Chronicles of Valentine

a/n: Woot! Another chapter! Getting closer and closer to the end my friends. I'm almost sad to see it here and just a bit tempted to keep going. But it's always been a pet project of mine and I'm just SO GLAD that people have enjoyed it. I live to entertain!

Warnings for boykisses, language, spoilers, playing loose with canon and geography and all that jazz, strange sickness, etc. Oh, and the fact that I self-betaed it.

Much thanks to everyone who's reviewed for me! Thanks to Soyna, Nelleh, Kuromei, bossy_foodshield, DTE, and DarkSacrifice (I find Reeve to be very sexy! I must have an oji-san fetish, lol!) I'm so glad you're still reading!

Enjoy!

Chronicles of Valentine
Chapter Twelve

-- February 28, 4013 --

If someone had told me, two thousand years ago, that I would one day be standing at the head of a classroom and teaching the finer arts of firearms to two-dozen mercenary students, I would have chuckled darkly. And promptly filled them with bullets. To me, it would have been an insult.

How amusing that should be precisely what I am doing right now, explaining the ins and outs of your basic firearm by use of overhead projector and a diagram. The projector was a low, warm hum as I spoke, fingers tapping the respective section. I could feel two-dozen pairs of eyes on me – a good portion of them female – listening avidly.

Intro to Firearms was always interesting. It was the later classes where things got a little boring. Nearly everyone in Garden was required to take Intro to Firearms. It left me with a rather eclectic class. I bit back a sigh and refrained from looking at the clock; that would only serve to remind me just how much longer it would be until the end of this – my last – class.

“This is your basic handgun,” I explained, tapping the end of my pen against the glass of the projector. “I shouldn't have to tell you which is the trigger and which is the barrel. There are, however, other components whose names aren't as well known.”

Something tickled at the back of my throat, the heat of the projector a noticeable presence against my face. Dust motes danced a merry jig in the streams of bright light. I swallowed thickly to chase the strange feeling down, focusing on a diagram that suddenly blurred to my sight.

What the hell?

I closed my eyes briefly, opened them again, and focused. “This is the grip, and this here, the grip safety. It's always important to doublecheck your safety.”

The tickle became an itch and I noisily cleared my throat, feeling as if something was pressing on my esophagus. My nose twitched and the diagram wavered.

I felt it erupt in my chest before it spilled past my lips and I turned away from the projector, directing my face towards the concealment of my shoulder. The cough rattled my entire body, along with a sharp stab of pain that jabbed into my skull and refused to cease. Dizziness came with the cough and my hand blindly reached out, grabbing the edge of the table and gripping hard enough for the fake wood to crack.

Blackness encroached as the coughing refused to cease. Something bitter and sharp danced over my tongue, dizziness assaulting me before I could stop it. I struggled to draw in a breath, it feeling much like fire. And my lungs refused to obey my commands.

What in Shiva's name was going on? In the back of my mind, the demons began a confused and slightly troubled conference with one another. A frantic murmuring that joined the dull roar in my ears.

I chanced a look at my shirt where I buried my face, alarmed to find bright spots of cerise against the dark fabric. Glistening and wet, fresh blood. I had only a moment to remark on this before another coughing fit beset me, tearing at my lungs and throat, making each breath a struggle. My knees weakened, buckling beneath me, and only providential hands kept me from hitting the floor.

“It's okay,” a voice murmured in my ear, sultry and full of country twang – Irvine. “I got ya, Vince.”

For a moment there, I almost thought it was Cid, until I remembered that Cid was dead and really, he was the only one I ever allowed to call me that and get away with it. But my body wouldn't allow me the breath necessary to berate Irvine for it. The coughing lightened, only slightly, allowing me enough time to suck in a desperate gulp of air, tasting bitter copper on my tongue.

I heard voices, dimly. A sharp tone issuing commands. The footsteps of two dozen students as they filed out of the room, worry emanating from their young forms.

Confusion found a way to worm inside of me, combating with the worry for full attention. With each passing moment, I gathered more and more control of myself, until I was able to breathe without blinding pain and accompanying dizziness. A trickle of blood dribbled from the corner of my lip and I swiped at it, staring as though I had never seen the sanguine fluid in my life.

