[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Goodbyes and Hellos (oneshot)

[lucathia_rykatu]

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I first started writing this fic for kiyutsuna's birthday back in September. I obviously didn't finish. Thought I could finish it for Christmas, but that didn't happen either, and I didn't make it on New Year's Eve or January 1st either. But here it is, finally! /ends the fic drought.

Title: Goodbyes and Hellos
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 7,119
Summary: Dreams must eventually come to an end. Chikus has never wanted to say goodbye in such a way. But, perhaps this isn't goodbye forever. Post canon. Deals with retirement life and afterward.
Notes: Comes between A Slice of Wedding Cake and My Very Own Creature of Darkness, bridging the years between. Character death. Pairings from the Until the End of Time verse. (Grisia x Lesus, Ceo x Roland, hints of other pairings). Can be read as a standalone oneshot, but it might make slightly less sense. Title thanks to Kiyutsuna. (What is this 7k monster, ahhhh)

Illustration by Kiyutsuna included at the end!

Goodbyes and Hellos

Sun was the first to die.

When it happened, I punched a tree. Hard. It cracked and splintered, but I couldn't even feel the pain in my fist through the numbness that had taken over my heart. Blood dripped down my knuckles, but I paid it no attention and didn't care even when I got blood over my face as I wiped furiously at the stupid tears that were spilling out of me uncontrollably.

It wasn't that we hadn't seen it coming, but so what? Knowing didn't make it any better.

It hurt. It hurt way too much watching Judgment lay Sun to rest. It had only felt like yesterday when they'd finally tied the knot and stopped holding back. They should have had more time than that. After everything that they'd suffered through, didn't they at least deserve that?

After everything that Sun had sacrificed for the sake of the world, didn't he at least deserve happiness?

Yet, we had to watch Sun grow weaker and weaker as he lost the Demon King's power bit by bit. The closer he got to becoming just Sun again, to being forever free of the Demon King's influence, the more his health deteriorated. The fluctuating holy element and dark element within him over the years had taken their toll.

Sun Knight or not, Demon King or not, Sun was only human.

He smiled through it all, claiming that he welcomed the day he would finally stop being a threat to us.

But I couldn't stand it.

I just couldn't.

I couldn't stand it when Sun had to dye his hair during his last few years as the Sun Knight, no longer having enough strength to cover his hair with holy element.

I couldn't stand it when Sun turned the wrong way to speak to me, not realizing until later that he'd slipped up about his failing sensing ability.

I couldn't stand it when Sun dropped his sword and laughed it off, joking about how terrible his swordsmanship had always been, when we all knew that his grip was failing him too.

I couldn't stand it.

Sun was the first to die. The first to leave us.

But not the last.

And not without regrets.

The second to leave us was Metal.

We'd all promised Sun that we would stay in Leaf Bud City. As promised, even after we retired, each of us found a place in the city as our permanent residence so that Sun would not have to stay here by himself. There was even talk about buying a huge house and rooming together, a beautiful continuation of a dream that I hoped would never end. However, that "continuation" never did come to pass, for Sun did not wish to endanger us in case he lost control.

His compromise was to ask Hell to watch over him, which meant Storm couldn't be far away either. They bought a house right next to Sun and Judgment's, while the rest of us all decided to find a place in the vicinity, even Earth, much to Sun's displeasure.

While we were no longer just next door in the same corridor, it comforted me knowing that my companions were only a street or two away. It wasn't the same as when we had all lived together in the Holy Temple, but I made sure to visit often. Never would I let our bonds weaken. If there was any sign of it, I'd kick down their doors and flatten any such thoughts.

But when I kicked down Metal's door, he was in the middle of packing.

Why?

I only had to say one word, and Metal knew what I was talking about.

Why are you leaving? Hadn't we said we would all stay in Leaf Bud City?

He continued to pack. He didn't turn around. He only said...

Blaze, he's already gone.

What was this lump in my throat?

Metal returned to his village.

I never heard from him ever again.

Leaf was the third to go.

Maybe he should have worn a neck brace after all, like he had once joked. We had all known how dangerous it would be to play dead that year. If we had messed up by even a bit, Leaf truly would have died. Back then, I hadn't been far from death's door either, my entire left shoulder split open and bleeding.

