DISCLAIMER: All elements of Suikoden series belong to Konami. Fanfiction belongs to littlemaiko. Stealing is prohibited.

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The Snow Covered with Peonies :: 5
by littlemaiko






The first of the winter's snow graced Kohaku's vision when he stepped out of the cot. He had a worn-out green mantle wrapped about him, a piece of cloth so precious to him that he seldom wore it. It was a little too long, so he wrapped his head in it as well. The snow came up to his ankles, very flurry in its just-fallen state.

"Luca." Kohaku looked back into the log-built residence, addressing the tall man dining at the plain table.

The Highlander prince did not answer, but he shifted his dark gaze to Kohaku. Four months after the supposed death by the hands of JSCA fighters, Luca was almost recovered to full health. His right hand still moved with slight awkwardness caused by the injury, but otherwise, his strength had returned with a vengeance. Putting down the spoon with which he had been eating the stew, he raised an eyebrow and waited for the boy to speak more.

"I want you to see something."

Rising from the small wooden chair at Kohaku's beckoning, Luca joined the other at the doorway. The chilly air pricked at his skin beneath the thin white shirt and pants which he wore. He saw the snow, but he did not share the young McDohl's wonder at the sight. Rather, his eyes were drawn to the specks of red on the white ground.

"...Peonies." Luca acknowledged the flowers scattered all over the clearing about the cot. During the course of his recovery, he had not paid attention to the view outside. He realized that all the bushes that surrounded the small house were peony bushes. The winter peonies in full bloom.

"Beautiful sight, isn't it? The snow covered with peonies. There are only few things I find beautiful in this world and this is one of them."

Kohaku's voice gained just a tint of liveliness as he marveled over the mixture of pure white with spots of crimson petals. Breathing out white mist, he stepped out and picked up the peony closest to the door. He held the large bloom in his gloved hands, not enjoying its aroma nor texture but just the color and the lack of stem and leaves.

"You see blood in the color." Guessing right, Luca joined Kohaku over the thin snow. His bare feet felt the iciness acutely, but he shrugged the cold away like he would have done any obstacle. He picked up a flower for himself and looked at it in the gleaming light from the sky and that reflecting off of the silvery ground. Although he studied the comely 'beheaded flower' closely, he did not find the great beauty Kohaku praised.

"Not just any blood, Luca. This is the same color as the blood from a dead body." Kohaku held the flapping hem of the green mantle and drew the cloth tightly about his lithe frame. His downcast gaze turned melancholic, even sad; that was the most emotion the prince had ever seen on the boy. "I can't wait for the day you spray the same scarlet color over me..."

Many words from the former hero of Toran puzzled Luca, but none did so more than the repeated wish for death. Crushing the peony in a large hand and letting it fall to the snow, the wolf-like prince gave out a foggy sigh. He didn't see the need to trouble himself over someone who was suicidal; all that he was required to do by the honor of their deal was to kill Kohaku McDohl. Certainly, he had no hesitation in murdering the youth.

"I will, sooner or later." Luca turned his back to the still-marveling boy, getting his feet out of the snowy clearing before he suffered a frostbite. He intended to just slam the door behind him, but an unexplainable fancy made him glance back at the doorway. All he could do to contain a gasp was to clutch harder at the rusty knob. In his dark eyes, Kohaku stood in the same peony-filled snow, wearing the old green mantle that was too long for him. The boy had the golden-brown eyes upon the Mad Prince, pink lips curled ever so slightly in a serene, mirthless smile. Darkness hovered about the boy's entire frame, the cursed shadow that had not been there before now visible. It consumed Kohaku yet did not hinder Luca from seeing the boy.

The calm pitch black drew Luca's heart as no other sight had before. Like a lover yearning for his beloved, he took an unconscious step toward Kohaku; he caught himself when the snow gave his toes the needle-like cold pain. His mind cleared, allowing him to study the beautiful dark shadow. It flickered, reaching out like a woman's hand to caress over his cheek and nape, then disappeared altogether.

"Luca?" Kohaku tilted his head a little in a questioning manner.

"...It is nothing." The trance wore off completely, leaving Luca in a rare state of peace and contentment. He felt as though he had seen the Heaven's gate. The notion and its irony made him chuckle in a sinister glee.

"Luca?" The Asian boy repeated his inquiry, frowning in concern for his precious source of death.

Luca shrugged away Kohaku's worry. "I said, it is nothing."

Leaving the young McDohl outside, Luca entered the cot and sat down at the bed that had practically become his. His mind was on the soothing darkness that he had seen. Somehow, he was sure that if he immersed in its soundless stillness, he would be rid of the turbulent madness that haunted him.

"...I understand now. Death is the blissful end to all pain." Luca whispered to himself, crossing his fingers together upon his lap. He appreciated the beauty of the snow covered with peonies more after having seen the depths of the 'end'.





TO BE CONTINUED