one? Neither respond to me. The taller looks away, turns his head. I run my fingers through Seimei's unkempt black hair. The strands are silkier then I would have imagined. His vibrant plum orbs are losing radiance…growing dark…he's close to death. I know it, the blurred figures know it, the voice knows it…he knows it. I see panic in his eyes. He moves slightly, lifts a hand. I grab it in mine. My throat is tighter…I can't hold much longer either…I'll be last to die. I know that without seeing me, without knowing the extent of our injuries. I would die only after suffering through the death of my Sacrifice, my other half. The voice's owner is punishing me, I know that. How do I know that? Who's the owner of the voice? Mikado…it has to be the witch. That's not her cowering into another figure, no. She's enjoying this in her sadistic pleasure. Who are the blurry figures? Why do I think one can help us, would help us? It doesn't matter. Seimei matters. I take his hand in mine. He's cold already. He's letting me touch him. I squeeze his hand. Promise him through the bond that it's going to be okay. I feel his fear. He doesn't believe me. He's scared. He doesn't want to die. Ritsuka, he doesn't want Ritsuka to see this. Is that the shorter blur? Yes, it has to be. The taller one is Soubi. They're slowly focusing now that I recall who they must be. Seimei begs me for help, begs Agatsuma. Agatsuma ignores him in favor of Ritsuka. Agatsuma has chosen his side. Seimei fumes for only a moment, then tells Agatsuma to take care of Ritsuka…tells Ritsuka he loves him. Ritsuka ignores him for a moment and then says he loves him too, choking on his tears. He's safe. He's got Agatsuma. He'll be fine. Seimei turns to me. He uses the bond to talk. The bond is weakening as he's fading. He sends me a message. He thanks me for all I've done. He tells me I'm a good boy…that he's happy to die alongside me, if he has to die so young. I kiss him. I don't care that the others are watching. I kiss my master. His first kiss…his only kiss…dying a virgin…must sting. Too bad we don't have enough time for more. Seimei weakly kisses me back. He knows he's loved…Beloved…I refrain from adding tongue, though my body begs me to. A simple, chaste kiss goodbye. Seimei's lips are pale, soft…they stop moving. His eyes are closed. I can feel the bond die. It tears at my chest. I cry out in pain and grip where my heart is meant to be. Moonless laughs. Her fighter laughs. Ritsuka yells at her to stop, that it isn't funny. I hear my name…Mimuro…? Sempai…?
I turn to the voice. Mimuro skids to a stop at my side. I'm still holding Seimei. My arms wrap around Mimuro as he pulls me onto his lap. Seimei's head is in my lap. He looks peaceful. Like he's sleeping. The blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth is the only indication of his passing. I spare a glance at Mimuro. Tears falling, splattering on my chilled skin. Moonless taunts me, taunts Mimuro. Tells him that he can't save me, he's too late. I hope that witch rots in hell, I really do. Mimuro is innocent…a poor fool caught up in the mix of a madman's grand scheme. Leave him alone…I barely have a voice. I say his name. He tells me not to speak, to save my energy. Mikado tells me to keep talking, to rush my death. I glare at her. Bitch… I cough. My time is almost up. My last bit of oxygen is being squeezed from my lungs. I won't last much longer. I take Mimuro's hand in mine. I want to be buried next to Seimei. Not the family plot. With Seimei. Mimuro understands my nod towards my master. Assures me it's not my fault, not Seimei's.
"You…right….death of…me…Seimei was…." I stutter. "Mimuro…love…y…."
I can't finish the word, but I know he understands he's wanted to hear that from me for a long time, I can tell. He finally has what he wants. He kisses my temple…tells me he loves me…always has…Mikado taunts us. Saying sociopaths don't feel love. A bunch of false feelings shared in our last moments. Wasting our oxygen on stupidity. Ritsuka orders her to shut up. His agitation is high and clear. He doesn't want to be here anymore. The last thing he says before passing out is goodbye to Seimei and me. Agatsuma is leaving with him. Nurses as well. They try to take Seimei away from me. I won't allow it. I'm not going to die without holding my other half. Our bond has faded into nothingness now. We are no longer a Unit. We are no longer 'Beloved' in the tangible form.
