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Kaeya laid motionless in Diluc's arms as he watched his brother's panicked expression. Blood oozed from his chest and poured itself over his cold and calloused skin. It felt like fire against the dense but frosty air, and when he parted his lips to speak, it drowned his voice like the waters of Fountaine. The rain, which was unusually heavy that day, drenched his coat and fur so much that it dripped pools of blood onto Diluc's grounded lap. Everything was finally coming to an end. He hadn’t accomplished what he was set out to do, but he found peace knowing his end was by his brother’s side. When he thought back on his life, he felt such dread and regret. He never could forgive himself for what he did to Crepus; to Diluc. He never thought he'd see the day where he'd finally die like his father said all those years ago. Yet, when he thought about it, his anger brewed deep. Why was it him who was entrusted to the destiny of their fallen nation? Why was it him, who was merely a child, destined to be the villain of their fairy tale? All he had ever longed for was a simple life. One with a loving father, and a brother. One who would love and cherish him. One who does not fight, does not bicker, and when given the chance, dotes on his little brother for all the amazing things he’s done. Yet even in his last moments, he knew deep down he was undeserving of all that he asked for.
" C'mon Kaeya, hang in there. Jean's on her way," Diluc's hand tightly grasped Kaeya's arm as he held his wound shut. Tears began to weld in the red head's eyes but he refused to show any weakness. He looked at Kaeya with a stern expression and nodded, "You're going to be alright, okay? So Barbados help me, don't you dare let go." Kaeya laughed as blood spewed from his mouth. Coughs began to flood his lungs but he kept a bright smile,
"You look like such a loser right now, you know that?" Diluc kept his mouth shut, but nodded.
"I know,"
Kaeya smiled once more before looking down at his wound. He chuckled at the blood and held onto Diluc's hand which had been holding onto his, "It's pretty bad isn't it?"
"Yeah...it is." The lump in Diluc's throat grew larger as the light from Kaeya's eyes dimmed. He knew that time wasn't quite on their side, but still prayed to that forsaken god of the wind, praying that the heavens would do something. Kaeya's vision began to blur as the pain grew within his body. He didn't want Diluc to know that he was ready to let go, but he could sense that Diluc had already noticed. Tears filled his eyes as he looked up to his older brother. The dread of leaving something precious behind filled his head, and all the regrets which he had held back began to show themselves.
"Diluc…" he whispered as tears ran down his face, " I'm so sorry, " With his final breath, Kaeya gave one last smile just before the rain subsided.The vision that once holsted itself on Kaeya’s hip flickered like a broken light. One last time, it flashed a beautiful crescent blue just before dissipating like the morning frost.
The memories of young Kaeya and Diluc ran past the duo as they both remembered the days before they had run into turmoil. Maybe in a new lifetime they could have been brothers. Maybe in a new life, they could finally put all the unfortunate futures behind themselves. But as fate would have it, not all stories end in happiness.
and for the first time since his father's death, Diluc began to cry as he held Kaeya in his arms
The clicking of a clock boomed through the open air as Kaeya wandered a plain field. Not an empty space, but a grass field that was painted white and stretched for miles on end. The sky was clear, but no clouds or bed of blue was visible, and any sign of life seemed to be non-existent.
"Where am I?"
“Dead.You’re dead, but it’s only temporary”
Kaeya quickly turned his head to an unfamiliar voice echoing through the open space. A child-like figure stood above the grass, her toes barely grazing each blade that laid beneath her.
"Hello,” She smiled, her violet, almost black eyes smiling along with her lips. Her skin was dark and freckled with specks of pearl white shimmers yet her dress on the other hand, was just as white as the world around them.
"Who are you?” Kayea roared as he reached to draw his blade. However, when he placed his hand on his handle, no blade or holster resided next to him. Instead, a large navy brooch stood in its place.
“I’m nobody important. At least not right now. I’ve just come to talk to you, Kaeya,” The figure held her arm out as a white blossom bloomed in the palm of her hand. It shined brightly in the brightened space, but shone just as dim as Khaenri’ah. “It’s a present. They say flowers help the dead and give happiness.” Kaeya watched intently as he tried to comprehend what was happening,
“A present?”
The figure smiled, “Yes, a present. Unless you want something different? Most dead people accept the gift. Some do not, but that doesn’t mean they get something else as a replacement.”
“But what if I want something else?” The calvarily captain crossed his arms as he watched the figure, “What if I want to live?”
The woman laughed hysterically, holding her stomach as tears began to form in her eyes. “You’re quite the funny one. I heard that you were sassy and flamboyant, but not funny! The gods really outdid me this time.” Anger began to brew inside Alberich. Funny? Did she think this was funny? Kaeya was dead because of a war caused by fate. It was unpreventable and all Kaeya wanted to do was mend the relationship between him and his brother. But instead of the happy ending he desperately tried to attain, he died. He died in Diluc’s arms and now all Kaeya could think about was how his brother felt. He was alone now. No one to annoy him or care for him. Yes, he had the knights but what then? Diluc had no family left. He would die from loneliness. From heartbreak.
