A.N. Some major warnings for this chapter before I begin: there will be blood and suicide mentions. However, this story was not intended to romanticize any of that.

Chapter 3: Sempiternity

We built a life together. He abandoned the thought of living a normal human existence and cloaked himself with deception. Without my request, he readily cut what few ties he had left. Gradually, he withdrew from society, taking his small fortune with him. I created a comfortable life around us: one meant for ourselves. We moved into a modest country house far enough from the city. The estate was no where near as extravagant as the mansion, but in it, we were happy.

Far from nosy neighbors, or insufferable traffic, we basked in the mornings of solitude. To preoccupy himself throughout the day, he accepted a leisure job that did not require him to leave the house. Though it was of low income, he didn't care. Producing money was not an issue for either of us. While he was working cases, I did what I did best. I took care of him.

After years apart, we finally had an ideal ending. We had the chance to grow old with each other, and we made up for that lost time. I prepared the meals he loved every day. This time, nothing was 'improper' about being in the kitchen, and so it didn't embarrass him to watch me wide-eyed in wonder. In his spare time, he even offered to help. While he wasn't adept at cooking, making dinner together was amusing for both of us.

In winter we snuggled under heavy comforters, and talked until the sun rose again. On endless rainy days, we strolled around in mud splattered boots. I never understood the necessity of the changing seasons until I spent them with him, this time around. We sat in silence, heads resting on laps, hand in hand, or side by side. Touching him wasn't an impossibility. He was more than the effigy created in my mind. His breath mingled with mine when he pressed up against me, or gazed at me adoringly. That was more than my imagination could fabricate. I could hold him, and he would still be there.

We made love in obscure places, stole kisses in midday, and bickered at just the right amount. Each day was momentous, filled with precious things even if nothing in particular happened. There was something about being by his side that made the otherwise tedious world, promising. But the boy who fueled me with life and lifted me from the ruins of purgatory suffered from a fear that gnawed at him. His spirit wilted like a floret faster than I could salvage it.

I noticed the subtle changes in his behavior long before I knew the cause. I felt the anxious glances and breathy sighs. He clung to me at night, like I would disappear if he let go. There were times he hated getting up, wishing for the clock to stop again. When morning came, he bewailed daytime, yearning for the moon to return. It wasn't until it was too late to save him from the world he had fallen into, that I knew. He dreaded when these blissful days would end for both of us.

The not so child was afraid of our fate. He knew each passing minute indicated his aging. He despised it. Soon he would surpass my age in appearance, and that was a horrifying realization. It sent him into a frenzy of self-loathing. Mirrors were regarded with abhorrence, and anything to do with maturing even more was avoided. He blamed himself for the unsaid separation looming over us, as if he were the sole cause for the inevitable. It headed for us at an alarming rate, and it frustrated him that there was nothing ethical we could do about it. We had to indulge in the time we had left. He knew that. Still, a violent depression took over him the way feelings often do. They slapped an hourglass on the rest of the world, making everything in his periphery an omen of death.

They came without cause or warning. Triggered by simple things, he lost himself in worry of when we would no longer be together. He cursed the uncontrollable circumstances which we found each other in. To be presented with an uncertain period was unfair. How could anyone be so hapless?

Despite it, he remained the creature I commended him to be. My proud little earl masked agony with indifference. Knowing he was hiding such a pained expression from me was nothing short of infuriating. It wasn't a burden he had to bear alone.

Didn't he know we were bound together? Two birds were imprisoned in this cage, and neither were attempting to escape. Except, there were no shackles or iron bars that forced us in. We were trapped on our own accord. This was the life I desired. Even before knowing he existed, I made that decision. No matter how miserable the ending, I would see it through till the end. I could live off these memories until we made more. Waiting was a minor annoyance compared to his complete absence. Because in the end, nothing was more unfulfilling than a life without him.

We often argued about his mortality. There was an option to avoid the unspeakable. It was the only viable one for us to remain the way we were. I explained it when curiosity overcame him; how to become like me. Although I was created a demon, I knew the means to immortality. It was the elixir humans sought for from the beginning of time. I thought it would ease his mind if he knew a method, but it simply upset him more. After that, he dismissed any talk of becoming inhuman.

