(A/Ns: The final chapter has come! Ahh, I actually got way too emotional writing this chapter. Its just so heartbreaking! Okay, so, theres a lot I need to say here, and some of its important, so please don't ignore it!
- A lot of the things in this are open to interpretation, ie Elliot's mother, what Vincent did etc
- If you think this is exaggerated/unrealistic, its actually based off my research, and the most likely thing to happen to the people in these situations
- I'm sorry... I know what happens really isn't what you expected...
- If Elliot and Leo's part seems unacurate, I apologise; I don't know much about them
- The italic parts are writers POV, normal writing is third person POV, and just bold is like letters/writing
- Most importantly, the song lyrics at the start are basically setting the mood for each segment. Also, I really struggled with Rufus' part, cause I couldn't really think of a good song for that, but the red theme works I think)
So... it's done! Please review! I would love to know what you all thought of this fanfic. Out of all the fanfics ive written, this is by far the best and most complimented. I always read these like 80k word fanfics and admired people for writing them, and I never imagined writing and finishing one myself. Thank you so much to all my readers, I love you guys so much and I would've never gotten this far without your compliments, so please let me know what you think of the last chapter! Was it what you expected?
Thank you to everyone for reading this far.
Content warnings: drugs, eating disorders, tears, lots of tears, swearing, withdrawal, suicide (sorry...), death... (im also sorry!)
Disclaimer: (once more for the road, eh?) I do not own Pandora Hearts or any of the characters. If I did, Break, Elliot and Vincent would still be alive, and Elliot x Leo would be canon)
~Chapter Twenty-Five: Happy Endings?~
And so, thus concludes everyone's time at Pandora Recovery Centre. Admittedly, it had to have been the hardest year of all those people's lives.
But.
In the end, all 12 patients had made a full recovery. It almost felt as if it were worth it. After a year of therapy, breakdowns, confessions, more breakdowns, and general struggles, they were free.
Maybe that wasn't the best option for some of them.
Anyway, enough with the foreshadowing; I'm sure you're all eager to know what happened to the patients once they'd left, right?
Well then, let's have a look at where they were, 2 years after leaving…
….
We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With a veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
Until the day that my uncles can be united by law
Their kids are walking around the hallway
Plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful, some would rather die than be who they are
~ Same Love ~
~ Elliot and Leo ~
To no surprise, Leo stayed true to Elliot's proposal, and two had planned their wedding for when they finally turned 18, realising it was better to do it sooner than later. Additionally, because of Elliot's family disowning him, the two had rented a small apartment for the time being, fortunately being able to get decent jobs due to their exceptional exam results.
However, a few weeks before their wedding was planned, Leo began struggling again, the same thoughts and emotions flooding back and clouding his conscience. At first, Elliot was oblivious, but after a while, he began to notice Leo's strange eating habits arising. The final straw had to be when Elliot found Leo purging one night, breaking his almost 18 month clean streak.
Uncharacteristically, Elliot had actually gotten pretty mad at Leo, and another argument between the two soon erupted. Fortunately, it didn't last too long, Elliot eventually apologising and helping Leo back onto his feet again, both physically and mentally.
After that incident, Elliot chose to postpone the wedding until Leo was better. Leo, on the other hand, was once again sent to therapy against his will, ultimately landing himself back on Marinol. However, from that did come one positive thing, as Leo finally agreed to cut his hair and stop wearing the glasses, leaving his vibrant purple eyes permanently visible.
Providentially, Elliot and Leo were able to elope 2 years later, when they were 19.
A small, white room was situated at the back of the hotel hall where very few people were seated, awaiting the beginning of the service. In the back room, a deafening, tense silence filled the room, the only two people in there being Elliot and Leo, Elliot pacing restlessly as Leo leant against the wall. Neither of them knew who would be attending. They guessed it wasn't many, though, considering they hadn't actually invited too many people.
