Kryptonite.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of the characters used in this fan fiction. They belong to their respected owners. Don't Freaking Sue Me!

Pairing: Angeal Hewley/Cissnei

Characters: Angeal Hewley, Cissnei

Warning: This is an Angeal and Cissnei pairing, yeah, enough said.

Summary: Honor and Pride had nothing on the feeling of her in his arms, but could she save him from his inner demons?

One Shot.

The gray sky let go, rain falling effortlessly from the clouds and exploding against any solid objects near by. The pitter-patter against the window was the only sound within the entire inn room, even with the two figures lying on the twin bed. One of the figures, the female, lay beside the other and seemed to be in a peaceful slumber. The other, the male, found himself envying her for that. He lay wide-awake with his arm wrapped around her middle; her face nestled against his chest softly while both her arms circled his body.

However, the male moved his gaze to the window and stared, watching the rain smack against the glass. Even with his love lying next to him, he did not feel normal or relaxed — he felt weak, guilty, and regretful. His best friend had gone missing in action months or so ago, that's when these feelings started, but at least in the beginning he found comfort in the younger being's company. Although, now things were different, nothing seemed to rid of the blame and misery that filled him.

He never told her of these feelings; he refused to make her worry about his well-being. It was bad enough that she had her own problems to deal with; being one of the finest Turks, he had ever seen in action. There was no sense in bothering her, after all, it was his duty to protect her — as the male in the relationship should. He was strong enough to get past this, he had to for there was no other choice in the matter; he had to be her hero. At least, that's what he told himself every day, when he would find himself almost breaking in front of her.

He felt her stir slightly next to him, his gaze moving from the window to the woman at his side. He wanted to smile at her but didn't have it in his heart to actually pull it off. Instead, he lifted his hand and brushed his fingers through her hair. She smiled in her sleep and moved closer to him; whatever he had figured she had been dreaming disappeared at his touch. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and moved them back to the window — returning to the thoughts that he knew would bother her if she had known.

He began to wonder what exactly was wrong with him, keeping her in the dark, as he seemed to do most often. She had opened up so much to him, told him things that not even Verdot knew about her. Yet there he was, putting up walls to keep her out and pretending with her to keep her. He supposed it was due to the feeling he got about himself, that he was losing his mind. He felt afraid that if the young Turk found out about this crazed feeling he had that she would leave him behind. He would rather rip himself apart inside then dare scare her off, to make her leave his side. Losing her was his biggest fear, and most certainly would kill him inside if it happened.

A lump of guilt formed in his throat, eyes narrowing at his slight reflection in the window. Even if losing her was his biggest fear, yet he had these thoughts of what would happen if he were to find his best friend. What if there was something more to all of this, what if he had no choice but to leave that dreaded company they both worked for? Would she come with him? He didn't know but he honestly hoped that she wouldn't, doing such a thing would put her in great danger and he…

He felt her shift beside him once more, breaking his insane thought process and causing him to turn his gaze to her once more. He found himself shifting as well, probably out of the nerves that were wrecked beyond repair, and watched as one of her light colored eyes peered out from under a pale eyelid. He watched as she lifted her head off his chest and blinking her eyes open completely, locking a concerned gaze with his grieving one.

"Angeal," she whispered with a light yawn. "What are you doing up this late? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

He answered her question quietly, "I can't sleep."

"You're thinking again," she replied as she sat up slowly and unlocked her arms from around him. "What did I tell you about that?"

"I'm sorry for waking you, Cissnei."

"Don't change the subject," the young Turk demanded. However, the girl's stern nature disappeared as she noticed the torn look on her lover's face. She found herself mustering up a small smile as she placed her palm on his cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb. "You really do suck at it."

A bit startled by the girl's sudden change, his blue orbs widened a bit and his body stiffened. Although he only lasted for a moment, he broke eye contact with her and mauled over a choice of words. "I… I'm sorry."

"There's something on your mind, Angeal." She stated softly as she slipped her hand under his chin, lifting it carefully. Her eyes read only anxiety and discomfort, obviously due to his in closed nature. He told himself that if she were to ask him, he would tell her — it was time. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Bingo.

Angeal questioned softly, "Can I ask you something…?"

"Of course," she nodded and rested her forehead against his. "Ask anything. I'll answer."

"Are you sure?"

He felt stupid for asking that, but he couldn't stop himself. His walls were cracking under all the pressure placed on him, and he could tell that she was sensing this as well. The walls that he had built so high were crumbling around him, and all due to one young female that he had found himself attached to. He almost couldn't believe such a thing could happen, would happen to him.

"Yes." She stated softly, "I'm absolutely sure."

"Will you stay at my side no matter what?" He questioned carefully, mind reeling with every question he held in such Genesis's disappearance. "Will I still be your hero, always? Will you be there no matter what happens? If I were to leave all of this, would you follow me? Until the end of time?"

She was a bit taken back by his questions, pulling away for a moment to lock gazes with him. She read in his eyes that he was serious about all of it, even the departure of Shin-Ra. She knew the story behind why this was probably happening — his close friend had left, she expected him to do the same. There was no doubt that this would come up at some point in time. She knew that it was hard times and honestly, she had to answer before he began to recoil.

"Of course." She answered in a soft tone, "I will always be there for you, always stand at your side. You will always be my hero, Angeal, and I would follow you to the end. Even if it means that I would lose everything that I hold dear, I would not leave you to journey on your own. I lay my life down at your feet and I promise you that until the end of time you will always see me there."

He was silent as he stared at her, his mind reeling once more. He hadn't expected that answer — he had expected, though, a scolding for even thinking about leaving. Everything seemed to be disappearing or slipping through his fingers, but here this girl was and she was giving him a promise of never leaving him alone. He couldn't locate any words that could express how this felt to him, his throat seemed to close on him and the girl seemed to notice.

"I love you, Angeal Hewley." She spoke softly as she leaned over and placed her lips against his forehead. "Death will have to rip me away from you, and even then I would fight. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he commented quietly upon finding his voice. "Cissnei… thank you. I… love you as well."

She smiled faintly, "Now get some sleep; we'll probably have missions in the morning. We're going to need to be well rested. I'm sure they'll be sending you to Wutai, and I wouldn't want to lose you over there."

"Of course," he spoke lightly — his lips twitching as he felt a smile take over. "Goodnight."

"'Night, Hewley."

She slid back down beside him and curled into a ball next to him. Her arms circled his middle once more, as he moved his own around her. He pulled her close as possible as he shifted to his side, her cheek nuzzling against his chest. He carefully rested his head on top of hers, hers turning so that her forehead rested against him. He felt himself relaxing at this simple action; what powers this woman seemed to have on him.

She whispered, "Sweet dreams."

He parted his lips to reply, only to notice that her breathing had slowed and that she had drifting into the darkness of slumber. He found himself smiling as his eyes closed, his gentle grip on her tightening ever so lightly. This young woman, that had bloodied hands much like himself, seemed to be the only person who could make or break him. His thoughts were just that as his mind began to drift as he too slipped into the darkness, for once in a long time in actuality.

Author's Note: Once again, a little plot bunny that kind of hit me when I had no sleep. I ran it through a word processor to destroy any grammar errors, but not sure if it worked or not. I always thought that Cissnei and Angeal would look cute together, but I'm more of a Genesis x Cissnei fan. However, with the Genesis x Yuffie series going on, I didn't want to keep using Genesis. Then I kind of both how little love Angeal seems to get around here, and ran with this. Hope you guys liked it!