A/N:Holy… It's been so long! I truly apologize, and I'm a horrible pathetic human being… I had writer's block, and there's really no other excuse but that and my crappy love life… but you don't want to know about that, so here's the incredibly late update!

Disclaimers: KHR and its characters are not mine.

No more screams.

No more words.

Just endless, endless pain.

It had been two days from since Fran had been in his tortured state, and he was reaching his very limit. Fran didn't scream and writhe in pain anymore – his muscles were too worn out. The petite form just laid there on the bed and oozed out his life energy, his lifeless green eyes wide open and leaking endless tears.

No one could even empathize how much it hurt. Pain seared through him countless number of times, the intensity of it reaching every piece of him. His muscles had flexed and tensed so many times that they simply shut down altogether and no longer tried to escape – as if the pain had killed them. His skin was blanched, incredibly pale and clammy with cold sweat. His body was becoming thin and frail with the lack of food. His once breathtakingly beautiful eyes were bloodshot, teary and dull.

Fran had stopped struggling – he had given up. He allowed the pain to hurt him as much as it wanted, and he leaked his life energy like water running from a tap. Illusions that unconsciously came out of him melted and merged the room, but Fran could not do anything about it. He was weakening by the second, his nerves numbed out. He could hardly hear anyone's voice, smell anything, taste anything, his vision was blurry and he could feel nothing but the blaring internal pain of his body.

Fran was dying.

But the thought that scared him was that he was 'relieved' to know that it was all going to end soon. Part of him wanted that, but the other part of him had wanted to stay as well –the other part of him that loved a certain blonde prince who never left his side, that part of him wanted to survive for his lover.

The illusionist knew how hard this was for Bel. He could see it in the prince's eyes how desperately he wanted to take his pain away. Bel had sat there whispering to him apologetic words he couldn't hear, and through Fran's weakened senses he could only feel the warmth of the prince's hands on his own dying flesh and observe how Bel's lips touched his cold skin through his blurry sight.

Fran did not see the blood, though – the blood that leaked from Bel's arm; the fresh red liquid that spilled from the wounds that was cut with the prince's very own knives.

Bel had cut himself because he wanted – needed – to share Fran's pain somehow. It hurt too much to just sit there watching the person who meant everything for him slowly die away in torture without him being able to do anything to even help. No, Bel didn't mean to commit suicide – the prince didn't cut enough for the blood loss to be fatal nor did he cut the main artery, but he made sure the wounds made him feel throbbing pain with every heartbeat. It was an act of stupidity, and Bel knew it. But he couldn't help himself. The prince had to do something to relief his pent up depression from feeling so damn helpless, and that was what brought him to press his knife into his own flesh time and time again in that moment.

The prince didn't even feel the high of his blood anymore. For the first time, he didn't care that he was bleeding. The fact that his royal blood was spilled did not have any effect on him. All Bel cared about was the frail body lying on the bed and empathizing with a certain degree of Fran's suffering.

'There's no alternative to this, and he's not going to last much longer. It's your choice whether to keep him in pain until his last breath, or to quickly finish him.'

Words from the doctor still echoed in Bel's ears.

'…he's not going to last much longer.'

Fran was dying.

Why was there no alternative? No matter what he did, it wouldn't change the fact that the person he loved the most will never be the same again. And why did it have to be his decision to decide how Fran should leave him?

Bel gripped Fran's hand tight, pressing his cheeks onto the illusionist's cold skin. For the first time in his life, the prince was scared. He had absolutely no idea when this body would stop breathing and forever leave him. The moment that Fran's heart stop beating – the moment that the prince's heart will shatter altogether – Bel did not know how many hours or seconds it will take before that time comes.

"Hey, Froggy…" Bel bent down to whisper into Fran's ears, hand still cupping the illusionist's, "Even if you can't hear me…" The prince took a deep breath before he spoke faintly once again, "…I don't want to lose you. Ever. You promised, froggy. You said you will never leave me again, even though you don't remember that now. You promised. We were going to have our happy ever after."

Bel's blood dripped onto Fran's arm, and the prince kissed the drop off from his lover's skin. Bel exhaled weakly, before he closed his eyes and whispered, "I love you, froggy."

Through his pain and through his senses which were barely working, Fran could feel Bel. He could feel the prince's pain, the prince's touch, the prince's breath on his ear. But most of all, he could feel the prince's love. The illusionist wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but in his mind, he was certain he heard the prince declare his love for him.