"Elliot," Leo whispered, careful as to not disturb the service, "Calm down."
"S-sorry…" Elliot stuttered, walking over to the adjacent wall and leaning against it next to Leo, "I'm just nervous, that's all…"
"So am I," Leo confided simply.
"You don't seem like it."
Leo glanced up at the blonde and pointed out, "Well, what's the worst that can happen?"
"Yeh…" Elliot smiled, "I guess… you're right."
After another minute or so of anxious anticipation, the wedding officiant opened the door, signalling for the couple to enter the hall. Elliot gulped, facing reassuringly down at Leo before taking his hand in his, the two each taking the bouquet of vibrant flowers handed to them before taking a small, hesitant step into the room. The sound of the song 'River Flows in You' echoed through the room, creating a smooth, relaxing atmosphere.
As the officiant began to lead to two down the aisle (considering neither had parents available to do so), Elliot almost froze in his tracks, immediately sensing that Leo had noticed too; hence their grip on each other's hands tightened.
In the front row – three crystal white chairs on the left side of the seated area – sat 3 very recognisable people.
It was Claude, Ernest and Vanessa; Elliot's older siblings.
Trying to conceal his surprise and panic, Elliot screwed his eyes shut, securing his hold on Leo's hand. Just as he did so, he felt a brief squeeze, and looked down to see Leo, gazing up at him. He nodded, ever so slightly, almost as if to tell Elliot that everything was fine.
Accepting Leo's comfort, Elliot proceeded to the top of the raised flooring, standing opposite Leo as the flowers were removed from them and placed into a vase. As they took each other's hands, a small boy with messy black hair – probably only 15 or so – approached them happily, holding up the pillow with the two rings on it.
Leo smiled, for this boy was none other than his childhood friend, Phillipe.
"Thank you," Leo mouthed to the boy, at which he smiled in response before holding up the velvet pillow closer to the couple.
The first to pick up the ring was Elliot; his hand trembling as he held the ring between his thumb and forefinger, the metal glinting in the sunlight which poured in through the window. Holding out his also shaking hand, Leo accepted the ring, watching as the circular object was slid onto the ring finger as the officiant continued speaking.
Shortly after, Leo picked up the remaining ring, taking Elliot's hand in his and slipping the ring onto the same finger.
Once the officiant had finished speaking, Elliot and Leo were requested to commemorate their marriage in the traditional way. With a smile stretching from ear to ear, Elliot leaned down, not hesitating in the slightest as he placed his lips onto Leo's, the other deepening the kiss and pulling the blonde into a tighter embrace. Remembering that they were in front of friends and family, Elliot and Leo pulled away, bowing individually before stepping down onto the floor of the hall as the crowd was disbanded and sent to the reception.
However, just before the two could make their lucky escape, Elliot was engulfed into a tight, yet awkward hug by someone who was quite clearly not his new husband. He turned, freezing up when he realised it was Vanessa.
"Y-you… you came…" Elliot stammered, "I- I thought… you wouldn't come…"
Eyes glazed with tears, Vanessa pulled him closer to her by the shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. She whispered softly, "Elly… I know… I'm so sorry. I am… we spoke about it…"
"Y-yeh?" Elliot murmered, feeling as tears began to brim in his own eyes.
"It's who you are…" she cried, quiet sobs breaking her speech as she held her brother closer, "We'll always love you… no matter what you are…! Father… is away at the moment, but even he wanted to come… I'm sorry, Elly… If mother could see you now… she'd be so proud…"
"T-thank you…" Elliot managed to choke out, pulling his sister closer and burying his head into her shoulder.
Meanwhile, across from them, Leo simply stood, tears rolling down his face as he watched the scene before him. But, after a little while, he was dragged out from his own thoughts, Ernest approaching him casually with a grin and slapping a hand lightly onto his shoulder.
"Congratulations," Ernest spoke quietly, but something about his tone was strangely calming.
