Work Text:
Contrary to what he had spent his entire existence theorizing and dreaming of, the end of everything contradicted what the end was thought to be entirely.
Since the beginning of time his sole purpose had been to ferry the souls of those who perished into whatever came after. Many times the souls would demand for him to provide them with some idea of what would become of their consciousness after death. Truthfully, Dazai did not know. His role as Death did not grant him the knowledge of what he truly accomplished. However, he would be lying if he himself did not desire the eternal sleep he granted others. His touch and promise of peaceful rest had lulled those at the end of their lives into their final slumber. He couldn't count how many souls he had held in his hands as their eyes closed and breaths ceased. Dazai would spare the departed a fleeting glance. One which contained much more envy than he would care to admit.
Dazai supposed that the issue with being a divine entity was that he could never succumb to the effects of his own power. His existence was a gift and a curse. He was given the power to release those made victim by the cruelties of the world and life itself. Consequentially, his services as Death would be needed until the end of time. Only then could Dazai succumb to the darkness. Though he had fantasized throughout the endless years of his duty.
He'd imagined the end to be much like himself. A void of nothingness which converted all it consumed into nothingness also. The stars that once pinpricked the skies had withered and faded into the backdrop. He hadn't expected there to be any light bleeding through the blackness. Though truly he should have.
Life was the only other being left in all of creation. Dazai mused that it was nearly poetic how time had written that they two would be all to remain for eternity's last breaths. Indeed, Life was keeping the darkness from closing the space surrounding him and delivering him to rest. Dazai had only to follow the brightness to find his counterpart.
Dazai detested his own existence, however he could never find it in himself to hate Life.
Life was beautiful.
He was beautiful.
Such as Dazai had bestowed his own name upon himself, disliking the title of only Death, so had Life.
His name was Chuuya and it only made sense that the man radiated a burning love for life and all its creatures. The fiery tones in his hair matched that of the burning in his sapphire gaze. Chuuya harboured a gentleness toward the living. However, on the occasions when the two would meet paradoxically, a certain life was sparked within Chuuya. His demeanour changed into something more human. Dazai had grown to love it over the course of the eternity they shared.
"What are you doing here?" Chuuya questioned upon Dazai's approach. The redhead was lingering in the void that once held all the life that Chuuya vowed to serve. It only made sense that he appeared forlorn.
"There is no longer a here, Chuuya. Everything is finished." Dazai responded with the smallest of grins twitching at his lips. It caused Chuuya's features to melt into a frown.
"You don't have to sound so damn happy about it." Came his bitter reply. The amount of time and encounters the two had shared often ended in some form of bickering. Dazai would have normally pressed further to elicit the most aggravation possible but he decided that on this day he wouldn't.
"Maybe I'm just happy to see you." Dazai shrugged and ventured closer to his counterpart. What a lonely existence the two shared when the rest of the universe opted to fall away.
"What makes you think that I want to spend my last moments with the likes of you?" The other shot back.
"You know you don't have a choice. We know how this ends," Dazai reminded. They both knew.
They were as familiar with the way which they would die as a child was with an old fairytale. Everything would end with Dazai.
When the universe was birthed in the swirling vacuum of empty plane it had begun with Chuuya. For everything begins with life and only after Life was established was there a place in eternity for Death. When Dazai was brought into Chuuya's life it had paved the way for discord. Naturally the two behaved the way two opposites were expected to. Chuuya had grown to despise Dazai for each life he took. The redhead's love for the lives which he oversaw caused him to waver before Dazai.
However, as the millenniums passed them by as smoothly as the seconds, each began to grow tired of the loneliness plaguing their hearts. The two immortals finally sought companionship in each other. Their purposes were forgotten entirely when they found each other in the glow of the cosmos or within the wonders of Earth.
