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Satoru Gojo had finally been allowed back to his home in Rome after the long and arduous conquest campaign he had set out to do years prior. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted the bloodshed, but if that was the price for his freedom and position in the Roman senate, so be it.

His welcome back to Rome by the people was unlike any other. He used to look up to Alexander the Great but truly in his heart believed that he had surpassed the historical icon eons ago. He was loved by the people of Rome. Who else but him could bring the change that the Republic of Rome needed? Who else could make Rome the greatest empire on the planet? There was no one else. He needed nothing else but the people on his side to maintain his long-sought position in this society.

By rebuilding the roads, bringing down unemployment, forgiving those who were not actively against him, and so many other things, there was no way the people didn't love him. For instance, Suguru Geto fell into that third category. Once a soldier against him but now one by his side after his pardon. Someone he could trust that his forgiveness would lead to loyalty. It was foolproof.

Sure, he was everything but officially a king in title, and sure the Romans utterly despised anything having to do with a monarch - traumatized with seven historical monarchs from the past - but he had done too much to go back now and he was still far too loved to be killed. But the feeling in his brain was relentlessly screaming at him of the contrary.

Tossing and turning in his sleep, he decided that he would in seven days time set out on a new military campaign rather than wait around and prove that feeling correct. He'd set out on the 18th he decided and quickly announced the new plans to the Roman people.

Little did he know that he had just imposed a deadline.

On the morning of the fifteenth, in his dream he had been warned by Shoko Ierie urged him to not go to any meetings. Deciding not to tempt fate, he decided to stay home.

A few hours later a knock came at his door. Gojo tensed as the dream had not abandoned his mind yet.

"Satoru? Are you there?" came Suguru's melodic sweet voice.

Gojo released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The Gojo Satoru was nervous? Preposterous. He needed to pull himself together. He advanced to the door and slowly opened the door. Soulful, sky blue eyes met violet ones. Once Gojo noticed that Suguru was alone, he proceeded to open the door and let the other man in.

"Suguru! You have great timing! I have something for you. Before I leave Rome again, I crafted you this. You've been a great person to me and you mean a lot to me. I'd like you to wear this for me." he declared. He walked over to grab a small black box.

Walking back over to Suguru, he lifted his eyes up to those lavender eyes and opened the box. Inside the box lay a yellow braided bracelet.

"You made this? It's beautiful, Satoru. Go ahead, put it on me," he smiled, as he extended out his wrist to the other.

Satoru gave a pearly white smile and proceeded to tie the bracelet around the other's smooth wrist. As he finished tying up the knot he asked teasingly, "So, what brings you around Suguru? Are you desiring to go star gazing together again? I know you've been aching to learn more about the stars ever since I came back from Egypt and learned all about the stars from the astronomers there."

A dash of melancholy raced past Suguru's face, much too quick for Gojo to notice.

"Ah no, Satoru. That sounds lovely but I'm afraid I am quite busy for the forseeable future and won't be able to liberate myself until after you're gone. I actually came to ask you to come to a quick Senate meeting. I know you're busy preparing for your leave-" he quickly added seeing Gojo about to interrupt him with a rejection, "-I don't even believe you need to be present for the entire time - maybe just to adjourn the meeting so that the Senate can see you are still present even when you have future endeavors on your mind. What do you think?"

Shoko's warning whispered in his mind, but it was quickly beginning to get tuned out by the sound of his blood rushing to his ears as those siren lilac eyes awaited his response. "Well, I'm sure it won't hurt." mused Gojo.

Giving a tight-lipped smile, Geto grabbed his hand and led him to the street down to where the meeting was being held.

Gojo and his everlasting fame would not allow him a moment's respite before he began to get crowded the the Roman people calling his name and eulogizing him. People were handing him handwritten heartfelt letters, which he quickly gathered and gave to his assistant to read and respond to. Strangely, one man with blond hair and deepened cheekbones handed him a folded sheet of paper accompanied by the words, "Please read it at once. It concerns you personally." Gojo attempted to read the letter but the mob was beginning to get too large and could not get to it, especially with Geto pulling his hand, keeping him moving.

