// Okita Souji //
Despite how weak he was, Okita ran. To where, he did not know, but it felt good to be moving, to be doing something with his final hours.
He stopped briefly to cough, his breaths ragged, throat raw.
After the fit he started to run again, still no destination in mind.
It was dark, around midnight, and no one was on the streets. The air was fresh, and the stars were shining crystal clear up in the night sky.
This was Okita's favourite time, when no one was around to tell him to stop and rest, when no one was around to remind him he was dying. When no one was around to give him that sympathetic look that he got wherever he went.
He should be in bed, the people on the street would whisper. He should be resting.
But he didn't want to be cooped up in his room for the rest of his short life. If he was to die, he was determined to die free.
He stopped and doubled over again, this coughing fit more violent than anything he'd ever had before.
He knew he did not have long, but as he approached his favorite tree overlooking the town, he felt strangely at peace.
As he slid his back down the trunk of the ancient oak, he reflected on the day he'd had. He did not fully understand it, but somehow he had given a boy from the future his power, and they had told him he was helping to save the world.
Did Okita believe it? He wasn't sure. But something about it just felt... right. His short, miserable life finally had some meaning to it. He would die in the hopes that his power would be used for the good of the world, that he had done something worth the pain of life.
He was sitting with his back against the back of the tree now, taking in the view of the sleeping town. He smiled faintly as he looked back at all the memories he had made there.
He felt himself start to fade, and Okita knew it was time.
He was at peace with the world, satisfied with what he was leaving behind.
His people would mourn, yes, but they knew the time had been approaching for years. They would get over him and move on with life.
And maybe, just maybe, that boy with the black pony tail would do something good with Okita's power. Maybe Okita was part of something bigger than leading his small town.
The thought made him smile.
His eyelids were heavy, and Okita didn't fight to stay awake.
He closed his eyes, and took his last breath.
