So this was what dying was like.

To wonder what dying felt like was a… morbid curiosity to say the least, though Mika did always think of it in one way or another.

Perhaps it would hurt a little, with just a bit of pain right before his life was snuffed out… or perhaps the complete opposite. Perhaps he would suffer a lot before he succumbed to his death, something he did suppose he deserved at least a little. He was no saint, not by a longshot, so at least some suffering wouldn't be a surprise.

For a long part of his life, the young man never stopped wondering. He wished to live… though morbid curiosity was always a strong thing, and so he kept wondering every so often .

And now, as he sat in the cockpit of the Barbatos Lupus Rex, bloodied, battered and barely alive, he finally understood what it felt like.

It felt… normal.

In spite of his injuries sustained by the Dainsleif bombardment and the current state of his Mobile Suit, Mikazuki didn't really feel any pain. If anything, he felt a small sense of euphoria. It was perhaps due to blood loss, or perhaps it was because he knew that everyone he loved would get a chance to see another day, but whatever the reason was… Mika didn't think much about it.

"Tell me, why do you fight?!" demanded that woman over the damaged intercom of Barbatos, sounding agitated as she fought his Mobile Suit with all her might, snapping the pilot out of his mild trance as he turned his unit's optical units up towards its opponent, the Reginlaze Julia.

A heavily damaged mess, Barbatos Lupus Rex looked as though it would fall apart at any moment as it stumbled away from the Reginlaze Julia, holding its single arm up to block a handful of shots aimed directly at its head unit. Even so, the unit still held strong in spite of the punishment it was being subjected to.

"You, who barely clings onto life! Why do you still fight?! Surrender and you may still be spared!"

Surrender… tempting, but no. There was no such thing to Mika. And to be spared? Ludicrous. He was no expert on the human body, but he knew that there was no saving him at this point. He was bleeding out fast, and he had a feeling that the only thing keeping him together was the surge of data being given to him via Barbatos' Alaya Vijnana system. Besides, even if he did somehow survive his injuries… what would happen thereafter? His execution, no doubt. So why even bother?

"Surrender… be spared? What… are you talking about?" muttered Mikazuki weakly through his damaged comm-links. The Reginlaze noticeably stepped back at that as Barbatos Lupus Rex got upright unsteadily. Its tail dragged along the ground, creating a small chasm in the earth in the process, before it moved to hover above and behind Barbatos' shoulder. That, combined with its glowing red optics and its overall damaged chassis gave it a rather menacing appearance, to say the least, though the Julia didn't let it deter her.

"You are mortally wounded! Desist and surrender! You will be given proper medical attention and tried under the just hand of Rustal Elion! There is no longer any reason for you to fight!" proclaimed the Reginlaze's pilot, pointing her blade at Barbatos, who stumbled just a bit as it fell to one knee, forcing it to use its remaining arm to keep itself from toppling over. There was no response from Augus, and the Julia's pilot thought that she was getting to him.

And then, he scoffed.

"I… always had a reason to fight," muttered Mika hoarsely as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the damaged Gusion Rebake Full City squeezing a Graze in its scissor shield. It made him smirk just a little as he forced Barbatos back up onto its feet, ignoring the sound of the unit's joints giving way as he turned it towards the Reginlaze. "Even… now… I will still…"

A trio of Graze units moved to back the Reginlaze Julia up, though the Reginlaze's pilot noticeably flinched as she turned to warn them to get back.

"I will still fight."

And right as she could scream those words out, Barbatos Lupus Rex sprung up into the air and leapt straight over the Reginlaze Julia. The Reginlaze's pilot could only scream one last time for her fellow Gjallarhorn pilots to get back as it landed directly on top of a Graze, activating its heel pile bunker and puncturing the Graze's cockpit.

"YOU BASTARD!" proclaimed the second Graze as it attempted to strike the damaged Gundam with its halberd. However, right as those words left its pilot's mouth, the Lupus Rex was upon it. The single arm of the Lupus Rex stopped the halberd in the middle of a swing, shocking its pilot enough to throw it off guard. And, with a swift gesture, it bisected the Graze via its waist with its tail.

The third and final Graze's pilot was stunned by the level of brutality, long enough for Barbatos to get up close and jam its clawed hand into its cockpit. The Reginlaze Julia could only watch in horror as Barbatos jammed its claw into the Graze's cockpit. In spite of its damaged joints, it managed to lift it over its head and throw it off to the side, inadvertently ripping out the spinal unit of the Graze in the process.

"You…" was all the Julia's pilot could mutter out as the Barbatos turned to stare at her, still gripping the severed spine and head units of the Graze, the mere sight causing her to flinch. "You monster…"

"I… will fight for them. I will never… stop," muttered Mikazuki, either having ignored or not heard her comment as several joints within his unit began to combust. The damage sustained by his unit was massive, and despite its efforts, his Gundam would not last much longer. "I will fight… until my last breath… for their safety… for their future…"

"Even at the cost of yours?!" demanded the Reginlaze Julia's pilot, the shock being very much apparent in her voice. Her answer was given to her as soon as the Barbatos boosted towards her, launching its tail towards her in the process.

The tail had lost its strength before it could even reach her, however, as it began dropping down to the ground before it could get within range. The Julia opened fire on it a handful of times to make sure that it was truly destroyed before opening fire on Barbatos, and in its weakened state, the Gundam was torn apart rather easily by her shots. And, by the time it had reached the Julia, Barbatos had lost both its remaining arm and its balance as it stumbled towards the Reginlaze.

The Reginlaze took a stab at Barbatos' cockpit as soon as it was in range, with said cockpit fell apart upon contact, and its pilot widened her eyes when she realised…

"He's… dead…"

And yet… in spite of all that, Mikazuki Augus had died with a smile.

'Those who die will be reborn… someday, right?' were the final thoughts of the pilot as his lips curved up into a small smile.

'I hope to see you in our next lives… Orga…"

And yet… he didn't take into account the fact that he was wrong…

Being reborn was something that was rather common… though what he was reborn into was… not what he expected, to say the least.

Yeah I just felt like writing this.

If you're reading this outro, I may as well mention that the story has been edited! It has also been classified as a Crack-Fic, and as such, there will be no review replies, more so for my sake.