Disclaimer: You know those boxes fast food places want you to put spare change in? I'm going to make on of those. Instead of donating to charity, you can throw in some spare change to help me buy the rights to Star Ocean. "But Tolanya, I thought you already owned Star Ocean!" No, my poor deceived readers, I do not own Star Ocean.

Date Posted: February 21, 2006

Author's Note:
100 reviews! PARTY! To celebrate, I'm posting this chapter on the day of my 100th review. Ah, yes. Such a glorious day. And such a weird chapter name? OH WELL. Now, read on, I'll leave another note at the end (as usual).

Chapter 10: Till death do us part

"ALBEL!" Fayt screamed out his lover's name as he fell. The moment felt almost as thought it was in slow motion; Albel tumbling to the ground, blood pouring out of the back of his head.

Fayt knelt next to Albel immediately, staring into his closed eyes. The shock and despair Fayt had felt just the night before settled in again, the pain ripping apart his thoughts. The blue-haired man looked up at Sophia angrily.

"You shot him! You can't get away with this. You've murdered now." Fayt's words were cold and simple, his voice laced with agony.

Sophia said nothing at first. She shook her head, eyes wide and filled with disbelief. The hand holding the gun she had just fired shook, and the weapon fell to the ground, breaking the silence as it landed. Then, stuttering, she answered, "H-he w-was… a… a m-m-murderer."

Anger and defiance filled the emptiness caused by the sudden pain, and Fayt glared at Sophia. "He was my lover."

The sound of Albel's voice shocked Fayt. "Stop talking about me in past tense, damn it. I'm not dead yet."

Fayt looked down, his eyes meeting Albel's. He could think of no way to tell Albel how bad the wound was; that he might not be alive for long.

"It's ok. I know I'm going to die."

Tears blurred Fayt's vision, falling down his cheeks and hitting the floor silently. Not Albel. He can't die. Albel had been more than just a lover to Fayt, he has been his idol. He had seemed so invincible, and yet now he was lying on a bathroom floor, a bullet lodged into the back of his head.

Albel reached up, wiping a tear off Fayt's cheek. "You'll be fine. After all, you were better off before you met me."

Fayt shook his head, blinking away tears. He gently lifted Albel's head into his lap, staring into his dying lover's eyes. "I'm glad I met you anyway. You told me being together wouldn't be easy." He drew in a deep breath, almost sobbing. "But I think watching you die is much worse."

Albel laughed dryly. "I think I told you being gay only get worse as you go."

Fayt nodded, brushing a strand of black hair out of Albel's eyes affectionately. "You were negative about everything back then."

Albel smirked. "I know. It's only thanks to you I'm alive to be here dying."

Here, dying. He's dying. She shot him fatally in the back of the head and now he's dying… Albel's really going to be gone, for good.

Fayt felt as though he would collapse, watching his whole world fall apart as Albel was dying. He stared into Albel's calm red eyes, wishing this didn't have to happen now, when they had just found each other again.

"This is really it then, isn't it? You're going to die, aren't you?" Fayt's voice broke as he spoke, tears falling down his cheeks.

"I wish I could say I was going to live. Just for you, Fayt. But I guess it's my time to die."

Fayt blinked back tears and nodded. "It's ok, Albel. I've made you stick around a long time."

Even though he wanted to die so badly. He stayed for me, just to make sure I was safe. Why does he have to die! It's not fair!

Albel reached out one hand, taking Fayt's hand in his. "I didn't mind living once I fell in love with you. It gave me one good thing, and it was all I needed. You gave me life, Fayt."

Fayt gently lifted Albel into a sitting position, allowing the older man to wrap his arms around Fayt for support. Leaning in, Fayt kissed Albel softly. His lips were still warm and soft, though Albel only kissed back weakly.

Pulling away a little, Albel whispered, "Fayt, can you do something for me?"

"Anything," Fayt whispered back. He would have done anything Albel asked by then, no matter what the consequences.

"Can you kill Sophia?" Albel spoke more softly.

Fayt nodded, looking over to see if she was listening.

"Oh, I can hear you. You can't kill me," Sophia remarked as confidently as she could, though she was clearly still shaken after shooting Albel.

Something inside Fayt snapped at her words, filling him with rage. "Oh, I CAN kill you! Do you have ANY idea how much pain you've caused! You destroy LIVES for the sake of your pathetic reputation, and we aren't the only ones! You've done enough damage, you DESERVE to die!"

Fayt's outburst silenced Sophia, who retreated a little, putting more space between herself and the couple, looking away. Satisfied she was quiet and not listening, Fayt looked back to Albel, the rage turning into sorrow again.

"You sound like me," Albel remarked, smirking.

"I can't say I'll ever be you, but maybe you rubbed off on me a little." Fayt pulled Albel a little closer to him, whispering, "We did spend a long time together."

