A/N: I wrote this for hanyou-hime on DA in response to her amazing drawing of the same name. Cookies for you, my friend!

BTW, read this to the end. You may be tempted to stop in the middle, but I promise you have to read to the end. NO CHARACTER DEATHS!!! Happy/fluffy ending. I promise, fangirl's honor. ;)

The Sower and the Reaper

" 'Tis my fate to spill your blood

'Tis my fate to feed you with life

...For Death to live

...So that Life may die

In the endless circle

The rite of Yin and Yang"

hanyou-hime

XxX

There is always a balance. Light and Dark. Good and Evil. Hot and Cold. Life and Death.

XxX

He'd always watched him from afar, longing for the life the other gave. The brilliant light that practically rushed from his form, the heat brought by his touch. But they could never be together. They were too different, to far apart. And yet too close.

Was it always meant to be this way? Would they always be doomed to know the other reciprocated their feelings, but never be able to act on them? Was this their curse?

Perhaps it was. The curse of the Balance. They were destined to always be in love, but never be allowed to act upon that love. If they could, then the Balance would be broken and chaos would ensue. After all, they were Life and Death.

The embodiment of Life went by the mortal name of Kurogane while Death chose the name of Fai. They were eternally drawn to one another, so much so that they had been able to find a tiny loophole in the fabric of Eternity. Small though it was, it was enough.

They had discovered that the line differentiating the Mortal Realm from the Immortal Realm occurring on every solstice, also caused the line between death and life to blur. For the brief of moments during the sunset or sunrise of the solstice, Death and Life could embrace each other and share a kiss they would never be able to share again for another half a year.

It was heartbreaking. And worse, the next solstice would mark the turn of the next century. Fai, the very embodiment of Death, shuddered. He feared the changing of the centuries more than anything else. Because… No, it was too painful to think about.

He would wait. There were only two days left. Two more days of staring longingly at his one, true love. Two more days of dreaming what it would be like to spend more than just those few precious moments in his lover's arms. Two more days till…the Fall Equinox.

XxX

Life stood still on the grassy knoll facing the newly risen sun. He could feel Death's gaze boring into him and he was grateful for his extreme control. Otherwise, he would have met Death's gaze and that would only bring him more pain. His crimson orbs closed as the memory of ivory skin, smooth as silk snaking across his body, the feel of warm breath against his ear, and the beautiful, watery blue eyes gazing sadly into his own while a tender smile tinged with infinite sadness tugged at the those soft lips. He could see it clearly. He would always see it clearly. Especially on this coming solstice. This year's Fall Equinox would spell the end of them.

He knew Death…Fai…could not keep his hold on his sanity for much longer. Life feared for his beautiful lover. Would Fai break this time? Would he give up and drift into eternal despair only to vanish completely from existence?

Death and Life, as immortal beings, can never die. Instead, they can give in to despair and forsake everything for the Oblivion. Many of the old gods and goddesses had already done just that. The only thing keeping the two of them in this world was each other. The knowledge that they will always see each other, that they will always be able to touch each other every solstice.

Until the last solstice before the turning of the century. Every time that particular Fall Equinox came, the balance would tip ever so slightly. Chaos would be on the verge of unleashing it's fury, only to be thwarted by the coming of the Spring Equinox. They had seen it happen countless times before and knew it would happen again.

But, perhaps this time, there would be a variation to the order of things in a way even Fate herself could never imagine.

The three Sisters, the weavers who controlled Death and Life, commanded them where to go, what to do, and when to do it, were always busy weaving the lives of mortals into their seemingly endless tapestry called Eternity. Life, known to mortals as Kurogane, knew the Sisters knew of his and Fai's love. How could they not? But how much convincing would it take for the Sisters to finally grant his and Fai's most fervent wish? How much longer would they have to suffer? How much longer could they last?

Not much.

XxX

The Fall Equinox. The sun…the sun is about to set.

Turning his watery eyes to the crimson pair staring at him earnestly, he held himself back. Not yet. Wait. Be patient. Just a few more seconds.

…NOW!

Without a moment to lose, Fai threw himself into Kurogane's arms, pressing his body to the others and allowing his lips to be completely swallowed by Life's.

There they stood in their entangled embrace. A single, dark figure clad in a long, midnight black robe adorned by a blue belt encrusted with silver that encircled his almost painfully slender waist twice. The hems of the black robe were also adorned by silvery blue and the hood was half covering the blonde's pale hair.

The taller figure was the opposite in every way. His skin was dark, his eyes red, his clothes were sparkling white lined by gold encrusted red. Red armlets with spiraling gold vines adorned his forearms while his jet black hair was cropped short and seemed to spike all on its own.

