To Die in Gold

- Memory Scroll 2: The Setting Sun -

The sky bled orange and gold, streaks of fading light cutting through the clouds like the final brushstrokes of an artist's masterpiece. The sun dipped slowly toward the horizon, its warmth soft and fleeting. The world had never felt so still, so heavy with finality.

Zen Mori knelt on the fractured ground, his breath shallow, each inhale more painful than the last. His body - flesh, muscle, and bone all devoured in the final battle, the final war, against the last of the Morrats. His human form, battered and bloodied, clung stubbornly to life. Blood pooled beneath him, mixing with the dirt and ashes of the battlefield.

He trembled. His breathing was slow, controlled - but not calm. His green eyes, with their faint hint of gold, flicked toward the sky. The sunset. He watched it in quiet reverence, the warmth of its light brushing his face. For once, the world seemed peaceful.

His gaze lowered slowly to his arm. His body still shook with exhaustion. His fingers flexed weakly before curling inward. Slowly, his right hand moved toward his chest - a familiar movement, one he'd done countless times before. He reached across his body, fingers searching for his opposite shoulder. He'd always done it - that small, quiet gesture. Wrapping his arm over his shoulder like he was the only person in the world who knew how to hold him. The hug. It was the same small hug he always gave himself when things felt too overwhelming. A quiet self-soothing gesture he'd learned when no one else was there to comfort... or to console him.

But this time, his hand grasped at air.

Mori blinked, confused for a moment. His hand hovered where his shoulder and arm should have been. But it wasn't there. His left side was gone, reduced to nothing but blood-soaked air and ash.

His breath hitched. He lowered his right hand, fingers twitching as they hovered over the space where his other half should have been. Slowly, his gaze drifted to the ground. His heart thudded, not in panic, but in understanding. It wasn't healing.

He wasn't healing.

The truth settled into him like a cold fog. His body always healed before. No matter how many times he'd fallen, no matter how much he'd bled, he always rose again. Not this time. His other half was gone. It wasn't coming back.

A quiet, shaky breath left his lips. So this was it.

For the first time, his hug failed him.

A soft shift of air stirred behind him.

Mori's ears twitched. He didn't turn around. He knew who it was.

A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. His breath was labored, his voice hoarse but teasing. "Well... well, isn't it my favorite Arbiter?"

His grin widened as he chuckled softly, though it broke into a brief, shallow cough. "Come to watch the sunset with me, huh?"

Ujin didn't answer right away. He stood behind Mori, hands hidden within his sleeves, his gaze distant. He wasn't looking at Mori. At least, he couldn't. He was looking at the sunset. His head was bowed slightly, his eyes locked on the horizon, as if the glow of the sun held something only he could see.

His fingers twitched within the folds of his robe. Slowly, his right hand slipped free, his fingers curling into a loose fist. His breath came slowly, inhaling and exhaling, but his chest rose and fell unevenly. His heart ached. Not metaphorically - it physically ached, like something sharp had driven into his chest.

He opened his hand and pressed his palm firmly against his chest, right over his heart. It didn't stop the ache. He gritted his teeth, his jaw tight, and lowered his hand slowly, gripping the edge of his robe, clutching it like it was the only thing anchoring him to the ground.