But laying there with my life bleeding out of me, I'd felt my anxiety ebb away. It was true that my fingers turned cold and difficult to move, my eyelids heavy, but as my breathing slowed, all that was left was blind faith.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in...

Breathe... out...

When I next opened my eyes, if I even did, I trusted that I would see Sun before me.

Blue eyes and smiling.

And he was there.

He was frantic beyond belief, hair in disarray, but he was there.

Judgment had done it.

I'd rushed forward, hugging Sun tightly from the back, and only then did I feel I was able to breathe easily once more.

That year, we'd gambled and won. We got Sun back. And we'd all woken back up.

But now, he was gone, and there was no longer any way to get him back.

And Leaf wasn't going to wake up ever again either.

Stone was stubborn to the end.

Not even age changed him, and no sickness would either.

After we had seen Sun weaken before our eyes, we all became extra conscious of just how important health was. Storm, in particular, made sure that he always slept at least eight hours each day. He stopped dyeing his hair the moment he retired, and he never drank even a sip of alcohol ever again. I never thought I'd see Storm turn into such a health maniac. It was really weird, but Storm merely smiled and said he just didn't want to leave Roland alone.

For as long as possible, Storm wanted to be by his side, to prevent what had happened with Sun and Judgment's case. It may not be much compared to the endless days ahead of Roland, but for as long as possible, Storm wanted to spare him the pain of losing yet another loved one.

It was already painful enough for us, losing everyone one-by-one.

Just what would Hell's life be like once we were all gone?

Merely thinking about it made me shiver. It was too lonely to consider, so I stopped thinking about it altogether. Thinking wouldn't accomplish anything. I'd rather do what I could, while I still could.

Judgment and I had never been the closest, but I began crashing his place often. Hungri, Elaro, and Ludia were all too busy to visit very often. How could I leave Judgment alone in that empty house?

I made it a point to kick open his door as often as possible. The others had the same thought as I did. Well, not the door kicking part, but our intention was the same. It wasn't unusual to find Storm and Hell with Judgment. The three of them often shared quiet afternoons together, reading books and cooking. Sometimes, they would be outside having a three-way spar, while other times, Hell summoned undead creatures for them to fight.

Earth dropped in now and then whenever he grew bored, and he always brought tea with him. Ice often borrowed the kitchen to make desserts and answer any questions they had about cooking. Cloud would visit and bring more books. Moon would bring seeds for Judgment's garden. Stone would bring with him snacks and stories from various villages he'd visited since our retirement.

Whenever I crashed Judgment's place, I often stayed the night, sleeping on his floor along with several others. None of us were young anymore, and the number was completely wrong, but there in the dark of night, listening to their soft breaths, I could sometimes trick myself into believing that everything was still the same as back then, that nothing had changed.

But it wasn't to be.

Soft breathing eventually became quiet coughing.

Stone denied it each time. When days became months, and months became years, we joked that Stone's stubbornness could even triumph against sickness. And he truly did keep on winning for the longest time.

But even the most stubborn person couldn't hold on forever.

Cloud was as silent as always.

Each year, he accompanied me the graves, always a steady, quiet presence.

Even if I couldn't always see him, which was more often than not, I knew he was always there. All I had to do was call out his name, and he would pat me on the shoulder. Whenever my vision grew blurry with tears, he would be there with handkerchiefs.

Whether I'd messed up over party preparations like what had happened with the bachelor party all those years ago, or if I was breaking down because of missing everyone, he was there.

Visits to the cemetery were especially times when I needed someone with me.

There was a hole in the tree by the grave. I'd put that hole in the tree many years ago. Sometimes, I would touch the jagged edges of the frayed bark, a stark reminder that not everything could be mended.

Just like the gaps they'd left behind.

We all felt it. Sun's teacher was no exception.

He returned to Leaf Bud City soon after Sun's passing. But it was too late by then. All that was left was a stone marker. His cold and controlled voice was more frightening than any yell as he stood in front of Sun's grave and chewed him out for his stupidity. His knuckles were white, hands so tightly clenched, they were trembling.

