II: Sakura

(Oriya's POV)

Oriya looked down into the snow white casket, sighing softly as he studied the face below him. The people who he had hired to prepare Muraki had done a very good job, Muraki looked like he would actually wake up at any moment and look at him. Of course, this time the death was final and absolute, no getting out of it was possible, even for one who had made a practice of it. He knew that now, despite staying by Muraki's side for three days hoping the last breath he had heard come from his best friend's lips was not the herald to his true death. But alas, it had been, rigor mortis had set in by the next morning and he knew then he had lost him.

His hands clenched over the white wood of the casket in fury and sorrow. Three days it had taken Muraki to die. He had known though hadn't he? He had somehow known this was the very last time he would patch his friend up when he had found him laying a couple blocks from his place, lying in that unnatural position, blood pooled underneath him, dripping from both his lips, nose and other places that were too painful to gaze at for very long. He had patched him up as best as he had be able, but he had known inside despite the words his friend had spoken that Muraki would leave him, it was only a matter of when. Something inside, most likely one of the lungs or something under the broken ribs had been damaged beyond his ability to repair.

Closing his eyes he shivered as the last day crossed his mind. He would definitely look for the man Muraki had described to him on the second day, he would fulfill his friend's vow. Maybe then he would be able to silence his friends last delusional cries as a brutal fever finally took Muraki down on the third and last morning. No one deserved to suffer like he had, despite his crimes. A drop of wetness hit the back of his clenched hand and Oriya opened his eyes to watch the tear slide off his hand and into the soft white silk lining of the casket. Releasing his grip on it, he lightly brushed his friend's hair from his face once last time before leaning down and softly kissing Muraki on the forehead. Straightening up, he turned to look at the man standing a couple feet behind him.

"You're ready then sir?" the youth inquired quietly, gesturing towards the double doors on the other side of room that led outside to the graveyard. Oriya nodded silently and stepped back as the young man stepped forwards and shut the lid, fetching the bearers to carry the coffin outside so that it could be laid into the ground. He followed them outside slowly and glanced over the grounds. A few sakura tree's bloomed over in one corner of the gated grounds and they headed towards them, towards a hole that had been dug beneath one of them. Silently, Oriya watched as the casket was lowered, but he turned away when the dirt began to fall. He couldn't watch it end. 'This is the final goodbye, old friend..' he thought silently as he looked up into the trees.