Even when we had come to the end of our second half-lived life, he refused the very idea.

"We will meet again. I know you. You will find me. And I will always find my way back to you."

"But Ciel, my love," I protested, "are you willing to put it to the test?"

He shook his head, and shrugged. "This isn't for me to decide."

"Then let me decide for you," I insisted, pressing my lips on the palm of his hand.

"Sebastian...one day, we will be together again, forever. But not now. Not in this life."

Normally, I would be furious over a silly statement like that. After all, how could he be so sure about the future when I was not? But something, be it his sincerity or the way his azure pleaded, made me hold my tongue. There were no church bells tolling in the distance, but both of us knew it was time.

"Then, my love, I shall wait for you, forever," I said, and I truly meant it.

. . .

I caught a glimpse of him in the middle of a street market teeming with people. The lively prattle of meaningless conversations exasperated me, as I tried to focus on the only one of importance.

As usual, a single glance was all it took to mesmerize me. He was preoccupied at a fruit stand, closely examining the red delicious in his hand. What I would have done to trade places with it. Spin hay into gold? Leap over mountains? Retrieve a fallen star? For his undivided attention, I would.

The mumbled chatter rose and fell, muted only by the hum of his throat. He thanked the fruit vendor and accepted the bag of apples after handing over some bills. Before he was aware I was there, or I managed to snatch him away from the crowd, I stopped myself. I silently praised his younger figure, the soft edge of his bitten lips, and the irresistible curve of his neck before doing what I should have done in the past. I walked away.

It wasn't my intention to see him. I vowed to give him the space he desired. And although I succeeded in avoiding the places I knew he would visit, his reoccurring presence around the area was impossible to ignore. No matter how determined I was to stay away, somehow I found myself in his vicinity. I was hopelessly drawn to him. My limbs were not my own. They belonged to my clever string master, and I, his lifeless marionette.

So, I slinked away into the crowd, looking for a distraction to stop me from simply heading back to reintroduce myself.

He was right. We were fated to meet again. Through years that spanned over lifetimes, I came across him in various forms and ages. I catered to him at every stage, fulfilling his every need, and doing exactly as I promised. I lived off every pleasant memory until he was regenerated. Except, the demon I was, had been dormant for centuries. Beneath the mansion's ruins was the malevolent being who considered spreading vices and killing sprees as distractions. But I have changed. Oh, how I have changed. Now, such distasteful acts weren't even worth doing.

Ciel wasn't a simple portion of the sky. He was my sun. When he died, he erupted into a black hole that swallowed the world in his path. He took everything with him, and I could hardly retell what I did during the waiting game.

There were times he came to me at six, wild and starry eyed, and I aged myself appropriately. Those were the lives I enjoyed most. It meant having him in his most endearing state. Perhaps I would have seen him in a similar position in the past, had the fire not burned all his pleasant memories. We went on treasure hunts and when his allergies reappeared, stayed inside and played board games until dawn. While he didn't always know who I was in those lives, it didn't bother me. Sharing a childhood meant we had more time with each other. I waited until he was old enough to express his love in ways he did before, but sometimes they never came.

Other times he was sixty and needed a cane to walk. Those were harder to endure. The older he was, the more likely I was forgotten, and the more difficult it was for him to accept me into his fully lived life. This was especially true if he already had a family of his own. He was sicker and paler than his youth, and his sudden recollection of me only struck him with more grief. Ceaselessly he berated himself for forgetting me; remarks countered with loving reassurance that he wasn't at fault. And he wasn't. We only had this endless game of hide and seek to blame. So, I sat with him in my elderly state and never left his side. I bid my time until we had to say goodbye again. As always, they came too quickly.

But I learned to take the short lives together over the ones where we never met. Those were the worst. Pining for his return stretched decades into centuries. I was put on pause until he came back to me. It was torturous not knowing if our previous life was meant to be the last. What if that was it for us? Was I condemned to wait for someone who was never coming back to me?

