A/N: fragment. Because someone needs to at least write about these two.

machi \ epilogue \ kuroro lucifer

—

Dying is a thirst. Dying is a thirst is a fever is in Machi's throat as she tears through his clothes (pretenses) and finds Kuroro Lucifer dying. His life force seeps through her fingers, cool as churchstone. In the whiteness of winter, his blood blooms roses.

Something seems to rattle in the coffin of her ribcage, the clutter of bones against wood. Her hands unravel the thread with haste, discards the plea don't die don't die and begins patching up the Danchou with surgical indifference instead.

"Machi."

The steadiness of her own voice: "Danchou?"

"Do not follow me there."

In the land of dead. His voice is quiet, faraway. Machi stops and looks at the Danchou for a brief moment—sees him looking at her, eyes already knowing her reply. She keeps quiet, goes back to sewing his wounds closed.

The epiphany comes like the ripping of seams, rhythmic, sudden in its slowness, slow in its suddenness. I already have.