A/N: Okay, here's the last chapter. Hope you enjoy!

A week passed, and Asch was rapidly improving. Every night I had spent with him had special meaning in it, even if it was just a few more games of poker. All the days we had spent talking, all the nights we had spent huddled together, all of it was important...to both of us. And I knew that before too long, I would have to say good-bye to all that. No more comforting words, no more arms entwined around one another. It would be like none of it ever happened...

The doctor came in early one morning to check up on Asch. The door opened and Asch and I pulled out of our embrace quickly.

"Good morning, both of you. I have some good news," he said, pulling the blinds open so that sunlight entered through the window..

"What is it?" I asked.

"We have a master of healing artes here today from Yulia City. So, after that healer fixes Asch up, he'll be good to go," Dr. Shu said.

"Go? You mean, like, leave the hospital?" Asch asked.

"Yes. Your wounds have healed up pretty well on their own, but I'd like to just help them along with these healing artes," the doctor explained.

"When will this be?" I asked.

"The healer will probably be here in about an hour, so just be patient until then," the doctor said, leaving the room once again.

"...I can't believe you'll be leaving so soon..." I said quietly to Asch.

"...Yeah, me neither. It doesn't seem like that long since I got there. I don't feel like I got to spend enough time with you..." Asch answered.

"Same here. Well, I guess I'll get your things ready to go for you," I said, getting up from the bed. I placed his armour, sword, and other small belongings in a pile on the dresser. I then gathered up my clothes that Asch had worn throughout the week.

"You can keep that outfit on until you're ready to leave," I said, referring to my black sleeve-less shirt and dark pants that Asch was currently wearing.

"Okay," he answered. I then took the top part of his armour over to the sink and began scrubbing it, trying to get the dried blood off it.

"Why didn't I think of trying to clean this before?" I laughed.

"Because... you were busy thinking about other things...as was I," he answered, seriously.

"...You...don't want to leave either, do you?"

"No. I haven't had enough time to think things out."

"Like what?"

"My feelings. And after this, I'll never be able to. It's just too bad that I couldn't really figure them out before I had to leave them behind."

"Asch... Maybe you don't have to leave them behind. Just come with us," I said, knowing myself that it just wouldn't work.

"You know I can't do that. It wouldn't work for either of us. We've been through this."

"...Yeah, I know. ...Asch?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you, too. You're...the best friend I've ever had..."

"Really?"

"Yeah. No one else would've put up with me for this long. Probably not even Natalia. You've seen the way I act when I really like someone..." he said, embarrassedly.

"Hehe! Yeah, I can't imagine what Natalia would do if you tried to drag her into a game of strip poker," I laughed.

"Yeah."

"I'm really glad to hear you say that I'm your friend. I never thought you'd ever accept me. But now you have, and it's better than I had ever imagined. No one understands me better than you."

"Same here. Luke...?"

"What?"

Asch got up from the bed with only a slight bit of difficulty. He then came over beside me and pressed his lips against mine. I let myself relax and be drawn into the kiss. Asch then let his tongue enter my mouth. At first I resisted, but then felt the comfort in it. Asch was doing a fine job of letting his tongue explore every area of my mouth, but I panicked and didn't know what to do with my tongue. I then pulled away. Asch gasped for air and then stared at me, looking quite satisfied.

"Wow... Good job, Asch," I said, stunned at how well he could really kiss.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"I...didn't know what to do with my tongue..." I said, embarrassedly.

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've never kissed anyone like that before. Actually, my first kiss was the 'breath of life' that I gave you the other day."

"And that could barely be called a kiss."

"Yeah, and then we were also kissing when Tear found us."

"True. But that wasn't passionate... No tongue was involved there."

"...So you're saying that wasn't a good kiss?"

"I'm saying that wasn't a real kiss. There's a difference," Asch smiled.

"...Well, I wouldn't know."

"So, you mean to say that your first kiss was from me?"

"...Yeah. I never expected my first kiss to be from a guy..." I said.

"Oh, are you saying you're disappointed? I'm insulted," Asch joked.

"Don't be. I'm... I'm really glad that it was you," I told him.

"You mean it?"

"Sure do. I mean, if my first real kiss had been with Tear, I would probably have a phobia like Guy now, too," I laughed.

"Hehe. I'm glad you enjoyed that kiss then," he said, amused.

"I did. And I'm serious."

"I'm glad," he smiled.

An hour passed and all of Asch's belongings were ready to go. I had managed to get his armour clean again. We sat on the bed together, holding hands, but saying nothing. We didn't know what the future would bring, so we just stayed like that, safe together, at least for a little while longer. The doctor and the healer soon came in, and we let go of each other, regardless of how much we wanted to refuse.

"Luke, Asch, this is Professor Kingsly from Yulia City. He will take a look at Asch's wounds now," Dr. Shu said.

"Okay," Asch answered.