When we reached the end of every cycle, I asked if it was time to change him. That way, we'd never have to worry about a 'last'. We could go on like we did as master and servant. His reply was consistent. It was never the time nor place. But I obeyed him and lived out the life without complaint. If that was what he wanted, I would not argue. I did, however, begin to wonder if the 'right time' would ever come.

It didn't take long until I finally grew exhausted of this. I wanted him with me forever. No more harrowing goodbyes, or waiting in between. No more misplaced guilt. I wanted more. My greed sealed his early demise, and I was determined it would never happen again.

"Won't you reconsider?"

"I'm not worth it, Sebastian. Me over those children? How could I agree to such a thing?"

He was getting anxious, but I couldn't help myself. I pressed him further. I wanted...I wanted him, but not like this. It shamed me to admit it. The one I wanted back wasn't the precarious child, but the self-assured version of his past. While he was indeed the same master I cherished all those years ago, there was something different about us. Something hindered us from being as we once were.

"Please, Ciel."

In that moment, I think he understood the emptiness I've felt as I lived these lives without him. While he grew to love me until the end of his life, my affection for him would never truly end. My feelings were carried over from life to life. They never left. They were always at the forefront of thoughts, feelings which could never be replaced, forgotten, or ignored. I grew to love him more with each day, and mourned him no matter how much time passed.

"Then from now on, you are free," he looked at me apologetically. He opened his mouth just to swiftly clamp it shut. Sadness crept into his azure eyes, a pain I wanted to bear in his place. Edging away from me, he picked up his keys and announced,

"I'm going for a walk."

"Alone? This late at night?"

"Yes, and I'd appreciate you not following me," he said before stepping out.

He took his own life that night. I didn't look for him immediately after he left, feigning to respect his space. In truth, I was the one who needed a moment to think. We had similar, unresolved arguments before. Why couldn't he accept that the only way we could be what we were, was to let me transform him into a demon? Why couldn't he just trust me?

As I spent the night brooding, he rented a hotel, filled the tub with water, and drowned himself. I found him hours too late.

"I'm sorry," I whispered the next morning, as I lifted his body from the water. He felt heavier in my arms, his garments attributing to much of the weight as they soaked mine. His hand instantly dropped to the floor when I cradled him, and I swooped it up to clamp mine around it. It felt as cold and unnaturally stiff as ice. It lacked the softness I craved.

My guilt was answered by his deafening silence, and the trickling of water that dripped back into the tub. It was then that I decided. Although it was too late for me to forget him, he had choices I opted out of years ago. He could still choose a life without me.

We were birds held captive by each other: flying around in circles, daring the other to go higher, faster, farther without breaking. Neither of us were willing to let go, until now.

I was responsible for his death in that life. It was his way to telling me to stop these games. He had enough.

"Hold on! Sebastian?"

I stopped mid-stride, unable to contain my curiosity. He knew me in this life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed me, or called me by that name. The last time he remembered me so clearly was in his second life. We rarely had a chance to continue where we left off. To ignore the opportunity without another thought would be regrettable. I swirled around, careful not to look at him directly, else my self control crumbled.

"It really is you," he beamed, and threw his arms around me. Tilting his head, he forced me to meet with his devilish grin. When I refused, the corners of his mouth turned down in annoyance, but he didn't say a word. Perhaps he could sense a difference in this life.

"Sebastian, quit playing around. Say something already," he said. He leaned in, scrutinizing me.

I caught a whiff of his scent. He smelled like daffodils: rich and intoxicating. It was difficult to resist dining on his saccharine sweetness when he willingly offered. His brows knitted together when I remained quiet. As much as I wished to dote on him, to swiftly pick him up and return his warmth, I was unmoving. The low tut of his tongue meant he understood. Slowly retracting his arms, he stepped back.

"What the hell?" he demanded, irises boiling like molten rock. His face flushed at the rejection. Furiously, he searched me for an answer. My unreadable expression only frustrated him more. He was begging me to look him in the eyes. Instead, my attention fell on his bitten lips. They pursed together idly and I committed the action to memory. Although he did nothing to convince me, I could feel myself ready to give in, when-

- His body bobs gently in the water, as the realization hits me that his heart was no longer beating... -

"Sebastian, we haven't been like this in forever, and this is the reaction I get? Aren't you pleased to see me?"