"I love you the way you are now, Fayt. Hell, I'd love you no matter what, but for your sake, don't turn into me."

Fayt smiled slightly and answered, "No one will ever be you again. I don't think the world is ready for another Albel Nox."

But you sure could have lived a lot longer.

Albel met Fayt's eyes, a distant look of longing in his own crimson eyes. "Maybe not. Maybe I'm not that significant anyway. The world has plenty of murderers."

"Are you kidding? They'll be talking about all the people you killed forever." Fayt smiled. "I'm proud."

Proud… I'm proud to belong to him. Sick as it is, I'm proud of him for killing all those people. He was one of the few people who really lived. He made a difference, even if it was just killing people. No one will ever be as good at it as him.

"You were more than a murderer to me," Fayt whispered. "Much more."

Fayt's hands were covered in blood now, staining them a bright shade of red. The liquid slipped easily through his fingers; Albel's very life flowing out of him and spilling onto the floor. For a moment, they only stared at each other, the reality of having reunited and now separating again hitting for what felt like the millionth time.

"You didn't live long enough," Fayt said softly.

"I got enough accomplished, don't you think?" Albel answered.

Fayt looked up at Sophia, glaring. "She cut your life short." Sophia looked back at Fayt evenly. "You stole his life! Damn it, you stole three years of my life! I want it all back! His life was worth more than your stupid image will ever be!" Sophia didn't answer, silently staring back at him, her whole body trembling with fear and shock.

Fayt looked away and let himself collapse, crying, burying his face in Albel's shoulder. The older man wrapped his thin arms around Fayt with the weakness of a dying man, and still managed to whisper to him comfortingly. "It's going to be ok. I don't need more time; I've been here long enough. You'll be fine."

Fine! I'll be alone and probably stuck with Sophia! The last three years are going to happen all over again, for the rest of my life! I can't go back to that, not after all this!

Fayt held back the urge to scream at something, anything and softly whispered, "I'll be lonely. For a long time. I'm only 23, you know. I've got a lot of time left without you."

Albel pulled Fayt closer, comforting his lover even as he died. "Don't worry about that. Once you get away from Sophia, it'll be alright. Remember what I told you- there's still so much left to do. Even if I'm dead, you still have a life left."

Fayt sighed. It won't be the same when I'm by myself. I can't go on and be normal without him.

"We never had much time together, did we? There was a lot we never had a chance to do. You know, most couples settle down eventually. I guess I always thought we'd have a peaceful life somewhere, once you were done killing. I never thought…" Fayt let his words trail off.

Albel looked away. "I'm sorry. I was always killing people, leaving you alone. I should have taken better care of you."

Fayt cupped Albel's face in one hand. "No. You did fine. We should have had more time, but you never failed me. I can only wish we'd been able to do more."

"It was enough if you were as happy as I was."

Fayt kissed Albel again, their lips connecting only briefly before he pulled away to let Albel breathe. The other man's warm breath blew across Fayt's lips gently, though Albel's breathing was shallow.

Albel closed his eyes, pulling Fayt closer to him with surprising strength. "Your arm is still bleeding," he remarked, reaching out to run his hand along Fayt's injured arm, carefully avoiding the spot where the bullet hit.

How can he be dying and only care about me? I'm fine; he's shot in the head!

"I'm alright, you're the one who's hurt…" Tears gathered in Fayt's eyes, and he looked away, blinking.

Albel breathed in deeply. "If you fall in love with someone else, make sure he can protect you."

"I won't fall in love," Fayt answered firmly.

Not once Albel's gone. I'll never love anyone else as long as I live, and no one will ever love me as much as he did. Not nearly as much.

"You never know. You've got a lot of time left." Albel fell back into his lover's arms a little more as he spoke, growing weaker every second.

"Albel, no one could ever love me like you did," Fayt whispered. They stared into each other's eyes, silently sharing memories; reminders of everything they had been.

"Then don't let yourself get hurt," Albel answered after a long silence, his voice weak.

Sophia had gathered the courage to speak. "This is what you get for being gay. I murdered Albel but my sin will be forgiven." Her voice was smug, if a little shaky.

Albel managed to yell hoarsely across the room at her. "Shut up! You can't change me now! I'm fucking dying, you can't change how I lived!"

Sophia smiled, as though she knew something they didn't, and fell back into silence, hiding away in the corner of the room.

Albel turned his attention back to Fayt. "So you promise to be safe? I won't be there to protect you from her. I'm… worried," Albel finished, staring into Fayt's tearful green eyes.

Fayt couldn't help but smile. Albel rarely confessed to being worried, and even then only to Fayt. He's dying, of course he's emotional…

"I'll try, but without you…"

They shared an understanding silence. Fayt had always counted on Albel to protect him. Even when everyone else turned against him because of what he was, Albel had been there to make sure no one hurt Fayt..