A hand pressed to my chin, forcing me to face a pair of vivid, violet eyes. “You coherent again?” Irvine asked, his eyes narrowed in thought as he perused what had to be a pale face.

I forced myself to speak, even though part of me feared it would send my body into another paroxysm. “What....?” Predictably it came out more of a croak.

Irvine, looking serious and lacking his easygoing smile, thinned his lips. “I'm taking you to Dr. Kadowaki.”

“No,” I forced out, trying to break away from the hold he had on me but feeling a strange weakness in my limbs. They didn't want to obey my commands. Damn, but Irvine must have his strength amped by Ifrit right now. “I'll be fine in a moment.”

He didn't seem convinced. “Yes. Because coughing up blood is an everyday occurrence in your world.”

“Well, no, but that's no reason to be has--” My words were cut off as Irvine dropped his hand from my chin and spun, a firm grip on my arm dragging me down the hallway in an undignified fashion.

Only my composure kept me from yelping in surprise. That and the tightening of my throat as it threatened to spasm once more.

Students stared from doorways as Irvine bodily hauled me down the corridor, including those from Irvine's class and those from mine whom Irvine had obviously dismissed whenever this... whatever it was, attacked me. Obviously, Irvine didn't understand that it would go away on its own soon enough and there was nothing to be concerned about. But there was a particular set to the gunslinger's jaw and this was a man who could stand against Selphie and say 'no' so I wasn't particularly inclined to try and argue with him. At least, not here.

At Irvine's fast clip, his boots like a loud, tapping cadence against the tiled floor, we reached the Infirmary in record time. Dr. Kadowaki, saving me from horrid flashbacks in that she was a woman with a pleasant smile and an underlying scent of cinnamon and pumpkin, looked up as we entered – or burst into the Infirmary more like.

“Mr.Valentine,” she greeted, rising to her feet and sweeping her glasses from her forehead down onto her pert nose. “I never expected to find you in my domain.”

I fought down a cough, just because I could, and drew in a slow, steady breath. No clenching of the lungs. Good. “I didn't expect to find need to come here, outside of your company of course,” I returned, twitching where Irvine still kept an iron-clamp grip on my wrist.

The young man rolled his eyes. “Don't listen to him, Doc. He's a master of self-delusional bullshit just like Squall. There's something seriously wrong with him.”

Kadowaki's eyes slowly moved between us, taking in our varied states, before seeming to focus on my shoulder. Admittedly, I had forgotten about the blood splashing the cloth there. No doubt her eagle sight would latch onto it instantly.

She looked at us over the frame of her classes. “I was under the impression Mr. Valentine was of the... self-regenerative sort,” she said carefully, obviously deliberate in her wording.

“I am,” I insisted, ignoring Irvine's attempt to insert his own two gil's worth. “Kinneas is unnecessarily concerned.”

“Unnecessarily concerned!” the gunslinger sputtered, his voice raising in volume. “You were coughing up blood and ten blinks from losing consciousness!”

I sighed, and the tickle at my throat threatened to rise again. A feeling like pressure swelled in my chest; I tried to ignore it. I doubted there was anything that Dr. Kadowaki could do. I was as much of an alien to her as Jenova had been to us all those centuries ago.

Kadowaki's eyes seemed to pin me down. “Expectorating blood, Mr. Valentine?'

I fought the urge to sigh again. “It was only a brief happening. And the first time at that.”

“Even so, I feel that I should run some tests.”

My shoulders sagged before I could stop them. If there was one thing I hated, it was the sound of 'tests'. Even if Dr. Kadowaki didn't resemble Hojo in any shape or form, the infirmary still carried a similar stench of antiseptic and unguents and the prevalence of white coats. I held no interest in confining myself to one of her rooms for testing.

Still, a truth niggled at the back of my mind. Blowing my own brains out with the Dirge of Cerberus hadn't been able to kill me. I hadn't once been ill since waking in that coffin and emerging from that nightmare. Temperature shifts had never been noticeable. And now they were. Now I occasionally carried symptoms of a common cold.