Maybe that was what brought him enough power to clear his senses, even though it was only for the shortest amount of time.

To Bel's utter shock, Fran ever so slowly croaked, "S.. Se… Senpai…"

The prince's head snapped up to check whether he was hallucinating. But it was real; Fran was looking at him with those teary blood shot eyes, his dry, chapped lips slightly parted as he spoke once again, "Bel-senpai…"

Bel immediately pulled Fran's frail body into a tight embrace, and Fran gasped in pain that shot through him even more intensely and horribly with the sudden movement. The prince relaxed his hold when he heard the gasp, but still held Fran in his arms. Bel's hands were trembling, he was so scared and so happy at the same time. He wanted – needed – his lover so badly he could hardly stand it.

Fran endured the pain that was tearing his body apart, ignoring his screeching muscles as he attempted to hug the prince back. He felt so weak and tired and he knew he wanted to give in and let go of his life altogether. But before that, he needed to let Bel know everything he's feeling – before there's no more time left for him. "Senpai, I… love you. I love you. I love… you…" Fran murmured the phrases like a prayer and Bel felt his heart quaver – the illusionist spoke those words as if it was going to be the last time.

"…I know, Froggy," Bel breathed, "I know."

A hard lump formed in Fran's throat. He didn't want to leave Bel. He wanted to stay here with him, live their lives together – it had been too short. Why was it that they had to part when they hardly had any time together? Tears of pain which were continuously leaking from his eyes changed into falling tears of sorrow. Fran struggled to breathe, "I… don't want… to die…"

Ironic it was that just a few days ago, Fran was begging to be killed be Bel – not wanting to take the pain any longer. But now, as the reality of death hit him, he was willing to take every pain he could just to stay alive.

Bel's hands clenched on Fran's shirt, before he moved one of them to hold Fran's head and ever so gently pressed it closer to him. The prince's eyes were burning, his throat dry and his body weak. Like Fran, he didn't want to lose his lover. Trembling, Bel wiped Fran's tears with his thumb, looking into those dull green eyes which used to be so beautiful and full of life. "Froggy…" Bel brushed the sweat-soaked strands of pale sea foam hair off from Fran's blanched face before he moved closer, and murmured on Fran's lips, "…close your eyes."

Fran did as he was told, his eyelids weakly shutting close as teardrops gushed out, rolling down his pale cheeks. Bel gradually moved a little closer before ever so gently, slowly and softly kissing Fran's dry, cracked lips. The illusionist quivered with the touch, gasping only slightly.

Bel was incredibly careful not to hurt Fran, and as he soothingly ran his fingers through Fran's damp hair, he slowly traced Fran's lips with the tip of his tongue, moisturizing them and parting them at the same time. Fran's hands tensed on his shoulders, before he relaxed once again and allowed the entrance that Bel was asking for, parting his lips further, and breathing faintly. Bel, noticing this, continued with the kiss, approaching Fran gently before their tongues finally met and the kiss became full and complete.

They kissed as if they were passing their strength to one another. They kissed, expressing their love and sorrow mixed together in a bitter sweet romance. They kissed, sharing each other's pain, trying to take it away from the other. They kissed, knowing that it may well be the last time.

It was forever before they parted, keeping their embrace tight enough to feel each other's warmth but not too tight to cause Fran more pain than he is already experiencing. Bel's lips trailed down Fran's jaw line before he kissed both of Fran's eyelids then back down to the curve of Fran's neck, in the hollow of Fran's collar bone – each motion and movement soft, sensual, careful and filled with complete love that was so real it was hard to believe.

Fran shivered and trembled with Bel's touch, wanting this moment to last forever. But the pain that was constantly erupting in his body made it impossible to even pretend that everything was going to be okay. More tears fell down Fran's face – just even the thought that he would never be able to do this with Bel ever again kills him. That he would disappear from the face of the Earth, not knowing how Bel would be, not knowing what will go on in his lover's life after he left. It kills him.

Bel's fingertips ran down Fran's spine before he went back to holding Fran in his arms, and absorbing in every ounce of the illusionist's being he knew well and clear that he could never love anyone else like he did. This was the first and only time that Belphegor will ever love. His eyes meeting Fran's slowly opening ones, Bel whispered, looking right into the illusionist's eyes to let him know that every word he spoke was the truth…

"I love you, Fran."