"Could I see where you were hurt?" the professor asked. Asch nodded and removed the black shirt from his body. I stared one last time at those beautiful muscles, and that stomach... Professor Kingsly examined the slice in the front, then walked around and looked over the slices in Asch's back. He then walked back around to the front and then closed his eyes. He placed his staff out in front of him and muttered a few words that I didn't understand. Then, rays of light traveled from the staff to Asch's wounds, making them glow and then close over, leaving no trace of ever being there. There weren't even any scars. Asch breathed heavily as the light disappeared from the cuts.

"Does that feel better?" Kingsly asked.

"Yeah, much better," Asch answered.

"Good," said the professor, looking pleased with his work.

"How much will it cost for the healing and for staying here at the hospital? Dr. Shu, Professor Kingsly, you've both been a huge help," I said.

"I don't want any pay. I just want to help," the professor said to me.

"Yes. I don't ask for anything either. Helping people is my job, making people better and happy is my pay," the doctor explained.

"I know. But, you've both helped Asch so much. Here's 10,000 Gald each," I said, digging in my pockets and pulling out the correct amount.

"No, really, Luke. It's alright. We don't need anything," Dr. Shu said. Professor Kingsly nodded in agreement.

"Fine. But really, I can't thank you enough," I said.

"Don't mention it. Farewell," the professor said, leaving the room.

"You can leave whenever you're ready, but take your time, okay?" said Dr. Shu, leaving as well. Asch then got up and went over to the dresser. He took his armour off it and then put it on, throwing me my shirt and pants that he had been wearing. I forgot to even take the time to admire him undressing right in front of me. I was just so upset about us having to part ways in only a matter of minutes.

"Asch, how do you feel? Does it still hurt?" I asked.

"No. I feel better than ever, except for the fact that..." he didn't finish.

"That we won't be together anymore," I said.

"I didn't say that!" he yelled. It was as if the armour made him into Asch the Bloody once again.

"...I can't believe it..." I whispered.

"What?" he asked, the harshness in his voice once again.

"...You really are the same as you were before... It is as if none of that happened..." I felt heartbroken.

"I told you to be prepared for that! And yet, look at you! You're the pathetic replica you were all along!" he said, bitterly.

"..."

"Let's go," he said, taking his sword and exiting the medical room. I looked around the room, as if trying to soak in the last of the good feelings that I had felt there. I let out a sigh and then followed Asch outside.

The group was waiting outside. The air seemed to have a chilling feeling in it, even though it was a nice day out.

"So, Asch is all better now?" Anise asked.

"Yeah..." I said, quietly. I wasn't really sure if that was what I would call 'better'. Asch seemed worse, to me. It wasn't his wounds that were the problem, it was his mood. I wished that he would show his other side, the side that I had seen all week.

"So you're leaving now, right?" Guy asked Asch.

"Yeah. The next time we meet, I'll be ready to take you all down," the god-general answered.

"...You're going to fight us?" I asked.

"Of course! We're enemies. Remember, you idiot?" he asked.

"...Yeah..."

"Good. I'm going, then. See you around...replica," Asch said, turning his back to us. And just like that, he left. I'll never forget that day when I watched him disappear into the sunlit plains, under the cotton-candy sky, walking casually, never turning back. I wanted to reach out to him, but I knew I had to let him go. Tear stared at me in a crestfallen state.

"You idiot... He's not coming back," she muttered to me.

"S-shut up! I know that!" I yelled, sounding much like Asch. Everyone stared at me.

"I'm sorry... Just let me be alone for a while, okay?" I asked.

"Okay. We'll go get your stuff out of the room, alright?" Guy said.

"Alright. I'll just wait here," I said, leaning on a railing and staring out over the sea.

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Luke. You don't look so good," he said, leading the group to the fontech laboratory.

'Take care'. That's what I meant to say to Asch before he left... But he changed so suddenly, I forgot to. He better be alright...out there...by himself... What if something happens? What if there's a thunder storm or something, and he's all alone... I don't want him to have to deal with it alone... I then gave myself a good slap across the face to snap myself out of it. I was letting myself think about stupid things. I was just going to get myself all worked up and worried, so I stopped. I then focused my attention on tracing my name on the railing with the tip of my finger. But whenever I got to the end, I always wanted to start over and write 'Asch' instead.

"Luke!" I looked to see Guy and the rest of the gang approaching.

"Yeah? What is it?" I asked, still feeling down.

"Dr. Shu wants to see you," Jade said.

"Oh, really? Okay," I said.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Tear asked.

"No, that's okay. I'll meet you here when I'm done, alright?" I said.

"Okay," Guy nodded.

"Good. I'll be back soon," I told the group, forcing a smile, and heading for the laboratory.

I walked into the medical room, wishing I would never have to see it ever again. I felt as if I could still sense Asch there. I could almost taste him...

"Ah, Luke," Dr. Shu said, coming up behind me.