Perhaps I could concede to a few tests.

“I promise,” Dr. Kadowaki continued, likely sensing my hesitance. “Apart from drawing blood, all of the procedures will be non-invasive.”

In the end, I allowed the doctor to do as she wished, though I watched every move she made with an avid eye I normally reserved for battle. She didn't seem offended by my wariness, and made certain to explain everything she was doing. Scans of my lungs. Blood work to check for toxins and illness. A swab with a cotton tip on the inside of my cheek. Listening to my breathing. Checking my heart rate. And various others.

I didn't cough again. I supposed that the anxiety over Dr. Kadowaki's examination left me breathing shallowly and not irritating whatever had caused the irritation in the first place.

Several hours later, I sat across from Dr. Kadowaki with Irvine in a chair next to me – the gunslinger refused to leave me to myself, convinced I would flee at the first instance. He was probably right. And I watched as the doctor examined the results of her tests.

“Well,” she began carefully, and that was never a good sign. “I see no evidence of illness. Your lungs are clear and there's no sign of infection in your blood. Your heart rate is normal, perhaps a bit slower than the norm but then, I don't really have a baseline to compare it with since your physiology is different from the average human's.”

All things I already knew.

“So,” Irvine dragged out the syllables, slinking lower in his seat as he reached up to tip his hat further back. “What does that mean?”

“There's nothing physically wrong with him,” Dr. Kadowaki stated bluntly. Aside from the throat irritation and coughing up blood, he's perfectly healthy.” Her eyes skipped to the side however, falling on one of her sheets of paper as though reconsidering her statement.

I shifted in my chair, the cushion-less seat lacking in comfort, as I suspected all doctor's chairs were meant to be. “I'm sensing a 'but...' in there, Dr. Kadowaki. You have reservations?”

For the first time, the doctor's perfect composure echoed a faint discomfort. “You're not ill,” she repeated, “but some of the tests have come back... unusual.”

“Unusual?” Irvine echoed, straightening as he realized this might be important.

"Unusual for someone of Mr. Valentine's constitution," she clarified.

Dread sought to make a home in my belly. Without taking my eyes away from Dr. Kadowaki, I spoke to Irvine. “Kinneas, if you would please.”

The gunslinger looked between us. “Ah, Vincent, you can't be serious--”

“I am.” I glanced at him briefly, certain that whatever Dr. Kadowaki wanted to tell me was something only I needed to know.

Muttering something under his breath – a rather creative curse if I heard it correctly – Irvine shoved out of his chair and stormed towards the door. Only to pause in the entryway, one hand on the frame. “Don't keep it to yourself, Vincent. We might be able to help.”

I highly doubted that, but if it made him feel better, I dipped my head in assent. Irvine vanished seconds later, leaving a dry tension in the air between the doctor and I.

Folding my hands in my lap, I pinned her with my most serious stare. “I have lived for over two thousand years, Dr. Kadowaki. Be blunt.”

She nodded, and reached for her glasses, folding them and placing them flat on the desk, covering her multiple readouts and papers. “Then let me be frank. I am a doctor, Mr. Valentine, and not a scientist. So I can only speculate. But from what I can see, your cells are... deteriorating.”

I turned this over in my head. Deteriorating. As in breaking down. As in no longer regenerating.

My fingers intertwined in my lap, grasping one another. “I am dying,” I said, with startling revelation.

And there are no words to describe the emotions that coursed through me. Stunned amazement at first. Relief. Joy. A crushing sense of peace. And then lastly, concern. Worry for those I would be leaving behind. Though, by all accounts, this was a process that could take months, years, centuries. One couldn't say.

“I wouldn't call it dying in the true sense of the word,” Dr. Kadowaki continued. “It's not as if you are ill or old age has caught up to you. It's simply that your cells no longer have the energy to continue replicating. Not even the magic can support them, or your...” She grasped for a word.

“Parasites,” I supplied, for that was what I had always considered my demons. “It is understandable. Magic is fading in this world. The further the life stream sinks, the less powerful my demons are.” My eyes skipped to the window, cheery with yellow beams of sunshine. “It makes sense.”