"Yeh…" Leo mumbled, unaware of the tears which continued trailing down his face out of pure happiness.
"So," Ernest chuckled, wrapping an arm around Leo's shoulder and pulling him nearer, "I'd say it's about time I got to know my new brother-in-law."
….
Red for the cancer
Red for the wealthy
Hail Mary, forgive me
Blood for blood, hearts beating
~ King For A Day ~
~ Rufus ~
Shortly after leaving the recovery centre, Rufus had returned to university at the age of 22, secretly taking money from his family (who still insisted on ignoring him) and using it to pay for the continuation of his law degree.
Because of the fact he'd successfully completed the first year of his degree at the age of 18 before leaving for the party life, Rufus managed to finish the degree at the age of 23. Admittedly, he did have quite an infamous name at the university, and a lot of his tutors unfortunately remembered him. And, telling someone that you left in order to fulfil an addiction long term certainly doesn't create a very positive reputation.
Nevertheless, with the help of Sheryl locking him in a room when she thought he'd relapse, Rufus had successfully managed to go 3 years clean.
Unfortunately, not all of his ongoing life had been too promising. Firstly, the family head had decided to cut him off, only sending him barely enough money to live.
Additionally, Sheryl continued rejecting his consistent and desperate proposals, leaving him alone and causing him to refuse anyone else's pathetic attempts at asking him out. Because, truthfully, Rufus was rather popular with the ladies at his university, despite the negative rumours constantly circulating his name.
But, after graduating, he did managed to acquire a job working as a lawyer for a successful company, which gave him the ideal status and income to remain happy enough… and to feed his ego.
…
I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world, I'm coming home
Let the rain wash away
All the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits
And they've forgiven my mistakes
I'm coming home
~ Coming Home ~
~ Oz, Alice and Alyss ~
As he had promised, Oz introduced Alice to his family a few days after leaving. In all honesty, Oz had received a few disproving looks from his uncle, and it had indeed taken a while for Ada and Alice to be in the same room without Alice being overcome with the urge to attack Ada out of pure jealously.
But, nevertheless, in the end, his family accepted his decision, allowing him to rent a small apartment with the financial assistance of Oscar (who just couldn't say no). Eventually, both had gathered up enough money from various low-paid jobs to fund their dream of travelling, which, once again, relied on the financial support of Oscar.
And so, for 2 years, Alice and Oz travelled across the globe together, constantly getting them into danger which was usually caused by Alice herself.
As for Alyss, she'd refuse to stay with Oz, and had left all of a sudden only 2 days after they had been freed from the recovery centre.
A year later, when Oz and Alice had just returned from Germany, they came home to discover a letter.
Dear Oz and Alice,
I want you to know that I'm still alive, and that I'm okay.
I'd rather not reveal my location for you, and the only reason I'm doing this is so that you don't worry about me.
I'm living with Cheshire, a very friendly guy I met where I'd travelled to. Neither of us are working, but I'm happy.
As much as I'd like to see my sister again, I don't want to make any promises which I won't be able to keep.
Love from, Alyss
P.S. Don't ask how I got your address
Both Oz and Alice had been rather confused at the letter in the beginning, but soon dropped any suspicions once they realised that there would be no need to worry; especially if she insisted she was happy.
As for Gil, Oz and Alice didn't forget about him. In fact, their home was quite close to Gil's, and so, despite the endlessly arising bickering between Alice and Gil, the two still visited him in his apartment each time they returned from one of their trips.
"Gil!" Oz called, running down the street excitedly towards the apartment block where Gil lived. As for Gil, he'd never actually left Vincent's apartment, only paying for the cost of the rent and other neccesities with a part-time job.
"Oh, hey Oz," Gilbert greeted, smiling down at the blonde and ruffling his hair playfully as he dropped the butt of the cigarette he'd just finished, "Good timing. I was just about to go back up to the room."
