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Chewing on a slice of stale bread, he stares at the small engraved box in front of him. It demands his attention, simple yet elegant, and if he was a little more romantic, he would describe it as a quiet kind of beauty.
Tracing the rise and fall of the smooth stained wood, he contemplates the merits of leaving it behind to be forgotten, turned to dust with the passing of time.
Looking at it is a painful reminder of his failures and it never fails to bring an ache to his chest. He tucks it back into his pocket and he lowers the brim of his fedora, casting a shadow over his eyes to hide it from nobody, now.
...
"Hey, Reborn?"
"What is it, Dame-Tsuna?"
"Well, your birthday is coming soon, so I got you something."
A box is pressed into his hands.
"Don't open it until then. It's a surprise."
A mischievous smile answered by a raised eyebrow, the last time he ever saw him.
...
One upon a time, a monster fell in love with a human. When everyone else shied away in fear, the human taught the monster kindness and mercy. Their love was pure and untainted by sin, and they were happy.
When the world took him away, the monster raged and burned it down until he was all that was left. Now he wanders the world alone, searching for anything to fill in the cavity in his heart the death of his lover left behind.
...
The wasteland behind him contains the other half of his soul; his lover's rotting corpse. It's eerily quiet and filled with nothing but dust and rubble, but if he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend that nothing has changed at all.
...
When he walks away, he doesn't look back.