I stood watching, as silent a presence as Cloud's.

That was my hardest visit. At least, it was the hardest one at the time.

I visited each year, plopping myself down by the side, pouring wine over the dirt to share with them. Cloud brought books with him to read out loud. I could listen to him forever, his quiet voice soothing.

First it was one grave.

Then two. Then three.

By now, there were four. Sometimes, being in front of them made me feel ridiculous and morbid. I hated seeing the number increase, yet at least I was reassured that we wouldn't be alone in death.

One day, I would be buried with them, too.

But too many beat me to it.

He... looked so peaceful in his sleep. He was... as silent as always, slipping away without anyone's notice. By the time I'd realized, his body was already cold, his hands even colder to the touch.

Ice had to pull me away.

We added a fifth grave.

And I brought a book to read to everyone.

Because. He could no longer do it. Even if I called out now, there would no longer be a response.

My voice was far from soothing, but that was all I had.

Moon was next.

After retirement, some of us picked up new hobbies. Moon got into gardening. With his stiff neck, gardening really wasn't an easy hobby for him, as it required him to bend down to plant the seeds and tend to the garden. But he was positive that there were herbs that would help him with his neck, and he was positive that gardening would ease some of the loneliness we all felt. As a result, he gave us many seeds and plants as gifts, since he couldn't really plant them himself.

Judgment's garden was one such garden that overflowed with plants from Moon. However, the most abundant flower in his garden was a purple one, slim and graceful, that dated all the way back to before Moon had even started bringing Judgment seeds and plants. Often, Judgment could be seen walking among the little garden outside of his house, hands brushing against the velvety petals.

Standing in the garden, under the warm sun, enveloped by the scent of lavenders, I thought I could feel his presence. The scent was so very familiar, one that had accompanied us through the years. It had never been a super strong scent, but I'd stood by his side so often that it would have been impossible for me to miss it.

I breathed in deeply, the familiarity almost overwhelming.

A hand rested on my shoulder. For a moment, I thought it might be him, but instead, the scent of cookies brought me out of my reverie. A soft smile greeted me, accompanied by a gentle urging to try the freshly baked cookies he had just made.

Together, we watched over our friends, our comrades, our brothers.

Storm and Hell had their own garden as well. Being the romantic that Moon was, he'd filled their garden with forget-me-nots, the tiny blue flowers as vibrant as the blue that had once colored Storm's hair. Sometimes, I'd see Storm with a tiny little blue flower in his hair. He'd smile and touch the flower gently, saying that Roland had picked it up from the ground for him.

I never really understood romance, but I did understand the feeling of wishing to stay together, always.

When Storm smiled nowadays, his eyes would wrinkle around the edges, from all the winking and smiling he used to do. Earth had wrinkles around his mouth, while Judgment had a deep furrow between his brows. Neither Ice nor Moon had many wrinkles, especially Ice who had always had to hold himself back from smiling, but white strands lined their hair. In Ice's case, his hair had turned as white as snow.

It was very soft and silky to the touch.

I felt the years myself too, and it wasn't just our appearances. Doors were a bit tougher to kick now, my hips protesting at the large motions.

But despite all of our changes, Hell remained the same, exactly like how he had first appeared, a youth some twenty years old. His hair and nails did grow in his death monarch form, as a result of dark element, so Judgment would give him a trim every now and then. But other than having longer hair, nothing about Hell had changed. Perhaps he could have altered his human disguise to match our ages, but Storm hadn't wanted him to do so.

The truth was, no matter what disguise he took, we would all continue to grow old. And he would not.

Although the herbs did help Moon with his neck, it didn't help slow down our aging.

Moon had never gotten over Metal either.

Ice hadn't thought we would be the ones left.

I hadn't either. Not really.

I mean, me? I'd always been loud and impulsive. If I'd been asked who would kick the bucket first, I'd probably have voted for myself.

There were only half of us left now. Ice. Earth. Storm. Judgment. Hell. And me. Accidents and illnesses had taken away our brothers, and now age was doing the same, but dammit if we weren't going to try our hardest to live.

Especially since this was the world, the future, we had all fought for. Especially him.

