New chappie everyone! Excited, no? AND I bring you great tidings!...or something. Anyway, my friend (who writes this) got a fanfic account! YAY! Now I don't have to post her stories! …I mean, she gets to post her own! Eheheh…no, I'm not lazy! You just do too much.

Ok, we strayed a bit there. Her name is Schizzar, and if you look for a story called Music of Life under Kingdom Hearts you can find her. And guess what? She already has some stories up! Woohoo! We're going to just post the rest of this one on my account, but after that the rest of 'em will be on hers. This is the second to last chapter (:cries:) and, WARNING, character death in the next chapter. Feel free to sob uncontrollably. (Please, sob uncontrollably while reviewing. Arregoto. :bows:)

One last note. (I swear this is it!) I'm beginning a Eureka Seven fanfic. Well, not beginning, because it's a oneshot, but you get the idea. I should have it up Monday (Memorial Day) but we'll see. I really want to get my own fanfic up, so look forward to that!

Disclaimer: And thus, I did admit that I owneth nothing.

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The next morning, Cloud was stretched across one of the old church pews, his head resting comfortably on Vincent's lap. Vincent's clawed hand lightly ran through his hair and Cloud felt himself being lulled to sleep.

"School starts in a week," he said quietly.

"Hm," Vincent muttered.

"I'll get over here when I can," Cloud promised.

"Thank you Cloud, for doing this," Vincent said gruffly.

"I'm not complaining," Cloud told him.

Vincent pulled him up and sat him onto his lap, leaning forward and kissing him gently. Cloud shifted and kissed back, deepening the kiss. Vincent tugged him closer and fiercely moved his lips over his, his clawed hand tracing up his spine with the sharp points. Cloud whimpered as Vincent sucked gently at his lower lip and felt utterly weak as Vincent's human hand roamed over his back, trailing down his chest to rest at his hip, gently squeezing it to draw another whimper from Cloud. Then he began drawing away, letting the passion slowly slip away.

"Vincent," Cloud whispered, tucking his face into Vincent's neck and gently kissing it.

"What?" Vincent asked quietly, tilting his head back so Cloud had more room.

"I'm in love with you," Cloud admitted.

"I know," Vincent replied as Cloud continued to lavish his neck with kisses. "I love you too."
Cloud drew away and met cobalt eyes with crimson.

"Are you sure? You aren't just using me?" Cloud asked.

Vincent's eyes closed. "God no. You are so addicting, you have no idea."
Cloud looked away. "You can't mean that. There's-"

"Stupid. You don't think very highly of yourself, do you?" Vincent asked, his eyes snapping open.

Cloud still didn't look at him. "I just…don't see what's so good about me."

"You're absolutely beautiful for one. And you're accepting of who I am." Vincent leaned closer, breath roaming over Cloud's ear. "And to top it all off, you're an excellent kisser."

Vincent lightly nibbled on Cloud's ear sending Cloud into a fit of gasps and squirms. Vincent smirked and drew away.

"Besides, you make adorable noises," Vincent teased.

"I do not!" Cloud protested.

"If you say so."

Cloud nestled back into Vincent's neck, sighing.

"I don't want to go home today," Cloud mumbled.

"So don't," Vincent replied simply.

"Well, I have to at some point. I can't just not show up one night," Cloud pointed out. "Aerith would freak out."

"Who is she?"

"My mother figure until I'm eighteen," Cloud answered.

"What will you do when you graduate?"

"Go to college I suppose. I still have money from my parent's death and I only used tiny amounts of it. I'm saving for college," Cloud explained. "I would like it if you came."
"I…guess I could. I don't like big crowds," Vincent said.

"Oh…I guess I could try to visit you."

"You really are bound to me now," Vincent muttered.

"What?" Cloud asked, drawing back to look him in the eyes.

"Bound. I can no longer receive human contact from anyone but you," Vincent admitted.

Cloud's eyes went wide. "But, how can you tell?!"

"You're giving up everything for me. That's the first stage. The second will be the need for human contact from me. The third…" Vincent shuddered, closing his eyes as if he were in a memory.

"What is it? Tell me!" Cloud begged.

"The third will be the want for me to take your life to save you from the torture of having to be near me."

Silence, Cloud stared, stunned at what he had just heard. His first instinct was to run. His second was to stay and try and figure out a way to fix what was happening. Third, he wanted to have answers to his questions.

"How…how do you know this?" Cloud whispered.

"It happened before. Seven years ago. There was a woman who was bound to me," Vincent started hoarsely. "At the third stage, she begged me to kill her and end the torture. After a week of such attempts I killed her."

Cloud eyes watered with tears he hadn't shed in years as he stared at the pain etched into Vincent's face. Instead of letting the tears fall, he threw his arms around him.

"I don't care about that!" Cloud hissed. "I'll take the risk for you!"

Vincent's eyes flashed open. After learning that, he's still willing to be bound? I'm…surprised…Vincent thought, wrapping his arms carefully around Cloud.

"Cloud…thank you…" Vincent whispered. "I…I think I'm in love with you."

"I know you do. I have known," Cloud told him.

"But Cloud…you should go. Think about what I've told you and I mean really think about it."

Cloud nodded into his neck. "Okay. I will."

Leon was waiting for Cloud at the top of the canyon. Cloud was surprised to see him there, but glad at the same time. He need to talk to someone about what Vincent had said and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell Aerith.