- Water laps his hair, pulling him in only to spit him back out. The floor is still wet around the tub. He must have filled it to the brim, for it to spill this much. His leg dangles over the edge, and I wonder how long he'll pretend he's dead.

A chuckle arises in my throat at his twisted sense of humour. My laughter only heightens when it's clear he isn't playing a petty prank. He killed himself in a successful attempt to leave me. Of all our lives together, it finally made sense. He wasn't running from immortality. He was running from me.

It was quite amusing, really, to realize it so late. I was the only one who cared about our history. We lived this way at my command. I strung him along like a cargo train, pulling him closer to the gates of hell with me. I forced us to reenact echoes of our misshapen past. He was enchanted by my trill, unable to escape my tune. I never stopped to ask him if this was what he wanted. I never thought of anything besides the void created in me by a ghost; the gap, I decided, only he could fill. -

"How much of your last life do you recall?"

"All of it," he responded without skipping a beat, "but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Ciel, you..."

He cut me off with another scowl before taking a deep breath. It was a rather nonchalant gesture, considering the topic of his death.

"I know what I did, Sebastian."

"Then why do you persist on following me? You made it quite obvious what you wanted," I tried to compose myself, but I sounded as bitter as I felt. He would rather die then live any longer with me. I was suffocating him.

"Is that...is that what you think? That I don't want to be with you? Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

He left no room for an answer. Again he leaned in, this time to hug me around the waist. Shaking his head vehemently, he lifted onto his toes and pressed his forehead to mine. I could smell traces of salt water threatening to fall.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I do," he whispered. He shut his eyes to bury his feelings, but the rest of his body betrayed him. There was a permanent wrinkle settling between his brows, and I could hear a crack in his faltering voice.

"I just couldn't stand the thought of...of you waiting for me anymore. I didn't want you to suffer."

"If you wanted to disentangle from me, then why are you here?" I asked. My fury was boiling over. He winced, as if my words wounded him. Although I meant them sharply, a part of me wanted to apologize for them. He was shaking when he glared at me, his mouth curling into a strange smile. I felt his muscles taut under me. This time ensuring that I was looking at him, he gingerly held me between his hands.

"I have a feeling that..." he said in a hush, silencing me, "this is my last life."

It occurred to me that this wasn't just a feeling to him, but something he was quite sure of.

"I wanted to at least live it out with you."

His words had the opposite effect. I was angrier than I'd ever been. For years I waited for him. For centuries I've chased after him. I have done everything I could possibly do to save him from the grave. Yet he threw it all away. And now when his life was going to end conclusively, here he was telling me how I have failed. He was showing me what I will be left with and unintentionally giving me more reason to miss him. Was he planning to paint my life in the most wondrous colours, simply to abandon it half way? Simply to smear the canvas in black?

"Why then, when I asked you to become a demon did you reject it?"

"I thought perhaps if I were like you...something would change between us, as it already has...or you would...eventually get bored of me. And then what, Sebastian? What would I have done if you ever decided to leave me? How long would I live resenting the world? And those lives I ruined just so I could be with you would be...my life would be meaningless."

"But I've thought about it, while you were staying away from me. I thought about it, and I don't care anymore. I have to at least try to fight for us the way you've always fought for me. That way...should you leave me, I won't be...I was just so scared..." the foreign word slipped through his mouth. He remained silent for a while, azure irises swallowing me up.

Finally, it dawned on me what he was trying to say.

"Do you mean...?"

"Yes," he nodded, "it's time."

My core fluttered with warmth when he smiled at me. It was the most genuine expression that graced his face in centuries. My breath hitched, snagging at the base of my throat. How lucky I was to stumble upon this creature. How many people had the chance to be with their mate forever? It was remarkable. The fingers sifting through my hair reminded me that this was real. This was it. Together, we dispelled the lingering loneliness that made way into our hearts. We were not alone anymore. And after today, we will never be again.

