Pairings: Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud, mentioned past Cloud/Aerith

Summary: College student Sora Strife goes to the hospital when he realizes that his bruises aren't fading, and that the small scrapes he received after tripping bleed too much to be normal. The results of the tests aren't so wonderful. Now, how to tell his best friend and roommate, Riku Teguchi, that he's dying… (Easy. He doesn't.)

Songs: 'Tears of an Angel' by Ryan Dan, 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum, 'Everything' by Lifehouse, 'The Walk' by Imogen Heap, 'You Look So Fine' by Garbage, 'My Sweet Prince' by Placebo, 'In My Head' by No Doubt


Chapter One


It always happens to those who least expect it.

The disease was one he was quite familiar with. It came out of nowhere and tore you to pieces, leaving you to die a slow and agonizing death.

The tumor was supposed to be gone. They said it hadn't spread far and that the cancer cells would easily be killed with the new treatment they developed. It had been years, 13 years, since he'd had the surgery to remove it. He only went through a year's worth of chemo. He was safe, they said.

What a bunch of lies.

It was coming back and this time it brought disease with it. Fucking leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, if he wanted to get specific. He didn't think it would happen to him. No one ever thinks it will happen to them. But there he was, sitting on his hospital bed as his mother sobbed. His older brother Cloud held his hand tightly, almost too tightly, but it helped him remember that he was still there, that he was still alive.

"Hey Mom, Cloud…do you think you can leave for a bit? I…I want some time alone." He said. His mother looked up at him with wet, swollen eyes but she nodded and waited for Cloud to stand before leaving the room. Cloud looked like he was going to say something, but he turned away and hurried out as well. The hospital room was quiet, except for the soft humming of the medical equipment.

"Fuck." Sora choked as he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, trying to stop the tears. But it didn't keep his shoulders from shaking as he sobbed.


Monthly lumbar punctures. That meant they would be sticking a needle into his spine and drawing fluids out. Tons of different medications and chemotherapy. If things got worse, maybe even a bone-marrow transplant. They were going to run a few more blood tests and take a bone-marrow sample before releasing him. It was lucky that it was a Saturday. As a college student, Sora couldn't really afford to miss too much school. As it was he was already going to have to scramble to finish his assignments. They weren't releasing him until Sunday afternoon.

"Hey, Sora. Mind if I come in?" Sora glanced over at the door. Cloud stood there awkwardly, wearing his work clothes and carrying his briefcase. He must have come straight from the office. Sora felt guilty and looked down at his hands.

"N-no, I don't mind. Please come in." Cloud shut the door behind him and gingerly sat down on the hard chair that was next to Sora's hospital bed

"You don't need to be so polite, you know. We are brothers." Cloud murmured, a half-smile on his face as he relaxed into the chair. Sora smiled faintly back at him but didn't reply. Cloud sighed as he realized Sora wasn't going to say anything. "Sora, I need to know…what your plans are. Do you want to stay in college? Or will you go back to live with Mom? You know what the chemo does to you. And with the added stress of the lumbar punctures…"

"I'm going to stay in college." Sora said firmly, cutting Cloud off.

"But—"

"No 'buts' Cloud. I'm staying and that's final. I'm not letting this ruin my life. I'll make sure to take my meds and make it to all my chemo and lumbar appointments." The younger brother stated, his eyes hard and his expression one of determination. His face softened as he caught the concern in Cloud's eyes. "I just…I don't want to focus my life on this. I'll regret it forever if I just give up now. I just started my second year at the university, and I'm supposed to be starting my job at that café you always visit next week."

"I know, it's just that…it's hard. That first time, when you had that tumor, it was terrifying. And now this…"

"Believe me, I know exactly how you feel." Sora replied, somewhat amused. He grinned at his brother when Cloud realized what he meant and muttered an apology. "It's fine. Now, why don't you go home and change? I can't believe you came straight here after work." The brunette shooed Cloud out of the room, glaring at him playfully when he looked back.

Sora sighed and leaned back into his pillow. Despite common belief, the bed was actually pretty comfortable. The doctors knew better than to give their patients lumpy, hard beds. It was even one of those number ones, were he could choose how soft or firm he wanted it to be. He amused himself with the bed remote until there was a knock on his door. He called out that it was okay to come in, and the doctor walked into the room.

"Hey Leon." Sora said casually. Leon scowled at him, but it was halfhearted.

"Call me Dr. Leonhart when I'm working, Sora. It's not very professional to be called by my first name by a brat like you." The older man grumbled as he checked Sora's IV drip and flipped through the clipboard at the end of his bed. Sora watched with interest as Leon suddenly flopped down onto the chair Cloud had been using just minutes before.

"What's up? Rough day?" Sora asked sympathetically. Leon covered his face with his hands and let out a deep sigh.

"You could say that. Actually, it concerns you, Sora." Sora blinked in surprise and laughed a little nervously.

"Me? Well, I guess the whole leukemia thing is a bit of a shock to you too, I mean no one really expected—"

"Sora." Leon interrupted.

"…Yes?" Sora asked after a moment of silence, feeling as awkward as Leon looked.

"You…you need to brace yourself for this. We ran a few more tests, and looked over the MRI results from last night. It…wasn't very good." There was another awkward silence before Sora cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably.

"So…were you going to tell me what exactly 'wasn't very good' about it?"

"Sora, I'm really sorry…but the cancer is spreading very quickly. It went for so long without being checked that it had time to grow. I've spoken with the other doctors, and…it's been decided that with the treatment we've prescribed, you have a maximum of five years. At this point, you are estimated to have maybe two years at most." More silence, though this one was less awkward than it was horrifying. Leon wouldn't meet Sora's eyes.

"Oh…oh, God. God, no." The air left his lungs in one breath, like someone had knocked the wind out of him. He suddenly felt detached from everything, like he was having an out-of-body experience.

"Sora…? Sora? Sora! Fucking hell. Rinoa! Get a bag for Sora immediately! Sora, calm down!" He heard Leon's voice faintly beyond the sound of his own hyperventilating. Everything was blurry, fading between black and pinpricks of color. Something was placed against his face and he panicked. The voices became quieter, quieter…until they were silent, and all Sora saw was darkness.