"So…you look flustered," Leon commented.

"Vincent told me what being bound mean," Cloud said.

"And…?" Leon pressed.

"I'll long for his human contact. Then I'll become suicidal," Cloud said in a hurried rush.

Leon's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Cloud looked at him, his cerulean eyes filled with fear, confusion, and worry. But there was an underlying determination beneath all of it.

"So…what are you going to do?" Leon asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm going to stay with him," Cloud whispered. "Does that make me an idiot?"

"Yeah, kinda," Leon sighed.

"But I…can't just leave him…" Cloud mumbled.

"You can't die either," Leon protested. "Because where would that leave Vincent?"

Cloud looked down.

"Come on Cloud. Let's just walk okay?"

"Okay."

They both slowly started heading for the town, the heat not seeming to bother either of them.

"You need to think all of this through Cloud. If you died, Vincent would be forced into his beast forms without you."

"But he'll be forced into beast form if I don't stay with him too!" Cloud argued.

"He's been surviving forever now. You don't have to be bound to provide what he needs," Leon pointed out calmly.

"But…"

"You love him. So you want to help him," Leon finished. "But since you love him, wouldn't you want what's best for him?"

"I guess," Cloud muttered. But I want to be selfish for once and not have it matter.

"So tomorrow, tell him you can't see him anymore, for both of your sakes," Leon said.

Cloud nodded dejectedly and Leon sighed, glad that he had been able to talk rationality back into him.

"Do you want to eat now?" Leon asked, gently grasping Cloud's shoulder.

"I guess," Cloud said quietly.

"Don't be depressed, Cloud. Please don't," Leon begged.

"Sorry."

Maybe rationality isn't good for once, Leon thought with worry.

A week passed and everyday Cloud snuck out to see Vincent and everyday he was back before Leon could catch him. He couldn't stand not seeing Vincent and he felt a trickle of fear upon realizing that he had entered the second stage of being bound.

"So school starts tomorrow," Leon commented. "Is Vincent gone?"

He and Leon sat in their shared room, each lying in their own beds. Cloud sucked in a deep breath. "VincentandIhaveenteredthesecondstage," he said in a quick and hurried rush.

"What the hell, Cloud? I thought you said you would break it off with him!"
"I couldn't! Don't you understand that, Leon?" Cloud shouted.

The sudden burst of anger shocked them both.

"Cloud, I…I'm just worried," Leon mumbled.

"I know. But…I can handle this alone. I've handled life so far well enough. Without you."

Cloud knew his words stung and he was glad. If he could push Leon far enough away, he wouldn't feel so bad about what he chose in the end.

"And you were just opening up too," Leon sighed.

"Maybe I don't want you prying anymore," Cloud told him.

"I know you don't mean that. You want someone to talk to, Cloud, and I'm the only one there is."

"But when we enter the third stage, which is inevitable now, I might die. I don't want to get close to anybody only to leave them."

"But I want to get close to you," Leon said quietly, startled when he realized how true it was.

Cloud turned to look at him. "Please don't, Leon. Until I know for sure what my fate is, don't talk to me."

Leon sucked in a deep breath. "First, I need to tell you something. I won't deny I've grown attracted to you. I most definitely have. Which is weird because I never thought I was gay," he said, standing up and walking over to Cloud.

Cloud sat up, legs hanging off the bed. Leon grabbed his knees and gently pried them apart, stepping between them as he tilted Cloud's face up, making it flush red. His blue eyes showed he was unsure of what to do in response to Leon's advance. Yes, he was attracted to Leon, not as much as Vincent thought. His thoughts completely shorted out though when Leon pressed his lips to Cloud's, stunning him.

Compared to Vincent's fiery and dominating kisses, Leon's was gentle, soft, and warm. Leon learned further into him without think and Cloud let himself be forced back onto the mattress, the kiss never going beyond gentle movements and small nips and Cloud found that he was content with that. And then Leon began deepening it and soon Cloud was gasping into his mouth. Leon pulled back briefly and Cloud turned away, panting.

"You are so…beautiful," Leon told him.

"Vincent says the same thing."
"After that you can still only think of him?" Leon whispered.

"I'm sorry," Cloud muttered. "I just…love Vincent…more than…you…he needs me…more than you."

Cloud turned back to face him and Leon took that as the go ahead. He once again pressed his lips firmly to Cloud's, lightly licking his lips and Cloud let him in, pressing firmly to him. Leon drew away from him, gently nipping his way down to Cloud's neck and nipping his pulse. Cloud gasped, eyes flying open and he twisted his hands into Leon's hair, holding him there.

"Right there," Cloud whispered as Leon continued nipping and sucking at it.

Cloud knew there would be a mark by the time Leon was through but he was done caring. This was exactly what he had been craving from Vincent only now he was getting it from Leon. But he was still craving Vincent's touch, his lips, his taste.

"Leon," he whispered, wriggling beneath him. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can," Leon told him, continuing to plant kisses along Cloud's slim neck.

"But…I want Vincent," he stated, trying to be firm with his voice.

Leon pulled away gently and Cloud winced.

"I understand Cloud. But just know I'm here for you."

Cloud abruptly reached for Leon and clung to him tightly. "Thank you Leon. But I need to see Vincent now."