Kaeya grabbed the flower out from the figure’s palm and held it tightly in his fist, “I want to go back. Take me back my brother.” The figure stopped laughing and sighed, “I’m sorry but you have no choice. You’re dead. No one can leave now that your soul doesn’t belong to your body-”
“But what if I made a deal!” He blurted. His eyes watched her in desperation as he voiced his plea, “What if…I made a deal. 40 days to see him. 40 days to see Diluc and have a proper goodbye. 40 days, and I’ll be out like a light.”
The figure looked unamused as she watched Kaeya plead with desperation. “40 days? And what? What do I get out of this ‘deal’” Kaeya’s eyes darted around the plain as he tried to come up with an answer. She was right, what could Kaeya give? He had nothing of value to a nameless god. He was just like any other soul that came through this place.
“Amusement. I can give you amusement. If I don’t mend my relationship with Diluc and come back in 40 days, you can kill me. Both my soul and my body. You can erase my identity in this world as a whole just-” he took a deep breath, “Just let me live for another 40 days.”
The maiden raised her brow and sighed, “Fine. You’re lucky being alone in this world makes things boring. 40 days. I’ll give you 40 days and if you’re not ready by then, I can do anything to you. Alright?”
Kaeya nodded furiously. “Thank you,” he cried as he bowed his head.
Just as Kaeya’s head rose, the figure’s body began to disappear. The winds around them grew stronger, pulling Kaeya from side to side. Just as he turned to thank the god once more, the world around him vanished, and his consciousness faded.
"Kaeya!"
Kaeya leapt forward in fright as the sudden scream punctured his eardrum. When he awoke, his vision was fuzzy like an unfocused lens. The lights in the room flickered brightly and no matter how much he blinked or rubbed his eyes, the overwhelming sensation of the lights glared at him.
"I thought you were a goner! Thank god you're awake," The voice sounded familiar, however Kaeya couldn't quite pinpoint where the familiarity came from. It reminded him of a certain witch that would visit his family back in the day, but the voice was different. It had a flare that couldn't compete with its counterpart. "Kaeya?"
Kaeya blinked as a shadow appeared in front of him. The shadow was a girl. Blond hair, red eyes, she even carried a red bag that looked all too familiar, "Klee?" This girl was definitely who he thought it was, but it wasn't the little girl he remembered. She was bigger now, older , she even seemed more mature than the small devil that would rampage his office.
"Kaeya..." the girl's eyes welled up with tears as she watched her parental figure in such a broken state. She hugged him tightly, yet Kaeya couldn't fathom what was wrong. After all, he had just woken up from the most bizarre experience of his life. He died, he was certain of that. But now he was confused as to why he was here now.
When he found the chance, he finally took a glance at his surroundings. White room, small screens, blue curtains, and a mass of machinery that was all out of his knowledge. "Where am I?" he asked. The girl who wept in his arms stopped her tears and wiped her face. "The hospital. You're at the hospital, Kaeya. Don't you remember? You almost died." He could sense a feeling of anger behind Klee's words. A feeling that he was not used to seeing from her.
"What happened?" All of this confused him, but he knew one thing. He was alive. He was alive and somewhat well, and knew that this was his final chance to make his life right. But just as hope entered his mind, he was made aware of the circumstances he awoke in.
“You drank again. You were almost hit by a car two days ago and ended up falling down the cliff nearby. Luckily, the drop wasn’t far and the driver was able to call the cops.” The way Klee spoke broke his heart. He didn’t know what was going through his head at that time, but he felt horrible for leaving her by herself, even if it wasn’t necessarily his fault.
“Oh Klee…”
The girl began to weep again as Kaeya’s words threw comfort at her. She hugged him tightly, her uniform bunching up from the squeeze. “You…scared me…so much..” she huffed in between cries. He wanted to say so much to her, but no matter how many times he opened his mouth, silence followed. All he could do was squeeze her tighter and hold her close. Even if he couldn’t say much, he wanted to give her the warmth she needed.
“Sir, calm down! You can’t come inside without–”
“Move out of my way!”
A loud commotion rumbled at the large door near the front of the room. Words of spite and anger were thrown back and forth until finally, the door swung open. Just like a dream, fire red hair showed itself between the open door frame. The bags that it held dropped to the floor, and its chest huffed as if it ran miles just to be here.
“Kaeya…you’re awake,”
The knot which he tried so hard to keep tied between his throat loosened, and finally just like in the rain, he called his name,
“Diluc?”