alusion (because the world needed it)

A Life to Remember (6)

anna oop--this was originally supposed to be in the fifth chapter, but the dialogue wasn't where i wanted it to be yet and the word count was already at 900 words, so i decided to split it into two.  fyi, all chapters my goal is a 1000 word minimum, the same going for my oneshots.  i'll upload this to ao3 later, but, for now, enjoy!
category: series
word count: 1275

How ironic it was, to have all those months fly by but then have some messy three weeks seem to stretch on for an eternity.  Gusion had gathered the remaining materials in the matter of days, but now?  All there was to do but wait, damn Tigreal's orders.

The only place for him to stay was in their old house.  It hurt to stay there; even moreso to see the dust covering the majority of everything.  Months had gone by, after all.  During the hellish waiting peroid, Gusion used the time to clean; dusting and reorganizing where it was needed.  Still, when he was done, there was time left to kill.

Gusion hated the wait, hated having to wait every damned second of it.

Finally--finally--the time came.  The three weeks had passed.  Gusion was finally permitted to do his work.

It was well near midnight when Gusion finally left the house.  A crescent moon dimly lit his dark path.  The world around him was silent, blissfully asleep, totally ignorant of what evil magic was to be done in mere minutes.  Gusion couldn't care less.  He was getting his Alucard back.

The grass surrounding the cemetery was slightly overgrown, signs of neglect shown in shown from the recent weeks.  As if it was a strange attempt to turn Gusion back around.  Gusion couldn't help but roll his eyes.  Nothing could deter him from his path.  He opened the unlocked gate, its hinges slightly creaking as he opened it.  Before, he would've cringed at sound an intrusive sound in the middle of the night.  Now?  He welcomed it.  Let anyone come.  Let anyone see what he was going to do.  Let them see what his magic can do.

Finding Alucard's grave barely took any time--after all, finding an unburied grave wasn't hard to do when all the rest were still buried.  The body still rest in the coffin--something Gusion would have to trust Tigreal on; the general had refused for the coffin to be opened--with the Demon Hunter's insignia carved on its top.  Gusion averted his gaze from the coffin, beginning to set up the necessary circle and items needed for the ritual.  Setting up only took a few minutes, and by that time, the moon was directly overhead, partially covered by a few stray clouds.

Gusion took in a shaky breath, placing down a rosemary on the beginning point of the circle before he stepped into the circle.  He horizontally rose up his right arm, bringing up his blade in his other hand.  He pressed the tip to his skin and pushed it in, blood falling down into the ground and coffin as he dragged the blade a few inches.  The circle surrounding him and the unburied coffin began to glow a dark red, matching the crimson color running out of Gusion's arm.  The moon's rays seem to spill down onto the spot, despite having been partially covered by clouds moments before hand.  The initiative for the ritual had begun.

Gusion began to speak, having memorized the ritual's words in tongues to complete it.  "Με αυτό το αίμα, κινδυνεύω τη ζωή μου για τη ζωή άλλου."  A wind picked up, blowing at the bottom of his cloak.  The red glowed brighter.  "Η ανάκτηση των οποίων δεν έχει παραληφθεί. Επιστρέψτε την ψυχή του, έτσι ώστε να μην ληφθούν τα δικά μου.  Προτρέπω την ψυχή μου να φύγει από το σώμα μου, να καθοδηγήσει την πλάτη του από το ουράνιο σώμα του!"

The wind around him blew harsher, seeming to swirl around him, the hood of his cloak flying down, its back harshly fluttering.  At the last word uttered a cry left him and he numbly fell to his knees, a misted breath leaving his lips before black obscured his vision.

When his vision came back, the sun's rays gently lit a familiar scenery around him, the cobbled path as barren as it had been when he and Alucard had first entered the town, yet..  vague.  Dreamlike.  Hazy.  It was working.  Gusion could've practically fallen onto his knees again with relief.  Now, all there was to do was find-

"Gusion?"

Tears unwillingly sprung into his eyes.  It was a voice he had been yearning for for months, a voice who said his name like no other's could.  He turned around, voice breaking as he spoke.  "Alucard."  There he stood--blond hair in that same damned style, cerulean eyes as beautiful as they were before.  No signs of his fatal injury.  A sob left his lips and he ran over towards Alucard, latching onto him and burying his face in his lover's chest as Alucard hugged him back.

"Gusion, what the hell are you doing here?" Alucard asked, holding Gusion tightly in his arms.

"I missed you.  I can't.. couldn't live without you, Alu.  So-"

Abruptly, Alucard let go of Gusion, shoving th brunet away, a harsh look on his face.  "Did you kill yourself?!  You-"

"No!  No, no-"  Gusion shook his head, the action causing blurriness.  His time was running out in this soul realm.  "Never.  I wouldn't.  But, Alu--I'm running out of time here.  You're going to wake up soon and-"

"Wake up soon?"  Alucard interjected, confusion on his face.  "What does that mean?  Didn't I-"

"Alucard, please."  Gusion breathed, stepping forward and cupping his lover's face with his hands.  "I'm.. I'm reviving you.  I've spent months figuring out how.  When.. When you're back, you're probably not going to remember me or a lot of things, but I'm going to do my best to unlock those memories, okay?"

Alucard's confusion only deepened.  "But.. Isn't that tarnished magic?  Gusion, are you risking yourself to bring me back?"

A weak grin appeared on Gusion's face.  "I'd do anything for you back, Alucard.  Anything."

A sigh left Alucard, the blond shaking his head.  "As long as you didn't do anything stupid.."

"Depends on your definition of stupid."  Gusion shrugged, glancing away from Alucard's face.  The edges of the fated town were even more blurred, seemingly fading to black.

"Gusion."  Alucard's voice was low, warning.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine!"  Gusion laughed, turning his attention back to Alucard.  "I love you, Alucard."  He hummed, smiling.

Alucard's smile--gods, how Gusion had missed it.  "I love you too, Gusion."

Gusion leant forward, pressing his lips onto Alucard's as he closed his eyes.  The kiss was warmly reciprocated, done without any hesitation.

When Gusion's eyes opened again, he was back in the cemetery, the wind still howling around his circle.  He felt drained; his mana rapidly depleting.  Yet, he still felt that warmth on his lips, lingering after his soul had come back to his realm.  He was no longer bleeding, wound healed with barely any trace of a scar.  He finished the ritual, yelling out over the wind, "Ας γίνει!"

With a sizzling sound, the crimson glowing of the circle faded, the wind coming to an abrupt stop.  If Gusion wasn't already on his knees, he would've fallen to them due to the lack of energy.  He was near unconsciousness, his mana nearly completely drained.  Vaguely he heard footsteps and he let his gaze drift to his right, seeing the boots of a soldier.  Most likely sent by Tigreal.  They shouted hushed orders, but their words were slurred together to Gusion, mind refusing to cooperate.  On his hand, though, he could see the mark of the curse, the sign that his timer had begun.  Where he had cut himself for the ritual, the veins had turned a darker color, blood black.

It was the last thing he saw before blacking out, body falling to the side.