But even though Sun had spent his life fixing the world, the world wasn't completely fixed. While the dark element wasn't going to engulf the world anymore, it was still around, and people still weren't using it enough.

Perhaps this was one of Sun's regrets.

In response to the imbalance of elements, the former Pope could only shake his head, and the current Silent Eagle could only tell us that the next demon king had yet to be born. In the meantime, his dark knights were doing their utmost to use up what dark element they could, but they could only do so much.

Hell had stepped forward then, volunteering to finish what Sun could not.

Storm had looked at him immediately after, unable to say anything in response.

Perhaps this was another of Sun's regrets.

Sometimes, we went with Hell to keep him company. While none of us were young anymore, we could still wield a blade and cut down undead creatures. The dark element wasn't nearly as strong as when we'd been in our prime, and Hell did most of the work. We were really there as support.

During these times, Ice would bring basketfuls of food, and we'd clear ourselves a spot to have a picnic afterwards. While Ice had never been big on seasonings and soup, he'd started to make savory foods after Leaf's passing. But desserts were still his favorite to make. I especially liked the cookies. Particularly the cinnamon ones. They were messy but delicious.

Even now, however, Judgment sometimes still paused over desserts, especially pies. Storm and Hell would be sharing a plate, while Judgment would lower his hand and curl his fingers together.

I'd look at Judgment and think, perhaps this was Sun's biggest regret, not being able to stay longer with us and Judgment. Although time refused to stop, and there was no banquet in the world that could continue forever, in small moments like these, I'd feel like I was once again that brash youngster who'd just gotten selected to become the Blaze Knight, with the whole world before me.

Of course, there were many who would claim that I was just as brash as ever.

A hand wiped at my mouth where cinnamon and frosting clung.

I grinned and took the hand of the culprit, tugging him closer. His hair really was as soft as snow, and he smelled just as sweet as cookies and pie. His small smiles were even sweeter.

I only wish that we could've stayed together longer.

Earth went out in a bang. Of sorts.

And for a moment, I wondered if I'd gone crazy.

Leave it to him to be so unbelievable. Truly, there would never be anyone else like him.

Even after retirement, Earth never stopped being a womanizer, and he didn't really settle down either. He still brought plenty of women to his house, whether it was for tea or something else.

I'd asked him before if he'd ever wanted something like what Sun and Judgment had had, and his only answer had been to laugh it off. He had then gestured at Storm and Hell and told me that that was yet another tragedy in the making. Ann too did not have it easy after Leaf's passing, but at least she had her children. Perhaps Earth even had his own children running about from his many dalliances, but if he did, none of them had come to claim him as a father. That, in itself, was kind of surprising. The odds were against him, after all.

It did hurt, losing each person. But Cloud... that hurt even more, having him leave so silently. I'd never gotten to tell him how much his support had meant. If we could meet again, I'd be sure to hold on so that he wouldn't slip away like that again.

I'd rather be forthright than to shy away.

But Earth was Earth, and he continued with his frivolous ways. I thought my hip would fail me, but Earth's failed him before mine did, confining him to bed.

And that was when I started hearing things.

"Pfft, of all ways to go, it's going to be because of a broken hip? I came here to annoy you, not to see such a pitiful state!"

I couldn't believe my ears.

There, by the doorway, was someone I thought I'd never see again.

Sun...?

After I kept staring at him, he slowly turned my way.

It was Sun.

He then looked back at Earth, who was confined to bed. I followed his movement, but Earth merely scrunched his face at me for that, responding to me but not to Sun.

I glanced back at Sun just in time to see him scratch his head.

"Huh, I didn't think anyone would be able to see me." He turned to face me once more. "Hey there, Blaze. Did you miss me?"

I swallowed, hard, and strode forward, wanting to pull him close. But my arm instead struck the doorway, completely passing through him.

It really hurt.

At first, Earth thought I'd gone crazy.

But when I told him that Sun had returned to disturb him, he rolled his eyes.

The expression on his face? Definitely a wry grin.

Sun kept vigil all the way until the end.

I caught Sun up on what had happened over the years.