"Ack! I didn't know you were there," I said, a bit startled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shock you. But...what I'm about to tell you will shock you even more," he said.

My stomach turned.

"Please, sit down," he instructed. I did as I was told and sat down on one of the beds.

"What is it...?" I asked, wondering if I really wanted to know or not.

"It's about you and Asch..." he said. My heart sank. Dammit... We were careless... He's found out, too.

"...What about us?" I asked.

"I know that you two are replicas. But that's not all," he said. Whew... Maybe he doesn't know about us being together.

"What else is there?" I asked, wanting him to continue.

"Listen. I, as well as some other researchers here, have just discovered something that we had been working on for a while."

"What?!" I urged.

"When an original is around their replica for a long period of time, their fonons become dependant on their replica's. If all of a sudden, the replica and original are separated, the fonons of the original become unstable..."

"...What happens then?"

"Unless the replica and original are reunited before too long, the original will die."

"Die!? Do you mean Asch is going to die!? Why didn't you warn us of this? Was there a way to prevent it?"

"We only just confirmed that this was not just a theory. It is a fact. We weren't sure about it before. But we do know now that if the replica and original were separated from each other slowly, little by little, the original would be much less likely to die."

"Why's that?"

"The fonons would become independant again and would be able to support the original's life again."

"...Asch... So, I have to get to him before he dies, don't I?" I asked, panicked.

"Yes. You should hurry. I'm not sure how long his fonons can keep him alive," Dr. Shu said.

"I need to go!" I yelled, getting up and rushing outside.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Natalia asked when she saw me running towards them, looking panicked.

"Asch is going to die if I don't hurry to him!" I yelled.

"What!?" Guy asked.

"I don't have time to explain! Let's just hurry! I think he was going to the Absorption Gate," I said, hurrying into the Albiore. The group gave each other confused glances and then followed me into the ship.

Noelle flew the Albiore towards the Absorption Gate, but I spent most of the time pacing back and forth, wishing I had the power to get there faster. I wished that I could at least communicate with Asch to let him know what was going on, so I could tell him to hold on...and wait for me...just a little longer. After a while, I gave up on pacing and simply stared out one of the Albiore's windows. I picked up my black shirt that Asch had been wearing not that long ago. I brushed it against my cheek. It felt like Asch's soft touch... I put the shirt up to my nose and inhaled. It smelled like Asch's sweet scent... Eventually, Tear came up beside me, looking upset.

"Luke... can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"I don't really feel like talking right now..." I said.

"Please, Luke... You really need to know this."

"Okay. What is it?"

"...I... I've done something terrible..."

"What?"

"Luke, listen... When I found out about you and Asch together, I got jealous. I know it was wrong of me. But I have feelings for you that you have just been ignoring all along..." she said, her voice shaky.

"..."

"Luke... I'm sorry... But I told someone about you and Asch..."

"What?"

"I told my brother! I told Van!" she cried, her eyes filling with tears.

"Why? What's going to happen now?!" I asked, not wanting to upset her more, but wanting to know what the outcome would be.

"Luke, I'm so sorry. But my jealousy caused me to act without thinking clearly. I know it's not an excuse, but it's why I told Van to... I told Van to kill Asch!" she cried.

"Tear, why?"

"I know it was wrong! At the time, I thought that if Asch was out of the way, I could be with you. I knew Van would kill Asch anyway as punishment if he ever found out about you two. So I thought it would just be helping it along a little... But now I see that I was wrong!"

"I can't believe it!" I yelled.

"We're at the Absorption Gate," Noelle called out. I can barely even remember running out of the Albiore. I was in such a hurry that everything seemed a blur. I froze when I saw a figure lying at the entrance of the Absorption Gate. I knew that figure...the shining red hair...the black designed armour... I ran as fast as I could to Asch's side. I lifted his head up and held his body close to mine.

"...Asch?" I asked, my voice shakier than I had ever heard it before. There was no response.

"Asch? Can you hear me?" I asked again, panicking. I waited impatiently, hoping desperately to hear a 'hey, dreck' in response. But there was no answer. I put my head close to his chest, but didn't hear a pulse. I felt his wrist...still no pulse. I placed his limp and lifeless body back on the ground. I stared at his still and pale face. It made me shiver.

"Dammit! I can't believe it! If only I had been here with him! Dammit!!" I screamed.

"Luke?!" Guy asked, hurrying towards me.

"Leave me alone, dammit!" I yelled at him. I began running...far away...I didn't know where I was going or where I would stop. But I didn't turn back...there was no turning back... I'll never know if it was Van or the lack of fonons that caused Asch's death, but it didn't matter. I was running away... I would hide away forever. No one would ever find me, but I didn't care. Asch would always be with me in my heart...and that was enough...

A/N : There you go! Thank you for all the people who gave me the great reviews. It feels good to know that there are some people out there who like what I write. Thanks, guys! Now, one last favor. Please, review.