To the stars and beyond... || Shiki Kuze
In a mere instant Jun's fate had been sealed. The high school boy hadn't hesitated one second as he saw a mysterious man dressed in black, or mayed darker shade of crimson he couldn't remember, pointing a gun at Shiki, a bullet heading straight to his heart, the only thought in his mind being I must save him at all cost... He indeed had protected the star, their attacker long gone as he finally realized that he was lying on the cold concrete, blood pouring from the open wound on his chest, vision blurry as he could barely even discern the other's face looming over him or feel the strong hold on his shoulders. The bullet had hit his lung and there was nothing to do anymore as he would very soon die.
If he had pondered a bit more, maybe all of it could have been avoided. After all, Shiki was the Vega star, there was no way he, or rather his human form, would have died from such a small feat, now could he? Yet, he had been here for Jun so many times that the desire to protect the one who had become more than his friend has been too great as he would have lived with an overwhelming guilt weighting on his consciousness if the other had been hurt in any way. He had been too nice, too caring, too supportive. The raven haired boy had often wondered the reason why the star was still with him, keeping up with him when he considered himself to be only a nuisance to the other raven haired boy, maybe a little helpful when it came to helping him discovering more about mankind but that was all.
They had been so different, Shiki always in a cheerful mood, thing that had most often than not comforted Jun during his numerous mood drops upon recalling all he had made his friends endure because of his own powerlessness. Yet, they shared several interests and the high school student never had as much fun as he had when hanging out with the star...
Upon his last moments, he could recall their fateful meeting, a day where Tokyo had been ravaged, when Vega had been running through wrecked streets to avoid being seen, his body strangely glowing. He had stopped to listen to Jun as he had approached him and despite his earlier surprise, had found a great friend in this acquaintance he had made when the world had been saved by no one but Shiki. For here on, so much had happened, his confession that had backfired though not hindering their friendship, the forced wedding that had ended up everything but well even if it wasn't for the reasons he had expected, his turning back into the Joker and other numerous things. Their time together... had been eventful, the happiest days of Jun's life but those were nearing their end.
Breathing slowly to conserve the few amount of life he had left, his unfocused gaze laid on the one he had loved more than anything though it had never been reciprocated in any way, raising his hand to his face that was really close to Jun's, touching the warm skin one last time.
"I'm... glad I could at least do something for you... this time. I... hope I helped you... learn more about humans..." A feeble voice uttered as he forced a smile on his lips, truly hoping that despite all the light years separating them, the star hadn't wasted his time with him, that, even though he would never have made a difference, being a simple human, that even if Shiki had learned one thing from him, it would have been more than enough to him.
"We're... lucky to have such a star watching over us, humans, thank you for everything... Vega..." His lids felt heavy, his conscious slowly fading away as he breathed his last breath, a smile on his lips, his face peaceful. He had no regrets left, at least managing to protect someone instead of hurting them as he had always done. To know that Shiki was safe, that his star would still be shining for millenniums to come was comforting. No matter what there would be beyond his life, he wished for the other's happiness, maybe him watching over him from somewhere, maybe from among the stars... always.