Fran lips curved into a smile as even more tears welled up in his eyes and he cried, hugging Bel with all the energy he had left. "You…called my…name. I thought… I would… never… hear…"

"Stupid Froggy. It's not about your name…" Bel murmured, a bitter smile on his face as he took Fran's limp hand in his own. Then, he spoke the words that Fran never thought would come out from the prince's lips.

"Marry me."

Fran gasped. The words were sinking in to his mind, and he slowly shook his head, his eyes wide with confusion and disbelief. "We… can't. I'm… I'm… dying…"

"It doesn't matter. I want to. We should have done this long ago. You're the only person I'll ever love…" Bel held Fran's powerless hand in his own as he softly kissed Fran's cheek, then he raised Fran's hand and kissed the back of it ever so gently, looking right at Fran's wide eyes, "Marry me, froggy."

Fran hesitated, he knew he wasn't going to last much longer and he didn't want to hurt Bel more when it was the time that he had to go by tying the prince to him. But as soon as he looked into the prince's eyes through those blonde bangs, he knew he wanted nothing else. "Yes," Fran murmured shakily through tears, feeling his heart fill up warmly with the word, "…yes."

Bel smiled the brightest he ever did – the first smile in a long time – before he carefully pulled Fran into an embrace once again. "Thank you…"

Fran closed his eyes; tears rolling continuously down his cheeks, absorbing in every moment of this happiness that he knew was coming to an end, "I love you, Bel-senpai. I love you…"

And Fran said those words again and again, trying to make up for all those times he knew he would not be beside Bel anymore.

Some say 'love' is a word that should not be excessively used – but when you have only a limited time of your life left, it is the only word that you want to say.

[Sorry. The number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.]

COUGH.

"Damn it."

[Sorry. The number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.]

COUGH. COUGH.

"Ugh… pick up you idiot."

[Sorry. The number you dialed is-]

BANG. THUMP.

"…useless."

Kione sat slouched with her back leaned against the wall, blood staining her cloak with her face covered in the very same red liquid. The girl was getting weaker every day, the coughing and vomiting blood getting worse and worse. She woke up in the middle of the night to throw up and faint in the toilet before being woken up with a horrid coughing fit. It was as if her body was trying to get rid of all her body fluid altogether.

She had tried to contact Rasiel about it – to tell him that she needed to get out of here and back to the Millefiore – but the so-called 'King' could not be contacted in any way. Time and time again she called him, texted him – but never was there any reply, and it has been like this for two days now.

It was strange. Rasiel wasn't someone that would stay out of contact for so long. Unless…

He's going to ditch me after he's used me.

Kione gritted her teeth at the thought. She should have known the bastard was someone that could not be trusted – after all, he was the one who killed Bel in the other world. He was the one who took away her lover. She should've known better than to trust someone like Rasiel.

Damn it. Why did I even…

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH.

A long train of coughs interrupted her thoughts, and blood spilled from her lips onto her cloak once again. Her throat felt rough and scraped, and even swallowing hurts her so much she had to restrain from flinching.

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH. COUGH. COUGH. COUGH-

Ugh. Fine. I need help.

With that reluctant thought, Kione slowly got up, leaning against the wall for support as coughs continued to be emitted from her lips as well as the blood. The taste of salty iron in her mouth had become so common to her by now that she didn't even notice the difference between the taste of blood and her mouth.

Gradually, the illusionist made her way out of the door and along the corridor of the Varia Headquarters. But she could only go so far before the dizziness attacked her, forcing her to sit down. Kione punched the floor in frustration at herself.

Damn it. Why am I so fucking pathetic right now?

The girl hated feeling so helpless and dependent. She was an arcobaleno, one of the greatest illusionists in the world – and yet she had to sit crouched against the wall, drenched in her own blood, unable to do anything by herself like a broken doll.

If only someone gave me a billion Euros I would be over the moon.

Because money doesn't wear away like our bodies do. Money never dies. It goes on from one hand to another and then another in this everlasting cycle.

Money doesn't get sick and cough out its insides. Money does not feel any pain. Money is just money, an existence that human beings compete and fight for – for all the right reasons.

That's why I have to gather all the money I can get. Because even though my existence disappears altogether, something 'immortal' will be left of me.