He'd missed out on a lot. Even Sun's student, Elaro, had a student who was about to retire. As I rambled, a sudden thought flashed across my mind, and I blurted, "You need to see Judgment. You don't know how much it would mean to him."

Year after year, I had watched Judgment stand among his garden of lavenders by himself, the space beside him painfully empty. We had all kept him company throughout the years, but it definitely wasn't the same. We weren't the reason why, even to this day, Judgment would pause because of blueberry desserts and any mentions of small favors.

A lopsided smile came over Sun's face. He helplessly held his arms out to both sides. "Don't you think he'd be the first one I'd visit?"

Yes, but I wouldn't put it past Sun for wanting to disturb Earth above all else. They were strange friends like that and had never changed.

Sun sighed, letting his arms drop. "Lesus can't see me."

Oh.

Sun was right. Judgment couldn't see him. Neither could Storm nor Hell. I was the only one who could, perhaps because of how attuned I had always been to spirits.

I gladly played their messenger, passing on messages between them all throughout the night.

We buried Earth with everyone else. There were eight graves now.

To my side, Sun lowered his head, peering down at his own grave.

"It never stops feeling strange," he said, "to be greeted by my own gravestone."

He moved forward, going from grave to grave, mouth silently forming each of the names on them. He extended his hand out, fingertips ghosting across the symbols we had carved on each one.

As I watched him, I was hit by the surrealism of his presence. The cold air that filled my lungs, the crunch of dried leaves below my feet, the quick beat of my heart -- all these indicated that this was real. But never had I felt I was hallucinating more than the fact that Sun was here, looking at his own grave.

It felt like a lifetime ago that we had said our goodbyes.

"Sun," I called, forcing the words out. "Why are you here?"

Are you unable to rest?

Back then, on his deathbed, Sun had smiled. But I knew. We all knew. Sun had not died without regrets. And now, he was here. I'd seen my share of spirits in my lifetime. There was never a happy story behind lingering spirits. Although I was happy to have the chance to see Sun again, was Sun also...

"What, you don't want me here?" Sun asked.

"No!" I shouted and waved my arms. "No, of course I don't think that way. But..."

But...

But... If you're here because you have too many regrets...

Sun circled back to his own grave and paused in front of it. "When I woke up, I was here in the middle of all the graves. I... I didn't think I'd see so many of them."

He gestured to the left and right of his grave. "Don't tell me you plan on letting me have six to my left and six to my right, like always?"

Maybe he was joking, but I nodded. "As close to it as we can. We promised you that after our retirement, we would stay with you in Leaf Bud City. Some of us did leave, but we always returned."

Sun's lips quirked up. "You don't have to stay with me even in death!"

I shook my head and said, "We'll always be the Twelve Holy Knights. Since when has death ever stopped us?"

Until the end of time... That was what they'd promised each other. Our bonds were much the same.

Sun laughed. "And that is exactly why I'm here."

Some years later, Metal suddenly showed up too, and we finally learned the details of his hunting accident. He'd meant to return to Leaf Bud City, but the accident had put a snag to his plans. All he could do was ask to be buried in Leaf Bud City.

He wasn't very happy to learn that Moon had died from poison.

But Metal's presence meant that maybe we would all show up as spirits one day. The time between Sun's and Metal's appearances matched the amount of time that had passed between their deaths.

I showed Metal the gardens that Moon had helped cultivate. He crouched by the flowers without a word and stayed like that for hours. The wind ruffled the petals and leaves, but Metal's hair moved not an inch, his time frozen.

Then, one day, Hell lost all memories of us.

He must have been so confused, being a death monarch among a bunch of old men. The three of us, Judgment, Storm, and me, sat Hell down and told him many, many stories.

Sun had hoped that this wouldn't happen. He hadn't been sure that this would even happen. After all, we really didn't know of any other death monarchs, so there was no one we could ask or learn from. But the dark element was truly a corrosive element, one that had eaten Sun's life away, and one that had now corroded even Hell's memories.

We'd done enough for the world, right?

Hell could stop, right?

Although Hell didn't remember, he continued to put forget-me-nots in Storm's hair. It never failed to bring a gentle smile to Storm's face.

