Rayleigh sat slouched against a sturdy old tree, a half empty bottle of sake dangling from his fingers. The cool night breeze rustled the leaves above, the stars twinkling like distant lanterns in the sky. It should have been a peaceful night should have. But the weight in his chest made it anything but.

He let out a slow exhale, tilting his head back, taking another lazy swig of his drink. The warmth of the alcohol did little to chase away the cold ache inside him.

Hanahaki

Now that was one hell of a cruel joke. He had seen and survived more than most, sailed through storms, laughed in the face of death….but this? This was different. This was something he couldn’t fight with a blade or outwit with experience. It was sneaky, digging its roots deep into his chest, twisting emotions he’d long since thought untouchable.

And all for something he couldn’t have.

Rayleigh chuckled bitterly, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. An old fool like me, reduced to this? He took another drink, as if hoping the next sip would erase the image burned into his mind….the one that made the ache in his heart unbearable.

He had spent decades perfecting the art of letting things go. Of taking life as it came, laughing through the worst of it, rolling with the punches. But the petals didn’t care about that. The disease forced him to feel….really feel….and it pissed him off more than anything.

A sharp cough rattled his chest, and when he pulled his hand away from his mouth, crimson stained petals stuck to his palm. He stared at them for a moment before flicking them away with a scoff.

“Tch. Annoying little things.”

But even as he muttered to himself, his expression softened. A single tear welled in his eye, sliding down his weathered face. He let it fall, making no effort to wipe it away. What was the point? It wasn’t like anyone was around to see the great “Dark King” looking like this.

With a sigh, Rayleigh leaned his head back against the tree, closing his eyes for a moment.