…ahh, that's right. That's why I accepted the job that bastard offered me in the first place. After all, idiotic freak or not, he's a soon-to-be King. So he's pretty damn rich, that lucky assho-

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH.

A series of violent coughs interrupted Kione's thoughts once again, and this time, as blood gushed out of her lips, she felt hollowness in her head. She saw dark flashing green spots starting to crowd over her vision as her auditory and gustatory senses also numbed away.

The last thing she saw before darkness closed in before her eyes was the pool of her blood in her hands; red, fresh blood which looked nothing like the money she envisioned would be piled in her hands from doing a job for Rasiel.

Kione woke up in a room that she immediately assumed to be Lussuria's. The shocking pink fur sofa was a big give-away – that, with the addition of countless posters of numerous boxers in the world that dominated the walls, one of which was a photo of Sasagawa Ryohei, confirmed the room to be owned by the Varia's personal Gaylord and nobody else's. Lussuria must have found her lying unconscious in the corridor and brought her into his room.

Feeling her throat dry and raked, Kione slowly got up from the bed and walked out of the room, intending to go to the kitchen for some water. However, along the way, she passed Belphegor's room. The door was slightly open by a crack just wide enough to be evidence that someone had sneaked a peek on the scene going on inside the room. Curious to how the poison was affecting Fran, Kione decided to use the crack to her advantage and looked into the room as well.

The scene before her shocked her. It was Fran and Bel sitting on the bed together in an embrace so filled with love that even other people could feel it from afar and Fran, the always so expressionless illusionist, was smiling, even though his face was streaked with tears and his body was almost vibrating with intense pain. But what shocked Kione the most was Bel's expression – an expression so hurt, so filled with emotion and so filled with love. She had never seen Bel look like that before, with raw feelings coming out from him pure and clear with no holding back. Even when her Bel in the parallel world confessed his love for her, his expression wasn't nearly as intense and real as this.

Fran and Bel were in love – and it was truly that with nothing else. It was a degree of love that some people die without even realizing it was achievable – the kind of love that people thought only existed in fairytales; the love that was not perfect, not the greatest, but ever so pure in emotion.

Kione didn't know what she felt in that moment. She wasn't jealous of the two of them, was not envious that they were able to feel something she knew she could never feel. But she was more in awe – Kione was never one to believe that love conquers all, she always had money somewhere in the package, but looking at Fran and Bel in that moment, she felt like it could be true; maybe love really could be that strong. Certainly, it could not make everything alright like in those magical story books, love could not ease away physical pain nor bring back lives, but she could see now that emotionally, it can keep someone going on even when they feel like everything is shattering to pieces.

Something struck her then, a memory from the parallel world she left. All this time she thought Fran did not exist in her world back there, but now she realized that was not the case.

At the hospital where Bel was brought to on the night that he was stabbed mercilessly by Rasiel, there was also another girl who died on the same night, exactly at the same time. Kione remembered her petite body lying on the bed, being urgently wheeled into the ICU right after Bel's. The girl had a heart attack and the minute the doctor gave up on Bel, her heart stopped beating. It was a very strange occurrence that held little importance at the time, but Kione could remember it clearly now. The girl who was born with the heart disease – she had long straight hair in the colour of pale green sea foam.

Kione realized now that the girl must have been Fran.

She looked back towards the present Fran and Bel in the room, and smiled bitterly to herself.

Even in the other world, you managed to find each other in the end.

…

…what about me? What do I have?

Bel kept on holding Fran close to him, not ever wanting to let go, feeling his heart drop every time Fran's breath stuttered or when Fran took slightly too long to reply. The illusionist's body was noticeably getting colder, like blood no longer circulated inside him – the thought scared Bel, and he rested his head on Fran's neck where he could at least sense some sort of pulse. As for Fran, he could feel Bel's heat growing stronger as his body felt colder, but at the same time, he was feeling that Bel was fading away from him – that heat getting farther away by every breath he took. Speaking was becoming harder, and seeing was becoming exhaustion, so Fran closed his eyes and rested his head on Bel's in turn.

Without any vows, rings, or official papers, the two of them were bonded in that simple moment with silent promises they already whispered to one another in their embrace.

After a short period of complete silence, Bel spoke up, "Froggy?"

No reply came from Fran.