The chair creaked as Dr. Kadowaki shifted. “I think that's the first time I've ever seen someone take the news so well.”

“You were the one who said my body was tired,” I said quietly. “For me, it is not only my body. It is everything else as well.” I closed my eyes briefly, letting the reality of the situation trickle slowly over me. “How long?”

“I can't say. It could be weeks. It could be years.”

“Either way, it's inevitable.” My eyes slid open as my hands uncoiled. “I trust this is confidential?”

Dr. Kadowaki looked at me, offended that I would think otherwise. “I have been a doctor for a long time, Mr. Valentine. Please do not insult me.”

My lips dared quirk. “I meant no affront. I have simply cultivated a strong wariness of those in the medical profession.” I rose to my feet, tipping my head in a light bow. “Thank you for your counsel, doctor.”

“I would tell you to be careful. To avoid anything that might strain your body, including forcing it to heal a mortal wound, but I have the feeling it would do me little good.” Her fingers tapped across the wooden top of her desk.

“Vincent.”

It was the use of my given name that prompted my halt more than anything. I glanced over my shoulder.

The doctor had risen to her feet, her gaze locked on the window as her palm flattened on the desk. “You should tell Squall and the others. Even if you do outlast them.”

She had a valid point, but I wasn't sure I was ready to go that path yet. True they had become something like family to me over the passing months and true I had grown unusually attached to them so quickly. But dare I worry them over an inevitability? Would they understand how much this meant to me?

I inclined my head. “I will consider your advice. Thank you.” I paused before leaving, something old and bitter in me still stalling in hesitation. “That blood sample you took...?”

I caught her wry grin as she spread her hands, glancing from the corner of her kind brown eyes. “What blood sample?”

I was beginning to think I could like this woman. “Never mind,” I deferred, and took my leave, mind deliciously calm and at ease. One would expect it to spin, to collapse and collide, but I was filled with such... peace, that I couldn't fathom any other reaction.

Seifer was waiting for me outside of the infirmary, looking casual were it not for the tight set to his shoulders. His arms were crossed over his chest, effecting an air of nonchalance that failed miserably in the wake of his deep frown.

“Were you looking for me?”

The blond lifted his brows. “Ran into the cowboy. He said something about bringing you here.”

It figured. Irvine would no doubt tell everyone, meaning I would be pressed for details. I would have to find him later and express the need for absolute secrecy. If he wanted to keep my trust, he would keep my secret.

I repressed the sigh that threatened to spill from my lips. My throat was tickling again. I had the feeling this was going to be an annoying, common occurrence from now on.

“There's nothing to concern yourself over,” I said, not thinking to reassure because Seifer wouldn't want to admit that he was worried. “Kinneas overreacted.”

That smirk belonged better on Seifer's face than restrained concern. “As usual.” He cocked his head to the side. “So... interested in another spar?”

“Are you that hard up for entertainment?”

He fell into line beside me, his quick stride keeping even with mine. “More like you're the only challenge I have here.” Seifer's hands dove into the pockets of his well-fitting jeans.

I didn't fail to notice the eyes that still shied away from Seifer as though he were going to break out and attack at any moment. The only challenge? Yes, that. But perhaps his only true friend outside of the strained relationships he shared with the others, Fujin and Raijin excluded.

I considered Dr. Kadowaki's words. Exertion would only speed up the process. But I had no inclination to spend the rest of my existence watching each and every action. What was the point of prolonging an already extended existence?

“Very well,” I said, casually tossing aside the doctor's warning. “I'll meet you at the arena in ten minutes.” I wanted to change first, and find Irvine of course. No doubt Seifer had noticed the stain on my shirt. But he wasn't the sort to ask questions. He would wait until I was willing to offer answers.

His charming grin was a response that made something inside of me flip in a way I had come to recognize over the years.

Well, wasn't that interesting?

--April 12, 4013--

Pain rocketed me out of a dreamless sleep. I flailed in the covers until my own frantic motions threw me off the bed, not that I noticed the subsequent thump my body made on the floor. I was too busy writhing as wave after wave of pain struck my body. I bit my lip bloody in an attempt to restrain the howls, curling up into a tiny ball.