"Yeh, and hurry up, seaweed head!" Alice demanded, "I'm hungry! And I want to eat your delicious meat!"
"Ah, shut up, stupid rabbit," Gil muttered, opening the door for Oz and bringing them up to his apartment.
Apart from the lingering scent of smoke having been filtered from the room long ago from the fact that Gil no longer smoked inside, not a single thing about it had changed since Vincent had lived there, who had yet to return
Walking over to the kitchen, Gilbert turned off the oven, pulling out a tray of food and stirring a saucepan of gravy with a wooden spoon in the other hand.
"Ahh, that smells sooo good!" Oz complimented, breathing deeply with his nose and inhaling the scent of the cooking.
"Ha, good to know," Gil laughed a little, "So how was your trip? You didn't even tell me where you were going."
"Ah, we went to Iceland!" Oz beamed, a warm feeling spreading through him and radiating to the rest of the room as he recalled the memories of the holiday, "It was sooo nice! The mountains and the waterfalls were beautiful, and we even got to see the Northern Lights!"
"And the meat was really tasty!" Alice continued, mouth drooling at the thought, "But it was really expensive, so Oz was boring and kept telling me off!"
"Yeh, cause we're not made of money!" Oz whined, slumping down at the dining table and dropping his head onto the placemat, "So Gil?"
"Hm?" Gil looked up, placing down a plate of food in front of both Alice and Oz and then himself, before sitting down at the table with the other two.
Hesitantly, Oz asked, "Have… you heard from Vincent yet?"
At the mention of his little brother, Gil's lips twitched into an involuntary smile. "Yes… I have actually."
"Wha?" Oz beamed, "What did he say?"
"He's coming home…" Gilbert told him, tightly clutching the letter hidden in his pocket, his fingers wrapped around the neat cursive which wrote 'Vincent Nightray', "… three days… he comes home."
"That's great… I'm glad you'll get to see him after 2 years…"
"Yeh…" Gilbert agreed, his grip never once leaving the paper, "He never told me… why he left, so… I don't even know where he'd gone…"
Oz glanced around the room, his vision panning from the curtains still left ripped and shredded to Alice opposite him, greedily devouring the food and already demanding seconds. A nostalgic sensation filled him as he spoke softly. "I'm sure… wherever he is… wherever he went… he's happy…"
….
Sick of pretending to be so happy
All the while my anxiety's away at me
My skin crawling, I look up to the sky
And it falls, the walls close in and it's
As if all the good in my life disappears
~ Lullaby ~
~ Jack ~
Unlike some of the other residents, Jack failed to stick to his promise of keeping in touch, immediately isolating himself after being given freedom. He moved back into his apartment, continued to live off his mother and girlfriend's will, and was continuously haunted by their memories.
Really, after someone underwent that much trauma, there isn't much which can be done to make them forget; especially not without a distraction.
The distraction of someone else. The person who'd previously served as a distraction was Oz.
That distraction proved to be temporary.
One year after the symptoms returned, Jack made an attempt on Oswald's life. An attempt to kill the person who caused his ever-lasting pain. Whether he was just seeking the satisfaction of revenge, or a completely different result, even Jack didn't know himself.
In actuality, the only thing he'd got out of it was the feeling of failure. Oswald was much stronger than him, and to no surprise, it had failed.
And so, unable to deal with the guilt and pure emptiness of his life, 2 years later, Jack hung himself, a short suicide note the only fragment left of his existence:
Dear whoever finds this first,
I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ending my own life so abruptly.
I've become nothing. I don't even know who I am anymore.
I'm sorry Oswald. I hate you. But I didn't want to do this. I don't want to hurt you.
I'm sorry Miranda. I'm sorry for lying to you, and telling you I was okay.
I'm sorry Lacey. If you were still here, you'd want me to be stronger. I couldn't.
Finally, I'm sorry Oz. I'm sorry for leaving you, and for always apologising for things which weren't my fault. But this was my fault. I'm sorry.
