A/n: Gah, I'm so sorry. Very lame chapter lined up for you tonight. Short, lame. So sorry, again. For the lateness too. I swear the next chapter will be so much better. I got wrapped up in the planning the sequal. .; Admittance! Read on.

Thankees to: Beastiewolf(I like Two too, I dunno why. O.o), Neo Nao Neo, Rose Mage(Much more yaoi to come! Whahah!), Malevalla, Pilotsolver(Hehe, Bloodyshy.), La Lamaa, Lori(Always a pleasure!Your so nice to me! .), and Steelpe333(I know about the grammer, sorry, I really suck at it. -.-). Thank for all your wonderful comments!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and you can't make me.

Beautiful Equilibrium

Safe, warm, secure. The Black Mage named Vivi Orunitia felt it, something wrapped around him, holding on tightly in return, but thought nothing of it. He was safe, he was warm, he was secure.

For the past fifteen minutes he had lay there, eyes closed, snuggled up, trying to figure out everything that had happened to him, and found that he couldn't remember. All he saw in his memory was a flock of fading faces, waving from the edge of a cute little village and yelling encouragements. Names became attached, and Vivi began to remember.

Mikoto, the genome whom he had worked with to rescue the mage's from a certain death, the one year limitation on their life spans. He owed allot to her and her dedication, for it was her who had saved them all. Mr.288, the mage whom he had spent so much time talking with, getting to know, becoming friends. Marekin, Visha, Jade, Kinen, Fall, Melody, Ivan, Roku and Dan, the nine children he considered his, all projects to repopulate the village after the stoppage of so many mages, the end of so many lives. This was his village, his life, his home, and now he wondered why they were waving, why they were bidding him farewell, why he chose to leave this little piece of heaven.

His friends appeared to him, each one smiling- except for Amarant, whom he had never actually seen smile. The adventure he had undergone with them ran backwards through his mind, backwards until it came to a screeching halt.

An airship. A winged Black Mage, cruel eyes so far away from the friends he knew at home, visage so threatening, so evil- eyes closed in pain, stone gray hair, fading skin to white, perfect face, an angel, an angel, a fallen angel...

Something shifted beneth him, and it jolted him from his memories. Trying not to concentrate on the throbbing pain that reminded him of a still forgotten injury, he muttered something he didn't even place and turned his head, falling back asleep.

Safe, warm, secure. Vivi didn't want reality. He wanted to be safe, warm and secure.

†

Desperation was a sick and twisted company, and Three was beginning to know it more than he would've liked. He sat in the vast emptiness of the cavern, the only one to accompany him an unconscious enemy; an enemy whom he now held in his arms, like a child, the mage resting deep in his halfhearted embrace, remnants of shredded tailcoat's wrapped around his head. Three had tried his best to take care of him, even removing his jacket and circling it around Vivi's lithe shoulders, feather's around the collar tickling his cheeks. All the waltz could do was stare helplessly at his face, now very visible after the removal of the mage's hat, which now lay by his own by the fire.

He truly was something to behold... a thing of... what did Kuja once call it? He shivered, trying to block out that memory. The pale man standing over him, a smile crossing his lips, a cruel smile, a cold hand on his cheek... prefect lips tilted in a smile, white teeth flashing between pale pink as he spoke.

"You, Black Waltz Three... you're so much better than your predecessors, so much more... beautiful..."

Beautiful...

Three's eyes narrowed slightly. Could he afford to be thinking this? He wasn't sure what was going on, the thoughts running through his head completely foreign... he hated this! This eidolon-dammed confusion, it was unbecoming, not right, frustrating and most of all-

...terrifying...

Crimson eyes closed softly, his gray hair slipping over his ear quietly. He had to stop this, mixing up his emotion. He didn't hate this. He was af- afrai-...

...so what had Kuja done? When he had called Three beautiful... the memory passed by his closed eyes, slender hand coming forth, feeling the icy touch of soft skin against his lips, over his face, through his hair... he had been watching him the whole time, he had been... surveying his work, almost, as fingertips ran from his face, down his throat, across his chest...

Three growled suddenly, shaking his head. This was nothing like that! Vivi wasn't his creation, he had no right to touch him the way Kuja had done, he wasn't allowed to pass over his body andwatch his every movement, like he was some prize, like he was some- some possession waiting for his touch!

His touch? What did that mean exactly?

The waltz's frown grew deeper, staring out into nothing. He wasn't allowed to admire him the way he did.

...the way he... he did?

He blinked, confused again,looking back down at the mage... he felt something now, he knew he felt it, but he didn't know what it was...

...alright... pretend... pretend he's yours. As a guide. Be Kuja. What did Kuja do...?

A gnarled, almost purple hand came from his side, reaching to Vivi's face... the mottled color continuing down his wrists, then splitting into strips down his forearm, looking as though it had been sown into black painted skin... he lay it gently on the mage's lips, feeling the warm air as he breathed, feeling the soft skin beneth his fingertips...

...just as a guide... he's not yours he's not... but he could've been...he still could be...

His let his hand move to his cheek, moving across it softly, feeling his back bend, his face getting closer to Vivi's, almost as if trying to get a closer look, nothing but trying to get a closer...

...he could've been... he still could... be...

Silk strands of hair between his fingers, crimson eyes staring into closed amber, almost as if he could see straight through them, or wishing he could, wishing...

"...Three..."

He stopped, his face so close to Vivi's, his lips barely touching the mage's as the unconsious word fell from his mouth, the injured figure almost whipsering it. His head turned, beautiful curlean hair now tickling the waltz's face. He had been... so close.

He felt suddenly like... a failure.

His lips shut. His eyes as well. He leaned back, resting his back agasint the cavern wall. A failure. Even in sleep, Vivi had rejected him... how would he react when he awoke? Clothed in Three's jacket, nestled in his arms, the waltz would've liked to belive he would be greatful, if only a little.

...grateful? Really? Is that all?

Slanted crimson eyes opened slightly, gasing into those of his former enemy. While he watched, Vivi's hand rose, clutching his jacket gingerly, weakly. Three almost let a small smile pass his lips... it was forgien, smiling without evil intent, without mavolent laughter... purple skinned, talon like hand met slender black skin, moving his fingers between his...

He didn't know what he was doing. His mind was numb. He kept starting... staring at Vivi's face like he couldn't turn away... before he knew it, before he could stop himself, he was speaking, his lips forming words in a soft tone he didn'tknow he had, and it sounded as virgin, as forgein as he felt.

"I'm sorry... just don't... leave."

Somthing welling up inside...he felt... innocent. And for a moment, he forgot the pain of his past, and he pushed aside visions of reoccuring murders, and he blocked scenes of violence. The clandistine words fell like raindrops from his mouth, washing away sins, washing away...

"...I never ment for any of this to happen. I didn't know... I didn't know you were so... I knew would've done it if I knew you were... like this..."

Numb. Just say it. Get it over with. The word slammed agasint his heart like an hammer on an anvil, shaking his chest to the very soul, and, finally, the strangled syllables escaped him.

"...beautiful..."

†

A/n: The next chapter'll be so much better. I swear.