"I don't want to do this," Fai whispered against his lover's lips. "Please, please, I can't."

"You must," Kurogane insisted gently. "The Balance must be kept."

"How? How can there be balance when only one of us is left? What do the Sisters say?"

Life was silent.

Death's eyes watered. "They still haven't agreed to our wish?"

"No. No, they haven't," the taller of the two answered quietly, bowing his head.

Fai struggled to withhold his tears as his fingers closed over the elegant object that felt like poison in his hands. "I…I will wait for you. Till the Spring Equinox. But after…I cannot say. I am losing this inner battle, Life. I fear I will lose it. No, I lie. I do not fear, I know I shall lose this battle. I will Fade into the Oblivion sought out and found by so many of our kin. My only regret will be that you will not go with me."

"Do not give up Death. The Underworld cannot hold me forever, you of all people should know this. Winter does not last forever."

"Neither does the Spring! Life, I will Fade. I already am Fading. When you are gone I will no longer have anything to bind me to this life. I may not even be able to hold on 'till Spring. I may Fade in Winter, or Autumn even."

"Do not say such things!" Kurogane hurried to command, clutching his lover tighter in his embrace.

"…The sun is almost set. Our time grows short," Death whispered, his voice like a breath in the air.

"You have your duty, Death. Complete it."

"Forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive."

Death took a deep breath and drew up his hand which held the elegant object of his despair and placed it at his lover's throat. This was the way things had to be. Death briefly admired the looping beauty of the silver crosspiece embedded with deep blue sapphires, and the blue leather handle. The slender, silver blade glinted in the sun's almost vanished light.

"I love you," he murmured.

"And I you," his lover, Life, replied. His crimson eyes held no hatred for fear, only sadness and love.

Death swallowed, then plunged the blade into Life's throat. Quick, painless, and very little blood. Immediately he felt Life's limp weight slide down his body to the ground. He knelt down and cradled his dead love in his arms.

He held it until the sun's light faded completely from the sky leaving only the all encompassing darkness. Then the weight of his lover faded as well, beginning its journey to Underworld in which it would remain until the Spring Equinox of the first year after the turn of the century. His rebirth would mark the true beginning of the new year and start the endless cycle all over again.

Normally, Life would simply fall into a deep, frozen sleep during Death's reign through the Winter months, only to awaken on the Spring SEquinox. Then he would banish Death to a long, diamond encased sleep until the Fall Equinox arrived once more.

Not so on the last equinox of the last year of the dying century and the first equinox of the new century.

Then, Death would kill Life, sending him to the Underworld. Death would then have free reign over the mortals until the Spring Equinox when Life would be reborn. Then, their positions would be reversed. Life would strangle Death, just like the beautiful, flowering vines would free themselves of a frost, and Death would be sent to the Underworld.

Thus the turning of the century was both a feared and loved time for mortals, and a solely heartbreaking time for the two immortals.

Fai stood and stared blankly out over the blackened sky. He was alone. He bowed his head, turned, and strode away, fading into the night.

XxX

The months passed. The mortals quivered in fear, awaiting the fearsome spectre known as Death to come and claim them as was expected. But nothing happened. Some wondered why this was. Others spoke of the Balance being broken. And still others counted themselves blessed and did not question their stroke of good luck.

But there were whispers of ghosts, or one ghost seen multiple times in multiple places. All of the descriptions were practically identical. A lone figure, hooded and cloaked in ebony would be seen wandering the snowy woods at night and haunting local gravesites.

Some said it was a lost soul seeking out a lost love. Others said it was one of the dead who had unfinished business in the mortal world. Still others said it was Death himself seeking out lives to take.

But the answer would remain a mystery.

XxX

The Spring Equinox arrived. Life gasped out his first breath of the new century. The first thing he noticed was that he was alone. Death was nowhere to be seen. This was unusual. Typically, Death would be the first thing he saw, no matter what. It would always brighten his mood.

Even though he knew he would have to strangle his beautiful lover.

He stood and looked around. There was still no sign of Death anywhere. The sun was just rising, lighting up the new earth. Although Death was cursed to kill him on the night of the Fall Equinox, he was cursed to kill his lover on the morning of the Spring Equinox.

He waited.

The sun rose higher.

Death hadn't arrived.

He grew nervous.

The sun was almost past the horizon.

Death still hadn't arrived.

The sun was completely risen.

Kurogane despaired. He had lost his one chance of ever holding his lover in his arms before the next solstice. And the Balance…What about the Balance?

Because he hadn't seen his lover, Death, he hadn't been able to kill him either, which left him in a rather peculiar and potentially dangerous predicament. How would Chaos be withheld if Death wasn't banished to the Underworld for the time being?