~ Jack.
….
You hit the drinking, take a toll
Watch the past go up in smoke
Fake a smile, lie and say
"I'm better now than ever"
And your life's okay
Well it's not, no
You're doing all these things out of desperation
~ Six Degrees Of Separation ~
~ Levi and Oswald ~
In contradiction to what they'd originally said, Levi and Oswald both took up Lotti's offer to re-join the Baskervilles. They also moved back into the same apartment, resuming their previous lives as if nothing had happened.
The two had managed to go just under one year clean, unfortunately. The first to break had been Levi. In all fairness, he had successfully stayed away from smoking crack, but instead took up smoking cigarettes as a substitution for his previous addiction.
Then, only a few days later, Oswald broke his 364 day sober-streak, unable to stay away from alcohol for any longer.
After nearly another year of living like that, Oswald decided to seek help again, his liver condition worsening and leaving him with no other option than to fall to Aversion Therapy. And, consequently, ended up on Antabuse after seeking help from various counsellors, 2 years after already leaving a rehab.
Levi, out of consideration for his friend (although he'd never admit it), took the opportunity to try and kick his own habit.
'Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap'
The irritating sound of continuous tapping overlapped the silence in the room, Oswald lying stretched out on the sofa opposite the desk at which Levi was currently sitting.
"Levi," Oswald grunted, "Stop it."
The tapping only continued.
"Levi…" he warned, attempting to sit up but soon discovering that he did not possess the energy to do so, "Please."
"Hm?" Levi eventually responded, glancing up from the desk and finally lifting the pen, "Oh… sorry. How are you feeling?"
Oswald glared weakly at him. "Like crap."
"Great."
Only a few seconds after their short-lived conversation ended, the repetitive tapping of Levi's pen started once again.
'Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap'
"Levi!" Oswald yelled, "Stop it. If you're that desperate for a cigarette, then have one!"
"No. That's not why I'm fidgety anyway," Levi denied, "I could say the same to you. Just drink something so that you can be a bit less of a grumpy shitface."
"I already tried…" Oswald groaned sheepishly after a small pause, "Couldn't do it without throwing up…"
"Ah… so that's what it was in the sink," Levi muttered under his breath, slamming the pen back onto the desk and resting his head onto his hand, "Shit… I cannot write this report right now…"
"Just give yourself an exception. Most people don't just quit cold turkey."
Levi retorted simply by picking up the half-empty pack of cigarettes abandoned on his desk, staring at them for a bit before launching them at Oswald. The pack ended up hitting him square in the face.
Oswald flinched, but didn't really show any sign of pain as he let the sealed box fall to the floor.
"Argh. Not again…" Levi complained, lowering a twitching hand to his lower stomach and hunching over the desk, "I don't see why I manage to stop crack cold turkey after 4 years, but I'm struggling to quit this after only 1 year."
"Well, most people who effectively chain-smoked for over a year don't try to quit in a room clouded with second-hand smoke."
"… shut up."
Sighing at Levi's ill-tempered attitude, Oswald eventually managed to sit up, leaning against the back of the sofa and glancing over at his friend. He was currently sitting with his head slumped on the desk, back curled over, legs crossed and one hand placed lightly on his stomach. It was painfully obvious how much discomfort he was in, and Oswald didn't quite know who was worse off out of the two of them.
"When did you last smoke?" Oswald asked plainly, not particularly interested but still attempting to keep his friend at ease as much as possible.
Levi's voice was muffled by the paper his face was pressed against. "Urhhm… a couple of days ago?"
"Well… when did things get worse?"
"Hmph… I dunno… I think it got worse yesterday after noon. I didn't sleep properly last night, and I've basically had the shits all morning…"
"Oh, lovely…" Oswald murmered sarcastically, "I don't really get why you started in the first place."