Later, I heard from Storm that Hell intended to continue using as much of the dark element as he could, regardless of what it would do to his memories... again. He'd been blessed with companions, with love, with a life of memories, and he felt it was only right to return the favor and finish what Sun hadn't been able to finish.

Hell had always been a very serious person.

Even when I took my last breath, Hell was still at it, making sure the world we'd all shared would continue to exist.

When I next opened my eyes, there were eleven graves.

Sun, Metal, Leaf, Stone, Cloud, Moon, Ice, and Earth were all present and crowding around me.

Cloud extended his hand. When I closed my hand around his and let him pull me up, I had to blink my eyes, hard. Even after he helped me up, I didn't let go. He was just like how I'd remembered, as silent as always. I had really taken him for granted.

Ice also came to stand by me. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

Unable to help it, I turned around and hugged both of them tightly. I buried my face between them and said, "I've missed you. Thanks for always being there for me."

I’d wanted to say that for years.

Cloud patted me on the head. "I've missed you too."

Hearing his voice made me hug him even tighter. No way was I letting go this time!

Storm and Judgment had yet to show up. Like what we'd guessed all those years ago, our spirits were showing up in the order we'd died with the time factored in and everything too.

"Why'd you go and die as well?" Sun complained to me. "Do you know how hard you made things afterward?"

"Exactly!" Metal cut in. "It was so boring not being able to speak to any of them!"

"Lesus kept blaming his failing pant strings on me, and I couldn't even defend myself!" Sun went on to complain.

Earth scoffed. "I bet you were the culprit."

"It was only that one time, and it was a legitimate experimentation of our ghostly powers," Sun defended.

Earth had a skeptical look on his face.

Metal cut in again to say, "You pulled his pants down way more than once!"

"Well, it was kind of funny..."

If only I'd been there!

They filled me in on what had happened during the years between my death and my eventual materialization. Storm had lived to an impressive old age, much longer than any of us had thought he would live. With all the hair dyeing he'd done during his prime, how little he had slept, and how overworked he had been, it really didn't seem like he would live to be all wrinkly and old. But it was a fact that he had outlived nearly all of us, thanks to how conscious he had been of his health in his later years.

He'd wanted to stay with Hell as long as possible, and he really had managed it to the best of his abilities.

Leaf reported that Storm had passed on peacefully of old age. Afterwards, Hell had begun to carry around the quill that Storm had used the most, a blue one, just like the blue that used to color Storm's hair, and before Storm's grave, Hell would leave forget-me-nots, just like the ones he had always put in Storm's hair, the very flowers that had been in the bouquet that had brought them together.

"He doesn't want to forget," Leaf murmured.

Judgment kept Hell company for another two years. He could no longer spar with Hell, but Hell didn't seem to mind. They still continued to share quiet afternoons over tea and books.

"Lesus kind of developed a habit of talking out loud," Sun added. "Since he knew I was there, even if he couldn't see me. He talked to me so often that other people must've thought him crazy!"

Leaf added, "Before he died, he seemed to have noticed us. Didn't he speak directly to you, Sun?"

Sun nodded. "Blaze, is that possible?"

I scratched my head. "I think so. Even people who aren't attuned to spirits will have their senses heightened near death."

"Roland was the one who buried Lesus. And he also carved the symbol at the top of Lesus's grave marker." Sun pointed out the tombstone next to his. "That brings us to the present."

"Where's Hell now?" I asked.

All of them turned and raised their head to look up.

I too turned in that direction.

There, on the top branches of the tree I had once punched a hole through, sat a lone figure with three pairs of giant wings.

Sun sighed, frustrated. "Seriously, if only you could have stuck around longer, or if we could somehow figure out a way to communicate with him. He can't see or hear any of us."

Life as a spirit was strange. There was no need to eat or sleep. Time seemed to pass differently as well. Night and day really made no difference. Time was just one continuous hourglass, the sands never reaching the end.

I watched over Hell along with the others. He most often stayed in the cemetery, ironically watching over our graves, just like how we watched over him. He rarely left, and whenever he did, it was mostly to take care of the dark element with the help of the Church and the Monastery.

