Terra glanced up to the sky, giving a somber look; clouds had hazed over the sun and there was nonstop drizzle. The rain soaked through his hair, and rainwater ran down his armor and dripped onto the ground below him. His blue eyes reflected a stormy sadness, but unlike the rainclouds, nothing poured from them.
"Sunstar..." He breathlessly murmured up toward the sky.
He knew there would be no response.
He clutched his hand to his chest, where his solar core burned. However, it no longer seemed to have the same bright burn it had once had, all those years ago...
----
"We may not survive this conquest, Terra. Do you understand?" Sunstar spoke, his back to Terra.
The smaller Stardroid brushed a few green bangs out of his own eyes. "Understood, Lord Sunstar."
"And all we have is the time that remains until we pass the Asteroid Belt." Sunstar turned to face Terra, his sky-blue eyes locking with ocean-blue eyes. "...Do you understand me still?"
"I do, Lord Sunstar." Terra leaned closer, approaching Sunstar.
Sunstar lifted a hand and gently fiddled with a few strands of Terra's hair. Terra's eyes widened and he leaned into the touch. Sunstar's hand was warm--so warm--and felt so comfortable and familiar, as though it were the first thing that had touched him after activation. His head tilted, mostly into this touch.
Terra's voice dropped, and he spoke quietly. "Lord Sunstar...I..."
Warm lips caressed Terra's lips before he could finish speaking. When Sunstar pulled away from the lips, he leaned in and whispered in Terra's ear. "...No need. I already know how you feel."
Terra's eyes welled up. "...I...understand...Lord Sunstar."
----
The rain ran down Terra's face. No. That wasn't rain. Rain wasn't silver and didn't run this slowly. How long had it been since he let liquid metal flow? His body trembled; perhaps it was the coldness of the rain? No. That couldn't be it. Then why? Why was he shaking so much?
No. It was a different kind of cold that had fallen over him. Even if the sun came out right at that moment, he still would have been cold. He'd already lost the only sunshine that warmed his solar core.
He dropped to his knees, his hands slamming against the ground, and his head hanging low.
A soft light glowed just in front of him with the intensity of a white-hot sun. On the ground lay a bronze sun that looked similar to the sun that once adorned Sunstar's helmet and armor. Terra glanced up to this light, his eyes widening significantly while the last of his mercury tears ran down his face. A sign! This had to be a sign!
He looked up to the sky, where the sun was starting to break through the clouds. So too had this shining sun on the ground broken through Terra's clouded heart. He snatched up the bronze sun, holding it up to the light.
"Thanks Lord Sunstar, wherever you may be!" He smiled softly.
"...Of course, my only sunshine." A soft voice whispered in the wind, the faintest outline of a once mighty being watching Terra from behind.