Dazai enjoyed Chuuya's company. The redhead was so terribly human. Dazai found this in his attitude and beliefs which the brunette could never understand. Dazai decided that this was a a result of Chuuya's time amongst humans. The older was intwined in humanity and developed alongside it. Whereas Dazai found himself alone in the void learning from the soft twinkling of the stars. In a sense, he envied Chuuya for being able to immerse himself in life while he himself could get no closer to the living than out of arms reach. Straying too near to them would end them before their time and risk sending Chuuya into a rage of the life that was wasted.
While everything began with Life, it is only suitable that it would end with Death. Just as Chuuya had been alone in the beginning, once Chuuya's time finally ticked away and Dazai was permitted to send his soul to die, only Death would remain. Dazai longed for his own release, though he feared the brief moments where he would be all that was left of their dying universe. Both men knew this, and it was evident that Chuuya was unhappy with this reality.
"Your time is almost up," Dazai commented in an apologetic tone. He could sense the other nearing his time to die and he felt his palms sweat at the thought of killing his only friend. The end of everything could only happen when there was no longer such a thing as Life. For as long as there was Life, there were possibilities for something.
Chuuya cast him a sideways glare which Dazai interpreted as his reluctance to allow the end to happen. It was in Chuuya's nature to fear death and protect everything that was. Dazai swallowed.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course I'm not scared, shithead." The radiating redhead replied testily. Dazai noticed the sagging of his shoulders and his chin tilting downward. Life was fading before the eyes of Death and Dazai couldn't help but think of what a tragedy Chuuya's death was.
"Sure you are!" He chirped which earned him a grimace from the other. "Everyone is afraid to die."
"Not you, though." Chuuya responded, his tone was almost accusing.
"Nope!" Came Death's quick response and he flashed his counterpart a toothy grin.
Chuuya's eyes narrowed and he peered at Dazai who was the only other living thing in this existence. It caused him to feel drawn to him in the way that a magnet is drawn to metal. As nature would have it, Dazai was currently composed of each element which brought him purpose while still owning a challenging nature of what he opposed. Dazai felt his chest tighten during Chuuya's lengthly stare.
"Chuuya," Dazai murmured, his voice soft and lacking its usual childlike tone. He was surprised at how grim he sounded. The redhead's eyes flickered downward and his brows furrowed. Dazai noted that Chuuya's hands had begun to develop the slightest of tremors.
"Yeah, I know." Chuuya replied lowly and drew in a shaky breath before approaching his counterpart. He stopped inches from him and reluctantly stared him in the eyes.
Chuuya was frightened of what the end of his existence would mean. While Dazai was frightened of existing for mere moments without Chuuya in this universe.
The redhead turned his attention away from Dazai in favour of taking in the beauty of their dying universe. His eyes settled on dying stars and the infinite expanse which had once been filled with life.
"You made a beautiful universe, Chuuya." Dazai complimented sincerely. He too surveyed the wisps of colour and matter that swirled around the two of them.
"You did a great job destroying it," the other replied bitterly.
Dazai pulled him closer until Chuuya's head was hesitantly rested on his chest. Life was hardly surprised to find that Death had no heartbeat or rhythmic flow of blood in his body.
Dazai breathed inward and Chuuya's scent invaded his nostrils. The lingering smells of life and Earth still clung to his clothes and nestled in red locks. Though it had been eons since the planet's demise, Chuuya still carried it with him like a mourning parent.
"I wouldn't have destroyed it if I didn't have to."
"Asshole."
Dazai offered him a pitiful smile. "C'mon Chuuya~ is this really going to be how our last conversation goes?"
Chuuya grumbled into the fabrics of Dazai's shirt and resulted in unintelligible noises. Though Dazai was certain that Chuuya was questioning his kind nature today. Their encounters had always involved childlike behaviour and petty insults. The two created the impression that they hated each other. However, each had longed for the other despite having never admitted it. They sought companionship without daring to call one another a friend.