Then the paroxysms hit, cough after cough, blood spilling past my lips. Dizziness struck as the need to breathe warred with the desperate desire to escape the sheer agony in my body. Like teeth of fire digging into my skin. Something gnawed on my innards. Hell, even my hair hurt and I couldn't focus past the blinding ache.

I panted, growling low in my throat, white-hot brightness flashing behind my clenched eyes. My foot kicked out, slamming against the bed and sheets entangled helplessly around my twitching form.

Dear Shiva, the pain... I had never experienced anything of this magnitude. Not even when Hojo inflicted his tortures on me. Not even when he twisted my body to his liking. There was nothing to describe this excruciating agony.

And then just as suddenly as it swamped me, the pain vanished, leaving behind nothing but a throb throughout my entire body. I felt as if I were one big bruise, and drew in several big breaths, trying to calm my aching lungs. More coughs tried to tear from my throat, but I bit down on them, the taste of blood making my stomach rebel.

I lay in stunned agony, staring at the digital numbers on my clock, brightly announcing the earliness of the morning. There was a strange feeling resonating through my body, that of a lonely emptiness. As though I had moved on and left something important behind, something I couldn't' reclaim again. I had lost something, only I didn't know what.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm my frantic heart, searching my thoughts. Taking a mental catalog of the various aches and pains and injuries. I had scratched myself, just now I felt the stinging on my arm. It wasn't healing nearly as fast as it should, blood oozing from the rather deep wound. My lower lip was swollen and tender to the touch. My head ached where I had collided with the floor.

Something was missing.

With great effort, I sat up, struggling to disentangle myself from the mess I had made of the covers. It required too much work to return to the bed, so instead I sat on the tiled floor, the chill of the air conditioning blowing over my heated body. I felt as if I raged with fever, my body strangely weak.

I pressed my ice-cold fingers to my forehead, the simple touch feeling ridiculously soothing. My skull was throbbing, but the feeling of lacking something was so disruptive I couldn't ignore it.

The answer hit me like a wave of freezing cold water, swamping over my shoulders and dripping down over me.

There were only three voices in the back of my head. Normally, this would be a cause for celebration. And in a way, it was. But to me, it was a further sign that something was definitely wrong. I couldn't hear Galian anymore, and the more I searched my thoughts, the more I realized he simply wasn't there. Nor were the magic spells I had junctioned to him.

It was as if the purple demon had... vanished.

The realization left me dizzy. Try as I might to discern the reason or the meaning, I couldn't.

Galian was gone.

-- June 28, 4013 --

My feet skidded across the ground, kicking up streams of dust that tickled my nose and made my lungs clamp. I ignored that reaction, throwing up my arms to block the barrage of blows Seifer aimed my direction. These spars were more dangerous for me now that I lacked the stamina Galian's DNA had given me, but I wasn't about to tell Seifer that. I had only recently realized it myself.

Let him think I was as strong as I had always been.

I ducked under a powerful swing and twisted, jabbing an elbow into Seifer's abdomen. He grunted, absorbing the blow, and made a grab for me. But I was already darting out of the way, planning my next move. Perhaps a quick whirl, a low kick, knock Seifer to the ground and pin him.

In fact, I would do just that.

Seifer gave chase, as I knew he would, and I suddenly dropped, sweeping out one leg and knocking it against the unsteady hinges of his knee. Seifer cursed as one leg toppled out from under him, upsetting his balance enough that an open-palmed blow with both hands knocked him backwards. He hit the ground with a defining thud, kicking up more dust and I wasted no time in attempting to pin him.

One knee pressed into his solar plexus, causing Seifer to gasp before he could strain himself. I cracked my knuckles, looking down at the sun-kissed blond, who struggled to shield his eyes from the gleam of daylight streaming down above us.

Sparring outside was definitely preferably to the dank, dark of the basement. Which always briefly took me back to another basement and another time, several centuries past.

“Do you yield?”

Seifer scoffed, not in any way resembling a beaten man despite being beneath me. His voice became a dangerous purr. “Conceding defeat has never been my style.”