"I have two conditions, though," he declared as we finished our silent reunion.

"The souls must only come from those fated to die soon. I won't accept it from someone who has many years to live." Of course. I expected nothing less from him. While it wasn't a difficult feat, it did make for more obstacles.

"And the second?"

"Should you ever tire of me...I'd like that you kill me first," he grinned mischievously. It was so infectious that I found myself returning it.

"Likewise," I agreed, and I swept down for a feather-light kiss. "I'll begin collecting the souls tonight."

"I'm coming with you," he announced. "I have to see it...the sacrifice they're making for me."

I considered telling him to stay, unsure if I wanted him to see me in that state. However, I accepted. Eventually, he will actively feast on souls. What would it hurt to show him the being he would become? Besides, if it was what he wanted...

Instantly swooping him up with one arm, I broke into a sprint. He was slimmer in this life, and it took no effort to haul him around.

The air was frigid as we leaped across the rooftops. My feet barely grazed the tiles before they brushed on another to push us forward. We glided languidly through the night, backs against the things that prevented us from staying together. Whenever I sped up, he clung to me. Amused by it, I made sure to dash high enough to briefly touch the sky. The trick was effective, and he held on just as tightly throughout our entire journey. His nose nuzzled into my shirt, and I could hear his subtle intake of breath. Smiling, I wrapped an arm around his head to shield him from the cold. It may read springtime on a human calendar, but the snow had yet to defrost.

The secret to immortality?

It is said that those who kill become malevolent spirits. To slaughter one created by heaven is a sin so abominable that it tears the soul into pieces. What's more, to murder children for that purpose, the souls of which have never been marred, will strip you of your humanity. The only thing capable of harming something so pure must not be human. Blood of the immortal and thirteen undefiled souls were needed to create one undying one. This was what I had to make myself do: steal the most innocent souls and feed them to him.

We arrived at the Royal Hospital at nine o'clock. The sun had already set, but the building was just as active during the night. Nurses were making their rounds, and a custodian was in the middle of waxing the floors. Sneaking past them, we made our way through the uninviting hallway. On the second level, located on the farthest end of the right wing, was a ward filled with infants. When we reached it, I set him down where he was hidden from security cameras, and could go unnoticed by other personnel.

Four transparent boxes were aligned on both sides of the room. Each infant was strapped to various tubed contraptions I had little knowledge of dealing with. They were resting soundly, nestled in their personal incubator. The room was warm without feeling humid, and welcoming despite being unnaturally tidy. A distinguishable, pungent smell liken to death was opposed by an equally strong stench of antiseptic. The children seemed enervated, and if we didn't have a reason for being here, I would have pitied them.

I walked towards the child emitting the most powerful smell. I made sure she was the one with dwindling time before starting. She was incredibly tiny, filling only a third of her bed. According to her scent, she wouldn't last another week. While that was a long time for a human, we couldn't wait for her to die naturally. So, deciding she would do, I hummed a dulcet lullaby to calm her. The souls taken for immortality must be perfectly extracted. To do that, the human must feel at peace when you take them.

The little one lulled deeper into a slumber she would never awake from. I almost envied the fact that she could sleep so peacefully. In one brisk motion, I dug my nail into her chest and sliced it open. Her skin was soft and powdery to the touch. I could see her blood weakly pumping through her translucent skin as it poured out from the cut. She protested a minuscule amount, giving off a muffled cry that died away as soon as I released my finger from her stomach. Then, I waved a hand above her heart, waiting. After a millisecond, something glistened from within her. The soul trickled scrupulously, as I coaxed it onto the palm of my hand. It was whiter than the first snowfall, and shimmered brilliantly in haphazard circles. I engulfed it, careful to store it in myself until the time was right. It slid down easily enough, though the taste was too bland to be considered good.

The opening on her body had healed itself by the time I devoured the soul, leaving no visible mark on her. She merely appeared to be asleep. I glanced behind me, wondering how he would react to seeing such a scene.