The two finally reached the room where the meeting was being held by the Senate. The forum had been burnt and was going through renovations, so this small basement was the Senate meeting place for now.

As Gojo pulled his hand away from Geto, he went to go take a seat as the senators trickled into the room in somber silence.

Tragic that he didn't have more than two eyes because then he could have seen the old senator with a grudge come up behind him with a knife and brutally stab Gojo in the neck. Quickly pulling his hand up to his neck to prevent the blood from trickling out and spinning around to face his aggressor, he pulled the emergency metal pen he kept with him at all times from under his sleeve aiming for his heart. At the last second the old man shifted, making the pen impale the man's arm. As he was about to yank out the pen and reattempt it, he felt another excruciating stab on his side.

Oh wow. That really hurt.

He briefly turned around and was greeted with the image of over twenty senators rush at him with hatred-filled eyes and knife-occupied hands.

Oh.

Oh.

Of course these old geezers ganged up on him. Their limited minds could not see the bigger picture. Rome had stopped being a republic ages ago. It's not his fault he was the only one who saw that and seized the opportunity to direct the empire.

Every second greeted a new stab wound on his body. His blood was gushing and spurting everywhere with every violent knife yank. It hurt terribly.

But he would not give them the satisfaction of knowing that it pained him far beyond any other wound he'd ever gotten in battle. He lifted the corners of his lips while looking down on his body. The crimson liquid dragged down on both ends of his mouth, down his chin, and onto his already red-stained white robes. He would die with a smile.

Suddenly, time moved very slowly as his eyes tracked another incoming wrist.

A wrist adorned with a yellow braided bracelet.

How could he not know of the smooth wrist that was embellished by the golden band that he created?

Slowly traveling his eyes up the owner of the arm currently taking the turn at stabbing him, he came face to face with the violet eyes.

Stone-hard violet eyes accompanied by furrowed dark thin eyebrows stared right back at him. Lips stretched into a thin line. Eye shimmer resigned as was the loyalty once in them.

It was then that Satoru could not hold back the look of pain on his face - though it was not because of the dozens of knives currently piercing through him.

His eyes became a full ocean view - sky blue eyes complimented by the sea of tears pooling at the bottom of his lash line.

"Even you, Suguru?" his voice cracked on the final syllable.

The ocean in his eyes passed through all the stages of grief in a second.

Denial. Denial that the senate had conspired against him to commit such a lowly act because of their feelings of inferiority. Denial that he was currently dying. Denial that his Suguru had joined in with them and participated in this.

Anger. Anger that the senate could not be so intellectually subservient that they would rather risk the crumbling of Rome than let him execute his goals for the empire. Anger that these imbeciles who did not have a lick of war experience were currently taking a warrior like him out in this fashion. Anger that his Suguru was so in on this plan that he physically dragged him to this god-forsaken meeting in the first place.

Bargaining. Bargaining that he would pull back on his dictator ways and treat the other Senate members equally if they saved him somehow. He'll do less conquering and more star-gazing with Suguru.

Depression. Depression sunk in as he realized that his life was withering away. He would not get to see Rome to be the paradise he envisioned it to be under his rule. Depression sunk in as he saw how he was dying with no one on his side - not even Suguru.

Acceptance. Acceptance that this was his fate and he would die soon and history would remember him as the ruler who got stabbed to death by being lured to it by his closest confidant's betrayal. 

His stormy eyes cleared by the time he got to acceptance and even went a stage further - resignation.

All fight left his body.

With no reason left to fight, it was not long before he succumbed to the stabs of laceration inflicted upon his body and soul.

The flicker of light in those ocean blue eyes faded away - never looking away from those violaceous ones.