I cocked my head to the side, shoulders heated from the baking the sun was giving them. “Maybe you should start.”

The blond dragged his tongue over his lips, shifting faintly beneath me, but strangely, not making an effort to get away. “And start another bad habit? Nahhh.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seifer...”

He interrupted me with a look f absolute shock. “Whoa. What the hell is that?”

To my credit, Seifer had never tried such a cheap trick before. So when I turned to look over my shoulder, I didn't expect for him to suddenly heave his body upwards and tip me over to the side. Had I my former strength, it never would have happened. But I still hadn't adapted to a regular human's abilities.

I hit the ground with a stunned grunt and suddenly Seifer was there, his fingers curled around my wrists and pinning them to the grass-spattered dirt. I blinked at the sudden change in position, looking up into jade eyes and an expression of intent.

“Pinned ya,” Seifer stated, one knee pressed between my legs and the other on the outside of my hip, pinning me in place.

I gingerly tested the strength of his hold, but unfortunately, I was a gunman, not a swordsman. Upper-body strength wasn't exactly my forte. “That was a cheap trick,” I reprimanded with a frown.

“Had to get you under me somehow,” Seifer retorted, leaning closer until I felt the heat of his breathing wash against my face. He smelled of sweat and something else, some exotic spice that seemed to exude from his pores.

And I was pretty damn sure that was a come on of some kind. Something I never would have expected to emerge from Seifer's lips. At least, not directed towards me.

Breathing stuttered, I forced myself to calm, my body attempting to react to the warm presence flush against mine when it had been decades since the last time a person had touched me like this. “I fail to see why you'd desire it.”

Seifer's eyes narrowed briefly, searching my face for something, I wasn't sure what. “You're not that oblivious,” he muttered.

I didn't think to turn my head or otherwise avoid him. So when his lips descended on mine, I allowed the kiss, something inside me desperate for this kind of contact when I had gone without for so long. My fingers twitched as his mouth slanted over mine, lips surprisingly soft and gentle for a man who usually displayed such blunt force.

It ended quickly, just a bare brush of our mouths, before Seifer drew back, his eyes searching my face. On my part, I wasn't sure what to think or do. On one hand, I was immensely flattered; Seifer was a terribly attractive man and we had grown closer since my arrival at Balamb Garden. On the other, I was terrified. Not only because I was dying, but because I wouldn't – no, couldn't – be left behind again. And I didn't know which would come first. This was the first time I had experienced uncertainty in that regards, having always been certain of my immortality before.

“In case you didn't notice,” Seifer said, his voice noticeably rough and wary, “That was me coming on to you.”

I had noticed. I returned his gaze evenly. “Why?”

He shrugged, not moving any further back, his face still incredibly close. “Because I don't have anything to lose... and a little birdy told me you have some interest in men.”

By little birdy, I could only surmise Quistis. Outside of Squall, she was the only one who knew of my past acquaintances, and Squall wasn't one to spill secrets. Not that it was a secret, but more of a private matter.

“But not children,” I reminded him.

“I'm not a child,” Seifer retorted.

My eyes shifted to the side, a much safer direction than looking into Seifer's eyes, their jade passion trying to convince me. “We've had this discussion before.”

“If you didn't want it you would have just decked me. Ifrit knows you're stronger than me.” Hands tightened around my wrists, not threateningly, but to focus my attention. “Look, Valentine, are you attracted to me or not?”

Attraction wasn't the problem here. I'd have to be blind to not notice Seifer's allure. He was an intoxicating mix of handsome masculinity and stubborn pride. He was intelligent but reckless, full of fire compared to my icy existence. And where I would have preferred to linger in the shadows, Seifer was the sun that drove them away so that I had nothing to hide behind. It was frustrating and infuriating, but altogether wonderful, somehow all at the same time.

Yes, I had probably fallen into lust a long time ago. Perhaps even something more. But I had been ignoring it for his protection and for mine. I was dying. I didn't know how long in the future it would take. If Galian's disappearance was any indication, perhaps shorter than I could be lead to believe.