"Well, I wasn't gonna go back to crack, was I?" Levi pointed out. Obviously, the comment had been aimed at mocking Oswald, but the other hadn't quite got the hint. "I guess… I just always end up addicted to something… and I'm 32 now, for fucks sake…"
"How do you think I feel? I'm 31 and only a few drinks away from having to get a liver transplant."
Finally, Levi sat up, removing his head from the desk and glancing down at his hands, frowning at the strange twitching feeling which filled him crossed with the throbbing pain in his forehead. "Argh…" he grunted quietly, digging the palms of his hands into his eye sockets, "I'd kill for a smoke right now…"
Exhaling, Oswald bent over the edge of the sofa, reaching down strenuously and picking up the pack of cigarettes which had previously been thrown at him. He opened them, counted them individually, before flinging them back at Levi and lying back down against the cushions.
Half-surrendering to his cravings, Levi ripped the pack open, pulling out one of the slender white sticks and jabbing it between his teeth. The familiar, satisfying taste filled his mouth, and he dug around the desk frantically in search of a lighter.
"Dammit…" he groaned through gritted teeth, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and gripping it between two fingers as if it were the last lifeline, "Where the hell did all my lighters go?"
"You told me to get rid of them," Oswald spoke up from the sofa, his eyes slowly drooping shut, "So I did."
"Ugh… why the hell did I do that?!"
"I don't know."
Just before Levi could retort with one of his usual, caustic remarks, he froze, cursing "Shit," under his breath. Slamming the cigarette onto the desk, he made a run for the bathroom, and Oswald made sure to block out all sounds once the door was thrown shut.
After another 5 minutes, Levi staggered out of the bathroom, closing the door securely before returning to the desk and picking up the cigarette again, balancing it between two fingers and leaning back in the chair.
"How was it?" Oswald muttered, disgust riddled through the question.
"Awful. Don't go in there."
Oswald grimaced. "Thanks for that. Now I need a drink… so bad."
"And I need a smoke… or to get laid. I'm sure that would satisfy my libido enough to calm me down," Levi grinned a little to himself, but then frowned at the next realisation, "God… we truly are a mess…"
"Seconded…" the other agreed.
Levi sighed, dropping the unlit cigarette into the now empty ash tray. "It's alright. I'm sure we'll get there eventually…"
…..
Where are you now? Are you lost?
Will I find you again?
Are you alone? Are you afraid?
Are you searching for me?
Where did you go? I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait?
Will I see you again?
~ Hymn For The Missing ~
~ Gilbert and Vincent ~
Like Oz, Gilbert had stuck to his promise of keeping in touch with the other, offering to host dinner for them each time they returned from one of their trips. Also, similar to Oz once again, Gil still kept in touch with Oscar, and took no hesitation accepting the offered financial support. His part-time job at a café was decent and all, but it wasn't enough to pay for the apartment which had previously assisted his little brother's extravagant lifestyle.
As for Vincent, the blonde had also kept his promise to himself, leaving the country and going elsewhere. Echo had been allowed to leave, at which she gladly took up the opportunity to get away from Vincent within a split second.
Unfortunately, that left Gilbert living alone.
But, he didn't get depressed, because the everlasting company of Oz continued. Admittedly, he did never quit smoking, but instead just cut down, and only smoked outside as a result of pure hope that one day, Vince would return.
Luckily, 2 years later, he'd received a letter.
Dear Gil.
I'm retuning to you. You don't have to search for me anymore. You don't have to wait.
One week from now, and I'll be back for you.
I promise.
Vince.
The letter had been brief, but enough to bring a smile to Gil's face and a singular tear to one of his golden eyes.
Still though, the letter had enclosed no details of when or where he'd return, and so Gilbert was just left to wait, and resume his daily life with a lingering sense of anticipation residing within him for the next week.
Gilbert sat contently in a field, perched on a wooden bench with a cigarette dangling from his fingers. It had been exactly 6 days since Vincent had sent the letter claiming that he'd be home, which only left Gilbert with one day left.
