Heya. ^^ This little piece right here is something I did in my spare time--which luckily I have a lot of, lately. This is a oneshot put into Lucrecia Crescent's POV as she talks to Vincent (or rather herself) about what "too late" means to her. It's a little darker than what I am used to, but I thought it turned out fairly well. The more reviews, the better. c: Enjoy.

The warm breeze on our skin...I know it no longer exists.

I watch you, although my eyes are closed. I listen to you, yet the world around me is eternally muted. I feel your touch, however we are separated by this crystalline wall.

My heart stopped beating thirty years ago, but I continue to live on. Trapped inside these crystals; my soul screams and cries out to anyone that may hear it.

But you can't.

Nobody out there can. Not one living, anyways...

You think I'm praying. What is there to pray about? I broke your heart willingly for that madman. I was never able to hold—never able to see my child.

I let your father die.

It's been nearly a week since Omega has returned to the planet. Everything seems to be falling back to a normal state; however something continues to bother you.

I...think I've finally realized my true feelings—even if you may never understand them...

You enter the cave and are soon sitting before me. Your crimson eyes pierce the shattered remains of my soul, but your voice soothes me.

"...Lucrecia."

Just hearing my name brings my heart back to life; if just for a moment. I continue to listen to you as you speak to me, telling me of your travels and experiences.

I wish I were there to share them with you.

I was too late. I didn't tell you I love you soon enough. I didn't tell you how much you meant to me in time. I didn't tell you that I didn't love that lunatic. I didn't stop him from shooting you. I didn't try hard enough to make you well again.

I failed you.

After a while, you rise to your feet once again. I know—it is time for you to leave.

"...You were the reason I survived."

How so? I simply tormented your tattered mind with faded, forgotten memories that I knew made your heart ache.

I'm so sorry.

You turn away from me and begin walking towards the light. You are going to start a new life—one without sadness and guilt weighted down by me.

A tear slowly slips from my unopened eyes. A last bit of my remaining life slips away with it.

I love you.

Now, I am left with my own memories and my own burdens. I'll always love you, no matter how much time may pass by. I am finally able to tell you that...however, I am too late.

But I will wait. I'll wait for you to come back and join me. And I'll wait as a prisoner, trapped within this crystal coffin--

forever.