Sometimes, he spoke out loud to Sun or Metal, who he had known were around before I had died. And sometimes, he would speak out loud to Storm, possibly in hopes that Storm would be able to hear him. But Storm hadn’t shown up yet.

Hell didn’t speak out loud often either.

All the while, it was like we were playing a waiting game with Storm and Judgment. The others told me it had been like this with each of them, and they hadn't known how long it would take for the next person to show up. None of them had been present during those deaths, after all.

But now, we knew when Storm would show up. Sun and Metal had already been around then.

"One more year until Ceo shows up," Sun said and then added, "And three more years until Lesus shows up."

He paused. "To be exact, thirty-six months, three weeks, six days, at two and a half hours past noon."

It figured Sun would know the exact time!

Like Sun said he would, Storm showed up in a year. This time, it was my turn to crowd around him with everyone else. We filled him in on what had happened after his death, much like what they had done for me.

We also told him about how Hell rarely left the cemetery, always guarding over us.

Right afterward, Storm looked up toward the tree where Hell was. He climbed up and sat beside him. Hell did not turn or shift. He had no way of knowing that Storm was right by his side.

For a long while, Storm didn't speak. He merely sat silently by Hell. I didn't know how to describe the look that was on Storm's face.

Had I looked like that when I'd reunited with Cloud, with Ice, with everyone?

I was about to turn away when Storm suddenly said, "You brick."

There was no response.

"I won't blame you if you forget. There's no need for you to tie yourself to this place."

Perhaps we should have given Storm his space, but Sun leaned against the bark below. "You know that his everything is here. There's no reason for him to leave."

"I know," Storm mumbled, his voice growing small. "I know."

It was the same for all of us. Our everything was here. We may be separated by life and death, but even then, we would always be the Twelve Holy Knights, and Hell was our dear companion.

We had doomed him into an eternity of looking after the world. For our sake, he would forever continue the task Sun had begun, that we had carried out, that he would now shoulder.

The least we could do was continue watching over the world with him.

It was only at this moment that I finally understood why we'd all shown up as spirits.

How could we leave Hell alone?

Seasons changed. Time continued to pass. I'd lost all sense of time, but Sun was keeping a close track of it. All any of us had to do was ask him, and he would be able to ramble off the exact time Judgment was supposed to appear.

One week left now.

During the last year, a new generation of holy knights had just been chosen. I'd gone with a few of the others to watch the selections. The new kid chosen as the next Blaze Knight liked to laugh a lot. He seemed to have a good grasp of the fire element and also had some spiritual awareness, because when I got close, he actually whipped his head around and even tried to burn me! His eyes darted left and right, but never did they actually land on me.

I patted him on his head, wishing him the best of luck. The next thirty years of his life were bound to be unforgettable.

There were many trials ahead of him and lessons he had to learn. There was sure to be frustration in his future, and fights, and danger, but in exchange, he would have eleven brothers who would stand with him through thick and thin.

Sure, it had hurt so damn much each time we'd lost one of our own. Just Sun had been lost to us so many times, what with his multiple disappearances during his time as the Sun Knight, from losing his memories, to getting kidnapped, to dying, to running off to be the big bad guy... and then, even when he was no longer the Sun Knight, he had to steal in front of us and die first. But despite all the pain and loss, I really wouldn't trade what I'd experienced for anything else.

I’d reached out from that dark basement, taking hold of his hand, and in return, I’d gotten myself irreplaceable brothers.

"Make sure to keep a close eye on your Sun Knight," I told the kid with a grin.

Sun Knights had a way with getting into trouble, whether they sought it or not.

"And treasure your brothers, especially when they don't know how to treasure themselves."

Sun, Judgment, Hell... none of them knew self-preservation!

The kid might've looked at me then, or he might've been looking through me at the holy knight who was behind me, but I never really figured it out. He still had a lot of training to do, after all, before he'd be able to deal with spirits better.

He did reach a hand up to his hair afterwards, though.

Three days left now.

Aldrizzt sometimes came to visit our graves, his appearance not much different from my memories. In later years, after Neo's passing, he'd returned to Leaf Bud City, claiming that he'd done his share of adventuring for the moment. Instead of wandering across the continent like what he'd done during the years he'd spent with Neo, he settled down and studied the balance of elements in the world with the retired Pope, whose longevity was really another story altogether.