And if it proved to be longer, once again, I would be left behind. I would have to watch as another person I cared for turned old and grey without me. I would have to say goodbye again. I would have to try and pick up the pieces of myself and keep trudging along.

Could I do such an awful thing to Seifer in return? Have him watch me die? Seifer was still just a child, even if he was an adult in numbers and actions. And he had already seen too many terrible things for me to subject him to that.

And yet...

And yet, surely Seifer had to know all this. He was aware I was no normal human. Even if he didn't know of my eventual mortality, he had to know that something was different. And he had made the first move anyway.

I sighed softly, feeling defeated before ever knowing there was a battle to fight. “Vincent.”

Seifer blinked. “... What?”

“If you insist on pursuing this course, I would prefer to be called Vincent.”

Lips curved into a slow smirk. “Fine then. But only if you stop calling me Almasy like it were some title rather than just a second part of my name.”

“I'll settle for brat then.”

For the first time, an honest smile took over the blond's expression. “I can take that as a yes then?”

In answer, I closed the short distance between our mouths, sealing our lips together in a kiss far less chaste than the one he had given me. Seifer didn't seem to mind.

>-- August 17, 4013 --

I was showering when it struck me for the second time, a pain like none other, only familiar because of the single time it had happened before. My knees buckled, sending me crashing to the tiled floor, heated water beating down upon my nude body. I slid across the soap-slick tiles, scrabbling for purchase even as my entire body spasmed.

My vision went black, unconsciousness or something similar, I wasn't sure. I still felt the excruciating pain, dimly registered that I coughed again, spewing blood and bits of something else onto the shower floor. The water was painted a garish pink as pieces of phlegm clogged the drain.

It felt like something was trying to tear its way out of my back with claws and teeth, stabbing pain like a thousand needles over every inch of my skin. I heard my ragged breathing, echoing in the emptiness of the shower, even over the sound of the falling water.

I blacked out. That was the only way to describe it. One moment, I was utterly aware of the pain lancing my entire body, and the next I was surrounded in black warmth. I floated in that nothingness for quite some time, watching three lights dance on the edge of my vision – green, yellow, and red.

They bobbed back and forth, like fireflies over a still pond. And as I watched, one of them began to sputter and fade, a fire losing its fuel. Yellow flickered before vanishing completely, swamping me in a sense of loss and losing so great that I faltered. I crumbled under a crushing feeling of losing something important, something that I needed.

When I woke, it was to a pounding headache, a prevalent smell of blood, and the feel of cold water falling needle-like against my skin. I sat up with a groan, feeling the back of my skull where it was tender and warmly damp, with blood not water. I wasn't healing anywhere close to my usual speed.

My hand snapped out, heavy as lead, shutting off the flow of freezing water. In the resulting silence – broken only by a few faint dripping noises – I struggled to pull myself together. My body ached dully, as though I had been beaten by a whole gang of children with metal baseball bats.

As this feeling wasn't wholly unfamiliar, I knew what I had to do next, and I was grateful Seifer was away on a mission, rather than invading my personal space as he preferred. While I shakily hauled myself to my feet, grabbing a towel to wrap around my soaked form, I searched my mind. To be expected, I was missing something.

Death Gigas was gone. It made sense, in a way. Galian, the weakest of them, was the first to go. And Death Gigas was the next weakest. If things continued in this vein, Hellmasker would be the next to go. And Chaos immediately following. I had the feeling that Chaos' disappearance would signal the end for me. Not a pleasant thought.

I sighed, contemplating a potion to ease the aches, and dried myself off. This was going quicker than I anticipated. Not that I had any basis to go on. Why was it happening? I didn't know. I could only hazard a guess.

One thought remained prevalent in my mind. Whether I liked it or not, I was dying, and sooner or later, the truth would emerge. I dreaded that day.

* * * * *

a/n: The truth emerges, well, at least for the readers. And yay! Finally some Vincent/Seifer action. I know you guys were all anticipating it! Thanks for reading! And I hope you enjoyed!

Next chapter: Another one disappears, the Orphanage Gang starts a snowball fight, Selphie discovers a secret, and Vincent's hourglass cracks.