In some ways, he wanted to be annoyed at him for leaving so abruptly; for not telling him where he'd be going and just taking off in such a mysterious way. But, after everything they'd been through, Gil couldn't bring himself to hate his little brother.
Just as he was snapped out of his thoughts, the sound of slow yet steady footsteps gradually filled Gilbert's hearing range. Snuffing the butt of the cigarette out on the floor, he froze up, instantly recognising who it was.
"Vince…" he mouthed silently, launching himself from the bench and facing the path in front of him.
Sure enough, the same brother who'd taken off 2 years ago stood right before him. Other than the fact that his blonde hair had been trimmed to sit just above his shoulders, not a single thing about him had changed. His single golden eye shone in the sunlight in contrast to the deep red one, emphasising the passion and warmth radiating from the subtle smile painted on his lips as he stared straight ahead.
As for Gilbert, he'd simply frozen up in shock, before finally cracking and rushing forward, clinging onto his brother's frail body for dear life. Tears were freely flowing from his eyes, buried deep into the crook of Vincent's neck.
"Welcome home, Vince…" Gil whispered in his ear, feeling the arms of his brother wrap around his shoulder and push him away, before forcing eye contact between them, "W-where have you been…?"
"Gil… I'm sorry…" Vincent panted, smiling weekly as he held tightly onto Gilbert's arms, dragging him down to the ground, "I hope… you're happy now."
"I… I'm happy, but… I'd have been happier with you…" Gil admitted, arms still wrapped tightly around his brother as they sat on the ground together, closer than they'd ever been before. "W-what… why did you-"
"Shh… Gil…" Vincent breathed strenuously, lifting a finger up and placing it onto his brother's lips, "I don't have time… to answer your questions now…"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Gil… I wanted to give you a life without me…" the blonde confessed, collapsing onto Gil's chest, "But… I've done some stupid things now… to myself… to other people…"
Gilbert's eyes widened, feeling Vincent's body grow weaker by the second. "No… please…"
"My time… is up, Gil…" he told him softly, "My body… has grown too weak… I was stupid, I threw my life away… and I'm sorry, Gil… but…"
"But what?"
Vincent tried to speak, his mouth opening and closing before he smiled, gazing up and Gil with dazed eyes and shaking his head as he laid his head onto the other's chest.
Eventually, he continued, "But… now you finally… get to have a future without me…"
"Vince… that's not what I want!" Gilbert yelled as he grabbed onto his brother's shoulders and forced him upwards.
"Shhh… Gil…" Vincent shushed, eyelids drooping and finally closing. It was at that moment that Gilbert lost the ability to hold him up any longer, letting the blonde fall back onto his chest, and bury his head onto the crook of his elbow with what little energy he had left. "It's too late to save me now…"
Realising that Vincent was right, Gil could only cry, holding onto his brother as he spoke his last words.
"-…"
Just then, Gilbert felt the pulse in his body seize, his face growing pale and his body resting limply.
It was only at that point that the current situation sunk into his conscience; his little brother lying lifeless in his arms as the last words he'd spoken echoed through his mind.
"I'm sorry, Nii-san…"
…
Bring me out
Come and find me in the dark now
Every day by myself I'm breaking down
I don't wanna fight alone anymore
Bring me out
From the prison of my own pride
My God, I need a hope I can't deny
In the end I'm realizing I was never meant to fight on my own
~ On My Own ~
~ Break ~
Immediately after leaving the centre, Break had returned to the apartment opposite Reim's, receiving methodical assistance from Reim each day. The two's lives had returned to normal, and they'd both continued on as if nothing which had previously occurred ever happened. They stayed friends, still not a single thing able to tear them apart.
Of course, Break's eyesight had never recovered, and the council eventually agreed to give him small yet adequate disabled benefit claims. Reim watched over this, to no surprise, and monitored Break almost 24/7 for the first couple of months.