He walked over to me and squeezed my hand, as if to tell me it was okay. I caught him looking from me to the girl, and so I stepped aside to let him approach her. He poked a finger in the incubator, and lightly tapped her hand. He whispered a muted sorry to no one, aware that she was already gone. It made me wonder if I made the right choice. Perhaps bringing him with me would make it more difficult to accept the souls.

Oncoming footsteps alerted me we were not alone. Apparently, he heard it too. He nodded calmly at me, and I picked him up again. We vanished as promptly as we came.

The rest of the night carried on in a similar manner as we executed our plan. We went from hospital to hospital, stopping to take a single soul. It was a tedious task, proving more difficult as the moon began to fade.

I had my share of overindulgence. Collecting this amount of souls was nothing new to me. This time, however, was somewhat different. I was accustomed to devouring them immediately, and not being able to do that was putting a strain on me. Each kill was more difficult than the last. The temptation to consume them was overwhelming. But the thought of having the one in my arms forever, was strong enough to resist the urge.

We moved along, making sure not to stay in one place. Too many deaths in the same area would attract unwanted attention from insufferable reapers, and I didn't have the time or energy to handle them.

The last, quivering soul swirled like a tornado in my hand. I guzzled it down hastily and let Ciel have a moment with the final child. The beat of his heart spurned erratically, and he informed me when he was ready to go. I picked him up once again, and brought him to the spot where it all began.

There was nothing left of the manor. Its remnants vanished long ago, long after my mark disappeared. From its ruins sprouted fir trees which grew abundantly in the area. Trees twice the size of buildings were the only things that could be spotted for miles around. Many generations passed since Ciel first appeared on earth, and since then, many things have also changed. These grounds were no longer a phantom of the past. They were a promise of a greater tomorrow.

I steadied him in front of me. Without a word, I made an incision across the back of my left hand. A contract was once engraved there, a covenant that cut deeper than the lines of the insignia. My blood poured out from the gash as my body instantaneously attempted to heal itself. His eyes widened in shock, but he didn't object. He merely watched me as he had done for the past few hours. I extended my hand, and he accepted it. Blood oozed off it and he looked at me questioningly.

"Drink," I instructed.

Without hesitating, he brought it closer to his lips. His tongue darted out, licking the blood off me before any more spilled. He grimaced to tell me the taste was unpleasant. Then, he sunk his teeth around my cut, drawing out more blood. He continued drinking, suckling so hard that my hand began to feel sore. But he latched on tighter, despite my discomfort, and I had to forcefully push him off until he eventually obliged.

I healed my wound while he wiped my blood from the corners of his mouth. He had a strange affinity for it, after all. It was amusing watching him lick it off his fingers. When he settled down, he looked at me expectantly.

"Once I do this, there is no turning back. I will ask you again. Is this truly what you want?"

He smiled so unconvincingly, it was painful to look at, but he nodded without pause, and said,

"Yes."

Ducking in, I connecting our lips and moving them apart. He grinned at my sudden force, giving me access. The first soul I allowed to leave me trickled cautiously into him. He swallowed it steadily, exploring the new flavour as the blinding white light glowed within him. The first soul escaped me without a problem, pulling with it the next.

I didn't notice anything was wrong until his fingers dug urgently into my chest. The second soul was forcing its way into him faster than he could handle, and he was choking on it. No sooner did he guzzle it down before the third and fourth enter him. He was struggling to stand while the next few flowed into him, yet still he took them. They filled his senses until he was so confused that he didn't know what to do. He thrashed about, showing me his inability to deal with them. Their emotions were overpowering him. They were too much for him to bear all at once.

He was gulping for air now. His lungs were on fire, and he pushed me away. He was begging me to stop, but I could not do what he wanted. The exchange of souls was still happening. We were still connected by them, and breaking it would only put him in more danger.

Finally the last one slipped into him, and I released him. He coughed, spluttering all over the place. Dropping to his knees, he heaved the contents of his stomach. A disgusting sound came from him, as he wheezed, collapsing next to his vomit. As soon as he touched the ground, a violent convulsion take over him. The spasm overtook his limbs, jerking him around. Pushing him to his side, I crouched beside him, watching anxiously. He continued the fit without my interference.

