The cemetery was never a place Hero liked very much. To him, it had always held sad, shallow memories of people he never even knew. And it stood as a dark reminder that life isn't eternal, and his and his friends' would someday come to an end.
Mari's grave was there now. And that always made it worse. In the past few years, he'd always had trouble visiting her grave. The first year, he'd kept himself basically glued to his bed. The last three years after that, he was too sad.
He would always have to fight back tears at the dark reminder of her death. He was never able to visit her.
But now, he could visit her grave with little to no trouble. It was still hard, but it had gotten easier. He liked talking to her sometimes, even if she wasn't actually able to hear him. He just liked having someone to talk to.
And here he sat, quietly enjoying the peace of the cemetery. He'd shared his recent activities with Mari, silently hoping she was listening. Sometimes, he just liked to rest by her grave. Give her spirit some company.
Hero takes a deep breath in, the air around him surprisingly clean. He felt calm. Through all of the chaos these past weeks had brought him, he felt calm.
Gentle footsteps behind him catch his attention, though he doesn't open his eyes. Another person sits beside him, leaning against him. That causes Hero to open his eyes.
"Hey, Sunny. What are you doing?" He asks quietly.
The noirette sitting beside him, donning a new eyepatch fresh of any blood, shrugs. He didn't really know why he was here. He just felt like coming here.
Hero nods, going quiet.
A quiet sniffle is heard beside him. Hero turns back to Sunny, who had tears welling up in his intact eye. Hero frowns and wraps an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong?" He asks softly, gently rubbing Sunny's shoulder.
Sunny shakes his head frantically, trying to stop his oncoming tears. Slowly and gently, Hero pulls him into a hug. "You know we're not mad at you, right? Is that what's bothering you?"
Sunny shakes his head again, burying his face in Hero's shirt. "Or is it just…" Hero hesitates. "Is it bothering you that much?"
Sunny nods, sobbing quietly.
Hero looks back at the gravestone in front of them. "I'm sure she'd forgive you, Sunny. And I'm sure she already has." He says, gently running his fingers through Sunny's dark hair.
Sunny looks up at him, face soaked with tears. "You're a good kid Sunny. Everyone makes mistakes." Sunny's sobbing resumes and he wraps his arms tightly around Hero's chest.
"Everything is going to be okay, Sunny." Hero murmurs.
Eventually, Sunny's sobbing died down into quiet hiccups and sniffles. The two boys sat quietly in the cemetery, tightly holding hands for comfort. If Hero was going to be a big brother to Kel, he might as well be a big brother to Sunny, too.
. . .
Somehow, it seemed even more peaceful than before.