Dazai could have treated this occasion just as any other. He could have greeted him with a joke about being awfully short for a powerful celestial entity. But after an eternity of taunting and poking fun, the end of this existence was something that Dazai didn't dare make any harder for Chuuya despite relishing in the attention it gave him.
"Time to go now," Dazai whispered in order to not disturb the universe in its dying moments. Chuuya shuddered against him. Dazai sighed and stroked fingers through his hair. His dark eyes were fixated on the edge of everything where all the light had faded and the stars had burned themselves into nothingness. He should have felt lonesome but he selfishly anticipated his own end.
"Listen, Chuuya..." He trailed off, worried that his words would race ahead of his mind. But the damage was done as Chuuya looked up at him expectingly. Dazai did his best to ignore the mist gathering in those blue eyes.
"We've spent trillions of years together and I fell in love with everything you created; and everything you became." He cleared his throat as he felt the small lump growing inside.
Chuuya blinked furiously and grit his teeth to ward off any sort of human emotion. Dazai continued.
"I'm sorry that you were stuck with me all this time. And I'm sorry that the only kindness I can give you is releasing you from this life so you don't have to see all of creation die first. I'm sorry that I grew to feel so strongly for you over the years. You made me love the one thing I could never have. And I'm sorry that I'm going to be without you, even if only for a few moments. I'm not scared of dying, Chuuya. I'm scared of you dying."
Chuuya choked back what Dazai couldn't distinguish as a sob or a snort. Though the glistening trails travelling slowly down his cheeks would suggest the former. "Cut the sappy shit, Dazai. It's so unlike you."
"Does that mean you're ready then?"
"No."
"Well sadly, there isn't any more time. Are you ready for Death's Kiss?"
"I have to kiss you?!"
"Don't sound so unexcited about it," Dazai pouted dramatically and Chuuya sighed loudly.
"You're lying!" Chuuya hissed against his chest and Dazai shook his head. However, he was lying. Only to receive the one thing in his long life which he could ever take for himself.
"Can I kiss you, dear Chuuya? Even now that you know what will happen?" Dazai asked and the sadness was evident in the tone of his voice. He felt a heat behind his eyes but refused to allow any tears to pool.
"I don't want to leave you alone, Dazai." Chuuya confided and pressed himself closer. It was a fruitless attempt at consoling Death as Death was cunning. He knew what would happen the moment of Chuuya's death.
"I'll see you again," Dazai promised and plastered the most convincing smile he could manage. He could waste no more time, the end of the universe was beckoning to him and his own release was nearing.
Dazai softly cupped Chuuya's cheek while Chuuya's hands gripped him tightly. Fear had settled in his hues of blue and escaped with the small beads of tears. He leaned toward him slowly and his breath ticked Chuuya's skin before finally Dazai indulged in a single chaste kiss.
Chuuya stiffened immediately, his eyes looked upward at Dazai fearfully as Dazai retreated and Chuuya fell limp in his arms. The smallest hint of life was still residing in his eyes, resisting the inevitable but rapidly fading. Chuuya's eyes shifted toward him weakly and Dazai raised a shaky hand to caress his face. He watched Chuuya fade before his own eyes and in the last fleeting seconds, Dazai whispered words which had been forbidden to him since his very creation.
"I love you."
They were spoken to the vastness and travelled lightyears in every direction, never gracing the ears of the one who they were intended for.
The final light which had illuminated what was left of their tattered universe shone brightly and flickered in Dazai's arms before disappearing entirely. All of creation stilled around Death as he mourned the death of the universe's most beautiful creation. Everything was a pitch blackness and Dazai was left to tremble in complete solitude as the universe finally collapsed around him. Cracks spread across the blackness and all of creation shattered into endless pieces.
On that day the universe ended after Life itself had died. And for a few painful moments, the only entity present in oblivion was Death and his sorrows. The universe had finally cracked under the weight of a most unbearable loss and shattered at the echo of a strangled sob belonging to Death himself.