Could he really do this?
The knife felt heavy in his hand, its edge catching the dim light. The shadow at his feet stared up at him accusingly, disappointed before dissolving into the blade, strengthening it with its silent judgment.
'He needed to survive.'
The moment she sat beside him, he moved. In an instant, he was on top of her, his hand clamping over her mouth before she could make a sound. Her eyes widened, shock, then realization, as the cold kiss of steel pressed against her throat.
But not deep enough.
A thin line of blood slid down the blade. His breath hitched. She had stopped it, with her own hand. The palm of her hand, split open, trembled against the knife.
Then he saw it, the glint of a memory, the sudden weight of summoned steel. A katana. His side was exposed, vulnerable. She knew it. He knew she knew.
And yet
hesitation. A flicker in her eyes before his world spun, before his back slammed into the far wall with a force that rattled his bones.
Rin.
Sunny had thought about killing her before. Not often. But once.
Now, face-to-face, he didn't like his odds.
Her eyes were cold but there was pain behind them, her voice was shaky and her breath was pained filled
"i... you seriously were going to kill me just because I was about to say.."
frantic, desperate he screamed out
"DON'T SAY IT!!"
Her eyes went wide, betrayal cutting deep
"You'd really murder me over three words? After everything?!"
"What's the deal Sunny?"
His voice was cracking, half-pleading, half-furious
"You don't understand—if you say it, I'm yours! I'd rather die than be a puppet"
Her voice was shaky as well as the blade she held with both hands, whether it was from the wound or how she felt he didn't know
"Sunny, I swear—you're the closest thing to a friend I've got. I would never use it against you Please... I don't want to fight you."
He prepared now, he would rather die in this fight, then be anyone's puppet
"I want to believe you. But how? How can I be sure you won't just—own me the second I lower my guard?"
A weak laugh escaped her and he looked confusingly at her
"I'm dying, Sunny. My flaw's eating me alive. Even if I wanted to control you... I wouldn't be doing it for long."
For the first time since they had begun speaking, the weight of her words crashed into him—not just sorrow, but a raw, clawing despair, a fury that burned his throat. She was dying. She had known, and yet she had said nothing. All this time, every laugh, every quiet moment between them, and she had carried it alone. Now he stood on the edge of an unthinkable truth: he was going to lose her. And the pain of it cut deeper than he could bear.
He spoke in a stunned whisper
"You're... what? How long have you—?"
She looked at him in disbelief and her words were harsh
"Oh, fuck you—'How long?' That's your first question? Not 'I'm sorry,' just—'When's the deadline'?"
He felt a bit of defensiveness as well as guilt
"What the hell else am I supposed to say?! You drop that on me out of nowhere!!"
He heard her bitterness
"Yeah, well, 'Oh no, that's awful' would've been a great start!"
He was silent before he spoke with a bitter laugh
"Guess we all had our secrets, huh?"
"Yeah. We do."
He shakes his head, jaw tight, refusing to look at her. When he finally speaks again, his voice is raw.
"I don't want to lose you."
She scoffed
"You were just trying to kill me."
Sunny hands clenched in frustration he was angry at himself?
At her?
he wasn't quite sure yet
"And now I'm not—what the hell do you want from me, Rin?"
She let out a breath, shaking her head. "Oh, so now that I have a fucking timer over my head, negotiations are open?" Her laugh was sharp, bitter. "You really are an asshole."
His expression darkened. "That's not fair."
"Oh, isn't it?" Her eyes burned with something fierce, something that hurt. "All this time, you never trusted me. You still don't. And now that you know I don't have much time left, now you care? Now I matter?"
"That's not what this is."
"Then what the hell is it, Sunny?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it, because he didn't fucking know. Because every answer felt wrong. Because she wasn't supposed to be dying. Because he wasn't supposed to care this much.
"I—" He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "Goddammit, Rin."
She looked at him, waiting. Daring him to say something real.
He clenched his fists, hesitated—then, finally, he spoke.
"I was scared." His voice was raw, unsteady. "Of what you could do to me. Of what I might have to do to you. Of losing control."
He shook his head, finally meeting her gaze.
"But now? Now I'm just scared of losing you."
Rin stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, finally, she let out a breath.
"Yeah," she murmured, voice softer now, weary. "I'm scared too"
the weapons were lowered.
Rin gave a lopsided smile, but there was no real joy in it. Just something tired.
"You know, if we're saying everything, I have a true name too." She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the sky. "Might as well say it, since I'm on a short timer."
She paused, then said it—softly, almost like it was a secret only meant for the night air.
"Fallen Moon."
She let the words hang between them for a moment, rolling them over in her own mind. Like she was tasting them for the first time in a long while. A name she had probably hidden as fiercely as Sunny had hidden his.
He stiffened, something flickering in his eyes. "Why the hell would you just say that?"
She scoffed. "Oh, come on, Sunny. You already know I'm dying. What, you think someone's gonna use it against me in my final moments?"
"That's not the point," he snapped, voice tight.
"Then what is?" she challenged, eyes sharp as they met his.
He hesitated.
Rin chuckled to herself, shaking her head. "You always act like its the most dangerous thing in the world—having your true name out there. Maybe for you, it is." She exhaled slowly. "But mine? Never did anything. Just another useless secret I carried around for no damn reason."
Sunny's jaw clenched. "You don't know that."
"Oh, I think I do."
Her smile was small now, almost wistful. Like she was watching the pieces of herself scatter in the wind, and for once, she didn't feel the need to chase them.
"Feels kinda freeing, actually," she admitted. "Saying it out loud. Not having to guard it anymore."
A pause.
"You're not afraid?"
She shrugged. "Not of that. Not anymore"
Sunny exhaled, raking a hand through his hair.
"I still don't get you," he muttered.
Rin grinned. "That's okay. You don't have to."
Sunny was silent, his gaze locked on her like he was trying to decipher something.
Then, finally, he spoke, tone lighter.
"Fallen Moon Nice to meet you im.... lost from Light"