It almost seemed as if nothing would go wrong.
But.
Giving the fact that Break had spent 8 entire years of his life heavily reliant on heroin, there was almost no chance of him resisting the immense temptation and staying away.
And so, only 6 months later, Break relapsed, voluntarily getting addicted to heroin once again.
However, unlike the previous time, Reim stayed completely in the dark about it, unable to spot any signs that Break had started using again.
Unfortunately, due to the extreme nature of the second heroin addiction, Break accidently overdosed just over 2 years after leaving Pandora Recovery Centre.
But this time, Reim was too late to find him.
Consequently, Break passed away at the age of 28.
The sun was beginning to set over the graveyard, a darkening sky of warm colours merging from yellow to red to a deep blue. An eerie silence hung over the area behind the church, the autumn leaves brushing rhythmically against the trimmed grass as the wind blew past subtly.
The only person who could be seen was a tall young man, completely dressed in black with clouded glasses on his face. A single handkerchief was held in his left hand, the right hand firmly placed on the side of the concrete grave which he was crouched in front of.
This person – Reim – was muttering quietly to the grave, fresh soil covering the ground beneath it, having only been laid a few hours ago. The grave was rather plain, only 3 things carved into the stone:
Xerxes Break
Aged 28
R.I.P.
"In hindsight…" Reim thought aloud, a single tear escaping his eye and rolling down his cheek as he held the fabric in his hand up to it, "I should've noticed… that you'd gone back… I should've told you not to make promises… which you wouldn't keep…
"I'll never forget what it was like… walking into your apartment to visit you, but instead finding you like that… sprawled across the bed, an empty needle resting beside your arm. Why hadn't I realise until that point?
"When did you relapse? When… did it all happen? I had to know… you couldn't respond to me very well… I knew it was too late…"
As Reim recalled the memories of his friend's death, more emotions welled up inside of him, more tears falling from his eyes.
"You were barely alive… at that point… your pupils were dilated… you were calling for me… whimpering, almost…
"I walked over to you, you clung to me… and cried your eyes out… 'I don't want to die…' was what you kept saying… your body was trembling… I knew that was it… You muttered '18 months… I'm sor…' before your breathing just… stopped…
"I'm sorry…" Reim apologised, "I could've saved you…"
Silence befell the grave and Reim for another half an hour or so, the brunette pouring out his memories out to Break's dead body. Several flower bouquets decorated the stone, but it was nothing different to the rest surrounding it.
"The thought of you… 6 feet under… with all these other people…" Reim whispered, "It's… it's just…"
Just at that moment, Reim was snapped out of his trance by another person approaching him. At first, he thought he would stop at one of the graves around them, but only dropped that suspicion when the person walked right up the where he was.
"Hi…" the other man said quietly, a single, red flower being held in one of his hands.
Reim simply nodded, courteously apologising for his demeanour, "Sorry, I don't usually present myself in such a manner… I-I'm just… grieving a friend, that's all…"
"No, it's okay," the other smiled warmly, bending down to the grave next to Break's and dropping the flower in front of it, "I'm Gilbert, by the way…"
"Nice to meet you," Reim greeted, "My name is… Reim…"
"Hey, Reim…" Gilbert muttered, gesturing to the grave below him, "I recognise that name… Xerxes Break… he was the heroin addict, in the recovery centre I left 2 years ago…"
Tears welling up in his eyes again, Reim nodded. "He… he relapsed… and overdosed. The funeral finished a few hours ago…"
"I… I'm so sorry for your loss…" Gilbert whispered, "My brother, Vince… he was also there… he passed away a few weeks ago."
"Sorry to hear that …"
"Yeh… it's not right…" Gil murmered, staring ahead at the vast graveyard, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
Reim considered the question for a moment, glancing down at Break's grave before replying, "I guess… after all, not everyone's story… can be blessed with a happy ending…"