I can't breathe. My oxygen is gone. My grip on Seimei weakens. I grab Mimuro's jacket he leans close and kisses me as I had Seimei. Tells me he loves me again. I don't want to die. I can't die. I won't…I have to stay alive…I have to avenge Seimei. I have to! I have to, I can't die! My throat catches. I try to grab Seimei as the nurses take him away from me and put him effortlessly and gracelessly onto a gurney. They can't take him. I refuse to die without him at my side. No…please….no! My hand reaches towards him, vision growing black. I see his hand fall off the table as if responding and trying to get back to me. My vision fades and all sound begins to die down to white noise. Then…nothing.
000
Wandering around the familiar streets of Tokyo once more, I found myself surprised slightly at just how much has changed. Old stores replaced with new ones, paint jobs, apartment complexes I didn't quite remember, an expansion to a little park. I had missed a lot in the seven years since my passing. I was too depressed to take any of it for more then just facts. Would it be another time, before I had run into my brother and his treacherous fiancé, I would have been interested. Would have stopped in a game shop to humor Nisei and grab him a gift in thanks for putting up with me in hell. Then again, I'd probably end up getting him something completely out of his tastes and ruining the joke. Perhaps I should get him flowers…one flower…a black rose. Death. In other cultures, anyway. A play on my trip to America to escape Septimal Moon after our first defeat. Nisei had stayed here in Tokyo to keep things under control and not arouse suspicions as to why we were both gone. I had brought him home an American game system I was sure he didn't have as a present. I'm not sure why I was so generous about that. I lost my touch.
A girl walking in front of me, in my direction, tripped and crashed into me, knocking us both to the ground. Onlookers muttered and glared as if we'd done it on purpose to disrupt the flow of traffic.
"Sorry!" She told me. "I have a muscle deficiency. I can't tell when they're going to just give out…"
"Yeah…" I sat up. "I have a friend…"
I was greeted with a mop of mint green hair and a lollipop stick hanging out of the girl's mouth. Mauve eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Aoyagi Seimei?!" The girl wondered. "Oh holy hell, it is you!" She threw her arms around my neck, kneeling up on knees exposed by denim shorts that were too short for her. "I thought you were dead!"
"Keep your voice down, Thoughtless!" I hissed.
I helped her stand, careful not to touch her bare skin. According to Nisei, I'd touched his skin, held his hand before I died. Disgusting…then again, I was screwing the guy…
"Hey, your ears? You and Akame finally do it?"
"Shut up." I glared. Perceptive witch.
"I knew it. He was always pining over you. Jealous of your love for Ritsuka."
I felt myself pale at his name.
"Oh, have you seen him? Does he know you're alive? Little thing was pretty traumatized by watching you dying and shit."
"Don't you know how to keep quiet?" I pulled her close as if to hug her so it wouldn't look weird. "Now just shut the hell up and come with me."
"Alright." She giggled.
We walked to a more deserted area of the park.
"Alright, dead man, spill it! How are you alive?"
I explained everything from the time we awoke in hell to now, including my encounter with Ritsuka and Agatsuma, and losing my ears to Nisei. She'd been particularly interested in that one for some reason.
"You know, Akame used to say that if could see you with anyone, it would have been me. Says we're a lot alike."
"I'm nothing like you, and your touch disgusts me."
"Blunt as ever, Mr. Demon." She frowned, kicking me.
"What? It's not like you…oh please tell me you're kidding…"
"I don't like you either. We're collegues against Septimal Moon, that's all. Nothing more."
"Good."
"Good!"
It didn't sound good, but I wasn't about to argue and lose one of the few allies I had left.
"Have you heard from Bloodless?"
"Not since I told them you died." Chouma shook her head and cracked a smirk. "Yurio thought it was funny as hell. Hideo didn't give two shits."
"Hm." I nodded.
I wasn't too surprised. They were allies, tools, but not friends. Though, according to Nisei, they were all the same amount of insane to be considered friends. Surprising, since Nisei only had Mimuro as a friend and didn't seem to understand even the basics of human interactions. Then again, with parents like his, it wasn't a surprise.
"So how are you supposed to keep an eye on this kid if you just let him leave with his parents and didn't bother to follow?"
"Haven't you ever heard of a phone directory?" I sighed. "Besides, we don't need to find him again until he's older."
"And what if they leave the country?"
"If that was ever going to happen, I think Lucifer would have warned us."
She shrugged. "I don't know, Beloved. Things can change."
"I suppose."
"You went from alive to dead, then alive, dead, and back to alive again. Don't give me 'I suppose'. You're the King of changing things."
"At my own will."
"Hm."
She was silent for a few minutes, which I was thankful for.
"Change in topic." I stated once the silence became too deafening.
"At least tell me Akame's good."
"Hm?"
"In bed."
I groaned.