Suddenly, he stopped and rolled to his back. He let out a big sigh, and looked at me. His lashes batted, and I was unsure what was happening, but...

No.

No.

NO!

"Please Ciel, not again. Come back to my, my love, please come back to me." I gingerly lifted him onto my lap, clutching him to me. I was a mess of incoherent mumbling, but didn't seem shocked by it. He only stared at me with those azure eyes that I adored more than my own life. I rocked us gently, trying to comfort him, only to destroying myself in the process.

I can recall the precise moment his heart stopped beating. The horrible, echoing silence that followed split my insides. A crushing weight even my inhuman strength could not move fixated on my chest. I felt like someone was shooting bullets through my head over and over again. Of course that pain would have been more tolerable. It made me want to scream at the rest of the world, but I did not. There was no use in doing so. My beloved, my mate, was dead for good. There is nothing this world could offer me that would be worth staying alive. There was nothing left.

Falling atop his body, I rested my head on his chest. Burying my face into him I inhaled the sweetness of his scent, already growing weaker with each breath. I decided I would not move from this spot until I was dead as well. Surely, it will take more than centuries, but I would wait. I would wait until death took me as its own, and we would be together.

Demons do not cry. Demons do not cry. And yet, here I was.

I don't know what I did, or how long I was there for. If days passed or if night barely left, I wasn't sure. At some point I heard a fluttering heartbeat, but I ignored it. If something was lurking in these woods, I would surrender to it.

When nothing came, I passed it off as my imagination. I almost forgot about the sound, drowning in my sorrow, when suddenly, I heard a humdrum heartbeat coming from his hallow shell. It was faster than a kitten's purr.

"Sebastian...?" a voice called from under me. A creature with the likeness of me, calling me by that name?

If I hadn't moved, I would have mistaken him for someone else. He wasn't the breakable effigy I remembered. His skin was healthier, the cream coloured glow like marble. The clothes that hung off him earlier barely fit him now. His muscular stature made him seem older, stronger. Fang like incisors shaped in his mouth, and his nails were coated in the darkest shade of black. His voice, still as smooth as buttermilk, was so alluring that I felt myself falling under his spell. I could see the hint of crimson hidden in his saucer eyes, but they were the unmistakable ones I loved. These were the sure signs of a newly dangerous predator.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," he said with a smirk, and brushed a finger on my lips. Wiping away my tear, he blinked, wondering why I was observing him. I didn't bother asking questions. I knew we had all the time in the world for explanations.

Running a thumb across his cheek, I was amazed that he was really here. Lifting his head upwards, I planted a kiss on the hallow of his collar. He stifled a moan and threw both arms over my shoulder. Prodded by his ardent gaze, I allowed him to lower his mouth onto mine, already hungry for a dose of his expert kiss.

We won't worry about anything from now on. The past should be cherished, and the future looked forward to with hope. Both, however, are dangerously misleading. Romanticizing the past hindered me from moving forward the way thinking solely of the future terrified him to try. It was a notion that took centuries for either of us to grasp, and even longer to correct.

For now, we will revel in the present of our perpetually unchanging love. I may devote myself entirely to his existence, and that, I was ready to do.

On days like today, when the sun illuminated the country with its warmth, I found myself distracted by the melody of a blackbird. I noticed the source in the corner of my eye and was surprised to find two of them singing together. They flew around each other, dipping back down if the other fell behind. It occurred to me that the harshness of winter had seemingly melted overnight. Gone was the slush and leafless trees. The budding grass was a testament to it. This desolate land was privy to new life. And likewise, a different season unfolded before us: one that offered us eternity.

The end.

Thank you so much for staying with me! I really hope you liked the ending. It was kind of longer than I intended it to be, but oh well. I'm planning to write another sebaciel story or two for a contest on tumblr, but after that, I think I'll probably be taking a break!

Please send me some love by reviewing/favouriting (wow that sounded lamer when I typed it). You guys are awesome and I really love you all! Thank you a thousand times over!