Panic arose in his heart and he did the only thing he could think of. He went to the Hall of the Three Sisters. There, in the center of the hall sat the three sisters themselves.

The first had the appearance of a young child, dimpled cheeks and bright eyes the colors of the rainbow framed by a mop of golden curls. The second was a beautiful young woman, her long brunette tresses flowed down her back like a waterfall around her perfect face and rainbow irised eyes. The third was an elderly lady with messy, snowy white hair and wrinkled skin with eyes that were also the shade of the rainbow.

The youngest sat at a spinning wheel, weaving wool into thread. The middle sister would take the thread and weave it into a glorious tapestry. The third sister would snip the thread with her knife when she deemed it time, which varied from thread to thread.

Life knew that each thread was a mortal life that was born from the first sister's spinning. The second sister would weave them into the tapestry of Eternity, and the third sister would cut the thread indicating the end of a mortal's life.

"Sisters, where is Death?" he asked respectfully, mindful of the Sisters' incredible power.

The child spoke as she wove the thread on her spinning wheel. "Death, Death. I cannot answer. I only know of his beginning."

"Sister Birth only knows the beginning of all things as I, Destiny, only know the lives of all things. It is Sister Fate who knows the end of all things. What say you Sister Fate? Where has your servant Death gone?" the middle sister spoke gently, never ceasing her work at the loom.

"Death? Death. Ah, Death. He has Faded away from this world, like so many before him. He has fallen into the Oblivion."

Life felt his ever beating heart cease to beat. Faded? Death? But how could this be? He'd promised to wait until the Spring Solstice.

"When did he Fade?" was all he could ask.

"He Faded on MidWinter's day, I believe. Just lay down in the snow and Faded away. Poor thing. He was the best servant I have ever had. Did his job well and without question. I shall miss him, indeed. The spirits of the Old World are Fading so often now. I wonder if we shall be left alone?"

"I wonder indeed, Sister Fate. What say you, Sister Birth? Shall we be left alone?" as the weaver.

"I say nothing, for I do not know. I only know that we are here now and our work is never done. What will you do, my servant Life? Will you follow your opposite into Oblivion, or will you continue on with your existence as it is now? The Balance must be kept."

Kurogane did not need to think. His reason for living was gone, his light was gone, his lover was gone, Faded into the Oblivion. He could not endure without his beautiful lover.

"His decision is made, Sister Birth. He shall follow in his lover's footsteps," Destiny answered for him.

"I shall miss you then, Life. You have been a wonderful servant," Birth said with a brief nod before returning to her eternal work.

Life closed his eyes in silence, and gave up his will to exist, Fading away into the dark nothingness of Oblivion.

"The Balance has been kept," the elderly Sister Fate murmured as she cut a thread, ending a life just as Sister Birth began spinning the thread of a new life which Sister Destiny proceeded to weave into the tapestry of Eternity.

XxX

He couldn't take his eyes off of him. The man was just so cute. A great relief to the stormy weather outside. With that dark hair, tan skin, and crimson eyes, the owner felt his breath catch. So handsome.

…so familiar…

He had seen this particular customer come in quite often. He was a regular to his coffee shop, the Cat's Eye. And even after all this time, he'd never been able to gather enough courage to speak to the other man, until today.

He cleared his throat and almost fainted when those glorious crimson orbs met his watery blue ones. "Um…i-is this seat taken?" he asked shyly, indicating the chair across from the customer.

"No."

"Ah…May I sit here then?"

"Sure."

Sighing in relief, the owner sat down. "Thank you."

"What do you want?" the customer asked.

The owner shriveled in on himself and gulped. It was now or never. "Um…I was wondering…w-would you…go out with me?" he asked quietly, eyes cast down in anxiety.

"…Sure. To be honest, I was wondering what took you so long," the other said.

The owner felt intense relief, shock, and joy at the other man's simple statement, not to mention he blushed red enough to shame a tomato.

"Although, it'd be even better if I knew your name."

The owner gasped. "Oh, it's Fai. Fai Flourite. And yours?"

"Kurogane Suwa. Nice to meet you…boyfriend."

Fai blushed, and Kurogane found he loved that blush. And decided he wanted to see it much, much more often.

A/N: See, it was worth it wasn't it? Come on. Just a little bit? Eh? Eh?

I have been requested to post the URL for this pic I wrote this fic for here. So here it is, just remember to remove the spaces between each character:

h t t p : / / h a n y o u - h i m e . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / a r t / S o w e r - a n d - R e a p e r - 1 5 8 9 5 2 3 4 3

Anywho, I'm going to post this on DA then go to bed. I have school tomorrow and it's already 1am. Nighy-night. :OZZZZzzzz....

Rate and Review!!! ;)