No one wanted a repeat of the demon king incident where someone had to take on the burden of the entire world.

Yet, that was exactly what Hell had ended up doing for all of us.

Sometimes, I really hated the Pope and Aldrizzt, even though they'd only played messenger. For the stability of the world, Hell was an existence that could not rest, not until the world was stabilized once and for all.

Who knew how long that would take? As long as the holy element continued to dominate, there was always a chance that the dark element would overrun the world once more. Yes, more demon kings would be born. Yes, the kingdoms would work closely with their churches to support the demon king.

But none of that would be enough to completely stop the underlying problem.

And so, Hell would continue to exist. His presence would keep the demon king in check, and even when the demon king exhausted his or her powers, Hell would continue the task.

The cycle would repeat.

Over, and over, and over.

One day left now.

How many years had it been since Sun and Judgment had last seen each other? Sun had been the first to leave us. And Judgment the last. They'd been apart the longest. I wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

Half an hour left now.

Without fail, when our spirits returned, we had all shown up at the grave site. So, when the time foretold by Sun finally arrived, we all gathered by the graves to wait.

Soon, we would be twelve in number once more. The eleven of us would watch Hell's tribulations without averting our eyes.

Our eleven graves formed a circle. Judgment's gravestone was right by Sun's side. At the top of each gravestone was each of our symbols, the symbols of the Twelve Holy Knights. We stood by our own gravestones, counting down the minutes to our reunion.

I didn't know why it always took years for us to show up as spirits. Perhaps we'd actually spent some time with the God of Light before He kicked each of us out. I imagine that Sun had likely argued with Him and fought so that we could return.

And we had probably all argued for the same thing.

As we stood there waiting, Hell just so happened to return. I raised my head up in time to see him descending from the sky, the beating of his three pairs of wings the only sound in the dead of night.

He landed on the tree he seemed to have taken a liking to, despite the hole I'd put in it all those years ago. He gazed down solemnly. It was almost like he too was waiting.

We all turned our attention back toward the center of the circle of graves.

The moment arrived gradually. At first, I could see the graves and trees through him, as well as Metal and Moon who were standing on the opposite side, but soon he was completely present.

Lesus Judgment, our Judgment Knight.

Slowly, his eyes opened. Dark eyes looked up, taking in his surroundings and the people here.

Sun smiled and walked forward, his smile shaky but truer than any smile he ever presented to the public as the Sun Knight. He reached a hand out. "Hello there, Lesus. Took you long enough."

Hellos were much, much better than goodbyes.

Judgment took Sun's hand, fingers intertwining, and let himself be pulled up into a bone-crushing hug that he returned in much the same force.

Tonight, we were once more twelve in number.

The years passed.

We continued to watch over Hell and the world. But mostly Hell.

He lost his memories again, and again, and again. He stopped talking to us altogether, not knowing that we were present.

But even so, he always returned to the circle of graves. His mind may have forgotten us, but somewhere inside of him, he still remembered.

The Church of the God of Light was no more, but the world was at peace, and traditions would continue. Our knight symbols might no longer adorn the outfits of holy knights, but they were definitely present, such as the crescent moon on all the police hats.

Then, one year, when Hell lost his memories once more, we all felt it in the air.

The dark element had been completely stabilized.

Hell was free.

And so were we.

"What now?"

"I guess... we go on our merry way."

“Together, of course!”

"What does that involve?"

"Reincarnation, I bet. I mean, how many times have we seen Elaro already?"

"Five, six times."

"He sure was a very towering girl that one time."

"And Hungri! Oh man. Don't ever cross that one in any lifetime!"

"So, reincarnation?"

"What about Roland?"

"Duh, of course we're going to find him after we reincarnate and yell at him for being such a brick!"

I smiled. Maybe we could even buy a huge house and room together. Wouldn't that be fun?

It was time for us to continue our dream.

"Come on, let's go!"

the end

It was an interesting experience figuring out the order of deaths and how everyone would die. :'D

Kiyutsuna also graced us with adorable blobs!


Have some close ups as well. :DDD