I should be able to fend for myself. Everyone else who lives alone is fine, but I need him. There were few people who could really understand what Fayt and Albel had. They weren't just in love, they needed each other to keep themselves sane. Fayt relied on Albel for everything in his life, and Albel had never loved, or even really liked, anyone until Fayt. With Albel gone, Fayt's life had been empty, only a shell of what it should have been. He counted on Albel for more than love- Albel was his will to live.

Both men had run out of words, staring into each other's eyes silently. Why him? Why not Sophia, or someone who really deserves death? Why not anyone but the man who kept me going all these years?

Albel, who had always been able to tell how Fayt felt, said in a low voice, "You'll be fine. I know it." He winced in pain, falling deeper into Fayt's arms.

He's showing the pain. It must be bad. Albel had never shown any pain in front of anyone, no matter how badly he was hurt. He had never even shown weakness when only Fayt would have been there to see. It was one of the reasons Fayt admired him so much. Fayt blinked away more tears, gripping Albel's hair as though trying to help him hang on to life; wishing desperately he could help somehow.

"I had this coming to me. I killed tons of people." Albel's voice was low and dark. "Every single night for almost seven years, at least one person died by my hand. People will rejoice once they hear I'm dead."

Fayt shook his head. "No," he said, the boldness of his voice surprising even himself. "Maybe the stupid, ignorant ones. The ones who didn't really know you. If nothing else, I will cry at your funeral."

Albel smirked. "You think I'll have a funeral?"

Fayt nodded. "Yeah. If I have any say in it."

"I think it'll be just you at that funeral," Albel answered.

"No one else understands anyway. It's always been just the two of us. It's fine that way; we don't need anyone else."

But now it's going to be just me. On my own, without Albel.

Albel smirked again and remarked. "We could have done so much more. We spent so long apart, who knows what would have happened if we both made it out of here alive?" He gestured at the walls around them. "We could have covered these walls in her blood. Hell, the whole world would be talking then. Nobody would have been able to stop us. We would have been incredible, Fayt."

Albel pulled Fayt closer to him, hugging him as tightly as his weak, dying arms could. "Every man that ever loved a man, every woman that ever loved a woman, would look up to us. We could have changed the world if we wanted to. We could have been the last couple to go through all this hate just so we could love."

Fayt smiled, embracing Albel. "Yeah. We'll leave that to someone else. Someday, everything will be alright. Just not yet."

Albel leaned his head against Fayt's chest, nodding in agreement. "There was a time I would have told you it would always be this way. I think, maybe, there's hope though. Maybe somewhere out there, another couple is sick of being hated for loving, too."

Fayt looked away, tears in his eyes. "But it's not us… We won't be together anymore."

Albel turned to face Fayt, their arms still wrapped around each other, Fayt holding Albel up. Albel's hot breath blew across his face, and a thin, pale hand brushed a tear away. "You still look cute when you cry, you know."

Fayt felt Albel's warm lips over his and kissed back, allowing the other man to hold onto him more tightly for support. Pulling away very slightly, so his lips still brushed Fayt's when he spoke, Albel whispered, "I love you. Don't forget that."

"I won't," Fayt whispered back.

"If I could, I'd come back to help you…" Albel's words trailed off.

"It's ok," Fayt reassured softly, breaking the momentary silence. "If you're going to die, at least rest peacefully."

But damn it, I'll miss you.

Albel's eyes looked more distant, and Fayt could feel him weaken, death approaching faster now. No, Albel, no! Albel can't die, what about me! This can't happen, not to him, he's too strong to die now!

Fayt flung himself at his lover, crying openly and hugging him as tightly as he could. "I'll remember you," he sobbed. "For the rest of my life, I won't ever forget everything you did for me."

"The worst part is over now, Fayt. We made it through all this." Albel's voice was weak, dying out, fading away.

Fayt couldn't answer immediately- his words would have been drowned out by tearful sobs as he clung to Albel fiercely, wanting desperately for him to stay forever. "Don't leave me," he managed to say.

Fayt tilted Albel back, watching the life fade from his eyes. "I'll always love you," Fayt sobbed.

"I love you," Albel whispered.

And with that, Albel closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Author's Note: Yes. Albel. Dead. Yet there are two chapters to go. If you're saying "Tolanya, I don't want to read two chapters without any Albel/Fayt goodness", just hang on. I promise the ending is interesting, though highly unusual. And for all you know, there will be delicious flashbacks.
Now, onto the subject of reviews. Yes. 101. More than I expected at this point. But only 5 for the last chapter? I give INFINITE cookies and Coke to my 5 reviewers. To the rest of you readers- I still love you, fear not. But maybe review this time? It makes me happy when you review, and you get cookies. Yes, MANY COOKIES FOR ALL WHO REVIEW! Now review. Come on, CLICK THE BUTTON AND TYPE SOMETHING! IT CAN JUST BE "OH NOES, ALBY!" FOR ALL I CARE!