𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇. meguru bachira

XV

The snow has been dyed red. All soft like crushed ice from the red liquid that continues to spill. The streets are as empty as her mind. "Am I going to die?" She's not really thinking about the question, but it leaves her mouth.

No other sounds could distract her from the shallowness of her breathing. Even if she wanted to live, there was no such thing. She could. Eris always lived because she's never wanted to die.

She doesn't know. If someone asked if she would die, she wouldn't know. A being above everyone can not make one decision about life or death. It's strangely pathetic to her, but she understands it.

Death is a beautiful spirit that seems to be grasping unto her from far away. The more steps she takes, the closer she is to their longful arms. Like a cherry slushy, she lies on. The taste of iron so bitter on her lips. It's horrible.

"Keres, will you embrace me?" She can feel the sweet warmth of the end each time her eyes close. She sighs; she should at least have said goodbye. However, these legs of hers were much too broken to do so. She didn't need to.

The sweet boy is roaming the streets desperately for her like a bee searching for a hive in the winter. Her arms covered in snow as she breathes out the cold air. She catches sight of that yellow stripe from even far away.

His eyes meet her body as his express twists into agony. His legs race to her faster than he's ever ran. He's a dribbler; you can't take the ball away from him, but this isn't to do with the ball. It's everything to do with his future love.

Bachira never knew if he was in love, but he knew that when he truly fell in love, it would be with her. He was right. His heart is aching, crying for someone to give her back to him. "Eris..?" She looks at him. "I'm not dead, you know?" He sighs of relief despite the panic.

"You should take care of your wounds." He's a little calmer now that he knows she can still be okay. "I'll be right back." He's frantically going from door to door to find a first aid kit. A little time passes as her world glows. "Keres, please..." She murmurs.

Eris does not get desperate, but her strength is fading. He's changed her, but her getting better wasn't good enough. Her realising she deserved none of this makes her resistance to the end so little. His beautiful face is truly a sight she doesn't mind dying with.

His breath quickens. "You're gonna live, you know that?" She's never seen such a distressed expression on his face. "Hey, calm down, it's okay." Her hand brushes gently on his tear-stained cheek. He sniffles as he gently stops her wounds. She winces, but she knows she has to live.

If she dies now, she dies, knowing she caused his expression to be like so. She doesn't want anything but for him to live because she's tired. Eris is really fuckung exhausted. The cherry on snow slowly dries up as the boy sits next to her.

She doesn't sit up; she just looks at him. "You're hopeless, you know that?" She sighs as the thought becomes more apparent. She was fine with it if it meant the warmth she was embraced with. Because in death, she can. But in this world, those willing to embrace her can not.

Maybe he is, but he can't bear to accept that. He can't bear to live a life without her. He will. "No, I'm not." He protests as he raises her up from the sand. He doesn't even question what happened because he knows he'll get no answer. He just wraps those hands around her.

A sigh escapes his lips. "You want to cry, don't you?" She frowns. She can't cry. She simply doesn't know much of how to let those tears fall out of her eyes. "I promise you can cry." She doesn't sob, but the tears silently fall out of her eyes.

Each individual tear having fought through hell to escape. "You should just... run. You should leave whatever does this to you and run. Please, I can't bear to see you like this." She sighs. "If it was so easy, I would have ran ages ago."

The thought had crossed her mind, but Eris had her people. Eris had her people, who she was only able to keep as her people because she listened. Because she was able to endure the cherry red. His words feel like poison on her skin as she embraces the warmth of him.

For the last time, she embraces the warmth of him. "But... what about us?" His voice breaks as if realising that he can't truly be with the girl he's fallen in love with because the girl he's fallen in love with can't have love. She can't live with such a thing.

And the thought makes him want to cry. The thought makes him want to spill the cherry all over the snow. It's unbearable. "We can't be together, you know that. It's just nonsense." She says the words as if she doesn't even care.

He knows she cares. He can tell she cares, and that makes it so much worse. It makes it so much worse looking at her seem so solemn. She cares, but she doesn't think. Her mind rushes with thoughts she can't even make out.

Everything about her has slowly empties as she brushes her hand against the snow. She pulls away from him. "Maybe in another life, or maybe in another twenty years. Maybe when that man is dead, but I won't be." He gives her a look as he raises up his pink finger.

She interlocks hers with his. "Promise me, you'll live?" She nods as an oath that that will bind her forever is made. "Good because, Eris, I don't think I'm going to stop loving you. So, even if it's in another life, or in this one, we'll end up together." He says it like he's sure of it as he lays down beside her.

He's cold too, but despite that he drifts away to sleep. It's dangerous to sleep in the middle of the road in winter. Yet, she doesn't wake him or move. She doesn't mind watching over him for the last time. The sky is closing in on her because she won't get anything like him again.

"Keres, you, too, have forsaken me."

—☆—
FIC END

There's no way to properly reach a conclusion in this book and I feel giving her a happy ending completely undermines everything I've created her as.

I've hated, loved, despised this fic but I'm satisfied with it nonetheless. I've rewritten it like twice anyways.

Eat well, sleep well, and don't forget to hydrate. I love you too much for you to end up like cherry red on snow.