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The sky was clear again today, maybe even clearer than it had been yesterday or the day before that, and thus maybe the stars would be bright tonight. Chito couldn't remember the last cloudy day she and Yuuri had seen. It wasn't so bad, she thought, just lying underneath a clear sky and waiting for a full moon.
Although she also wondered if she had finally forgotten warmth.
An empty sky high above them, Chito and Yuuri lay beside each other on the cold, hard ground, and Yuuri's fingers around Chito's had grown weaker. They had nothing left - no Kettenkrad, no food, no water, no journals, nothing save for each other. Chito had never known hunger to be so painful, and she and Yuuri had grown too tired to even continue eating dirty snow. All was gone, and only silence rang in her ears.
The moon was still so far away…
"Hey, Chii-chan," Yuuri said suddenly, and her voice was hoarse and dry. "Do you think the world will end with us?"
Chito tried to sigh, but it came out as more of a moan. "I don't understand what you're asking. Even when we're gone, this city will still be here. Just empty."
"Yeah, but those creatures said we're the only humans left, right? So when we're gone, who's left to see the world? What's a world without life?"
"But there may be people in other cities, across the ocean, and…" Chito tried to say, but she let those last words fade as she bit her lip. Those creatures had said and she and Yuuri were the only ones left in this city, so that meant Kanazawa and Ishii were… And when those creatures' purpose was over, they too would…
"Chii-chan." Yuuri's voice was surprisingly meek, but still cut through Chito's dark thoughts like a knife. "Do you really think there's someone else out there, in another city?"
"It's possible," Chito said quickly, but then she added, "But maybe you're right and the world will end with us."
"But I'm usually wrong, you know." Yuuri's fingers tensed, and although her cheeks were pale and gaunt, a smile tugged at her lips. "We've really come far, haven't we?"
Chito tried to speak, but instead her stomach growled painfully, or maybe Yuuri's did. She couldn't be certain anymore. It was an unbearable, constant pain, but ever since they had reached the highest point, Yuuri hadn't once complained of hunger. Though, perhaps "hunger" was far too simple and light a word to use now. When the Kettenkrad had finally died, Chito could no longer deny that they were reaching the end of their journey.
Maybe it had been a long journey, or just a short journey. She was so very tired now, but she didn't want to close her eyes yet. As long as she and Yuuri were still awake, the world could live a little longer. Since they had begun this journey, every step they had taken, every road they had traveled, had led to this moment at the end, and Chito's chest ached.
How had the world become so broken? Why did she and Yuuri have to face the end of the world like this? Why had they lived for so long when everything else was gone? Grandpa had wanted them to live, but for what? What had been the reason for their journey?
Because they were alive, Yuuri might say. Simple as that. As long as they were together, even when the world drew its last breath…
Chito loved Yuuri. She could face the end of the world with Yuuri by her side because she loved Yuuri. She loved Yuuri's warmth, the taste of Yuuri's lips, and even now she wanted to pull Yuuri into her arms, to bask in that comforting warmth, but she was too tired to move, and she had only the strength left to curl her fingers around Yuuri's. But that was enough to assure her they still lived.
But as the sky darkened, she grew colder and colder, and that familiar silence lingered over the two of them.
As the stars began to appear in the sky - they really seemed so much closer now, Chito couldn't help but notice - Yuuri finally spoke again. "It's like that night we finally found our way out of those tunnels. You remember, right, Chii-chan?"
"Oh yeah, I remember now," Chito replied. "The stars now really do seem as bright as that night. It feels so long ago, but at the time I thought we'd never find a way out…"
Yuuri giggled, that same annoying giggle of hers, but it sounded so warm now to Chito's ears. "And we didn't burn when the sun came up! That was a miracle!"
"Yeah, a miracle…" Chito repeated as her heart skipped a beat. "We've been so fortunate all this time…"
"Fortune, huh?" Yuuri's fingers flexed and tensed around Chito's. "We are fortunate to have each other. You're my miracle, Chii-chan!"
"Your miracle? Well, I suppose I am the one who took care of you all this time. All did ever did was eat."
Yuuri pouted. "Eating's a part of living! And I didn't eat that fish, even though I really wanted to! So I can hold back too, sometimes!"
"And you've never shut up about it." Chito let out a heavy sigh. "I wonder how that fish and robot are doing…"
Yuuri smiled, a faint, odd smile. "If they're still alive, then the world might not end."
Chito shivered, and silence fell over and Yuuri once again. She turned her gaze toward the night sky, and it was a full moon tonight. That light kept the darkness away, as it had done so the past few nights. But soon the moon would begin to wane, and Chito feared the darkness most of all. Her eyes began to water, but she couldn't lift her arms to wipe away the tears.
"This is the end, isn't it?" she cried, and she couldn't stop the cold tears rolling down her cheeks. "But I want to keep on living, with you… Just a little longer… I don't care if the world is ending… I just need you… Yuu, please…!"
"Chii-chan." Yuuri said gently. "You remember how we promised to go to the moon together, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"We'll do that tomorrow, after we've slept. The moon will still be full, so we'll do it together."
Despite her tears, Chito forced a smile. "Yes, together."
Yuuri's smile softened, but her pale eyes grew moist. "I'm really happy with you, Chii-chan. We'll always be together, right?"
"Yes, always. I promise."
A quiet laugh slipped from Yuuri's lips as she slid closer to Chito, and her fingers around Chito's were cold and stiff as her eyes fell closed.
"Goodnight, Yuu," Chito whispered as she brushed her cracked lips against Yuuri's hair, and when she closed her eyes, the world grew silent.