Bel started to panic, "Froggy? Answer me."

Still no reply. Bel immediately pulled Fran upright and looked at that pale face of his lover. Fran's eyes were shut, those eyelashes dampened by endless tears.

"Froggy, look at me," Bel almost pleaded, feeling a hollowness in his heart just thinking that Fran had already left him.

But Bel felt his heart return to life once again when Fran slowly blinked his eyes opened, those green pupils staring blankly at him. The prince immediately pulled his lover back into the embrace, whispering into Fran's ears, "Don't scare me like that."

Fran bit his lips, tears running from his eyes as he blinked furiously.

Bel noticed the silence, "What's wrong?"

Fran's small fingers held on to Bel then, their grip tight on his shoulders, before Fran whispered the words that made Bel's heart launch itself towards the ground…

"I can't see anything, senpai."

The sentence almost killed the prince. Bel moved back slightly and stared at Fran in disbelief, wishing that it wasn't true. But when he waved his hand in front of Fran's eyes and saw no movement or recognition in those dull green pupils at all, he knew time was finally running out and coming to an end.

Fran's body was trembling now, and Bel could do nothing but hold Fran tight as the illusionist murmured quivering words, "The pain… its disappearing. I can't see anything, I can't feel anything… Senpai, I'm-"

I'm dying.

"No," Bel cut Fran short, "You're not. Don't say it."

Fran just shook his head, tears just leaking from his blinded eyes now, "I have to… say something to you. Before…"

Before I can never say them again.

Bel nodded, holding the trembling body of Fran's firmly and softly in his arms, one hand supporting the illusionist's head, another pressing his body close to his own. The prince inhaled deeply, feeling his throat tighten, "Okay…"

Fran swallowed, before he opened his mouth to let the words escape through his breaths, "Can you… promise me something, Bel-senpai?"

Please. I need you to.

"Anything," Bel breathed, feeling hollow inside just by the tone of Fran's voice.

Fran wrapped his arms around Bel and held the prince close to him, "Once I'm gone… don't stop smiling the way you always do."

The smile that I love. I can't bear seeing it disappear.

Bel's hand tightened slightly. How could he keep on smiling when the only person he loves will not be with him anymore?

Fran continued, "And don't… ever hurt yourself… please…"

I don't want you to be in pain… don't you know that it kills me?

The prince nodded slightly, feeling his eyes burning and brimming up with tears, a hard lump forming inside his throat.

The illusionist went on, this time, hugging Bel as tight as he could with his weak power, "And after I become nothing … but a memory…"

It hurts.

Fran bit his lips, forcing the words out from his mouth, "…find someone else…"

No.

"…and love them…"

It hurts.

"…more than… you ever… loved me."

No.

"Find that person… and have your happy ever after…"

No.

"…without me."

Fran let himself go then, crying in Bel's embrace whilst the prince shook his head disbelievingly. How could Fran expect him to find someone else when he already took his heart whole? When Fran is the only person the prince will ever love, how could he expect him to find happiness without him?

Tears that Bel have never shed in so long rolled down his cheeks, as he whispered back to Fran, "No. I can't."

Fran cried harder at that, gripping onto Bel, not saying anything at all. But inside, he was bursting.

I lied.

I don't want you to forget about me.

I don't want you to find anybody else.

I can't stand the thought of you loving someone more than you love me.

I don't want to let you have your happiness without me.

I'm a liar. I'm selfish.

But… I can't leave knowing that you will be in pain.

I can't let you live your life like that.

I want you to be happy… and that means…

You have to forget about me.

No matter how much it hurts me.

No matter how much it kills me to be the one to say it.

…but I have to let you go.

I can't bind you with me anymore.

Because I…

Fran rested his head on Bel's shoulder, leaning into Bel's warmth, Bel's touch and Bel's love for one last time – and he refused to say those words, not this time, not again, knowing that Bel will never be able to let him go if he did.

I love you, Bel-senpai.

A/N: The next chapter is the final one, so this chapter is like the emotional build up to it. I'm sorry if there isn't enough plotline here to satisfy you. This chapter is really important to me though. T^T

Thank you for all your support even though I'm so crappy at updates – your reviews were what pushed me to write this chapter and finish it off today. They really mean a lot to me.

I won't promise when the final chapter will come out because I haven't written it yet. But it will certainly come - that, you can trust me.