chapters 27 and 28 will make four chapters that i've managed to post in 24 hours. a personal record for me. but the grabbed ahold of me just after i laid down for bed and wouldn't let go. so i had to get up and get it all written down before i lost it all. its 0405 as i'm posting these two chapters, and while i'm pretty bushed now, i am really proud of myself.

Chapter 27

When he came back to the cabin, Vincent was awake. The gunman was still laying in the bed, head propped on his good hand, watching Yuffie sleep.

"Did you know she talks in her sleep?" Vincent asked as he caught sight of the demon.

Chaos smiled weakly. "Yes. While we were searching, it was mostly about you."

"You want to talk now." It wasn't a question; Vincent could tell that Chaos' body language was all wrong to want to reminisce about Yuffie's sleeping habits.

"We need to." Chaos stepped back into the hallway.

Carefully, Vincent slid out of the bed. He looked over to the Galian Beast, who had taken up a guard position near the door. "Stay here and watch Yuffie."

"What is it?" Vincent asked as he joined the demon in the hall.

"I have a confession to make to you, Vincent."

The gunslinger was immediately disturbed by the serious implications of what was about to be said. Chaos had never called him by his first name unless it was serious. "All right."

"Hear me out until the end, Vincent. Please don't ask questions or say anything until I'm done. If you interrupt, I may never manage to finish."

Vincent nodded. "All right."

"It took a little time for me to do the math on the years, but a millennium ago, I was mated to a human woman named Ilrya. She was killed in a war while I was on the front lines. We had parted on angry terms; I didn't even say goodbye before I left. I went mad after her death.

"My rage and sorrow, running rampant and unchecked eventually marked my defeat at the hands of four young warriors who had set out to save the world I was destroying in my quest for vengeance. Their power didn't kill me, thought it should have. Instead it put me to sleep.

"I slept for nine hundred sixty years before Hojo woke and imprisoned me. I don't remember the process of being bonded to you very well; there was too much pain. But after the Shinra left the mansion, we both slept.

"When Cloud woke you the day you joined AVALANCHE, the first person I saw was Yuffie. My powers were still blocked from your use, but I could use your eyes and ears. When I saw Yuffie Kisaragi I thought I was looking at my beloved Ilrya again.

"I wanted to stay as far from her as I could, but you insisted on spending time with her when Cloud began putting you on watch together. I came to know her as you did, and I realized that while she looked exactly like my beloved--and shared some of her traits--she was not Ilrya. She was someone interesting and unique.

"I was happy for you when you realized that you had fallen in love with her. She was good for you—for both of us, really. The light our dark lives needed.

"When you were freezing to death in that cave, she was the only person I could think of who would be willing to believe my story and come to help you. So I brought her to the cave to save you. While we were searching for you, I realized that I was in love with her too."

Vincent waited for a moment after Chaos stopped speaking to be sure the demon was finished. "In all my life, no one has ever done something so selfless for me. Despite the fact that you love her, you brought her back to me. I'm sure you think I hate you, but nothing could be farther from the truth."

"You might want to rethink that position, Vincent." Chaos looked at the floor, unable to meet the gunslinger's eyes. "Because I think I'm in love with you too."

Vincent felt like Chaos had punched him in the stomach. "What?"

The demon didn't look up. "When I saw you out there, raising Death Penalty against the dragons, I felt for you exactly what I feel for Yuffie. I'm still feeling it, every time I look at you."

"But…That's…It's crazy. You can't be in love with me."

"Why not? Because you're male? Because it makes you uncomfortable? I wish it would be that simple. Don't think I don't know how wrong it is.

"That's why I'm leaving."


Yuffie was looking at the Galian Beast with a slightly perplexed expression when Vincent came back into the room. She lit up like the sun when she saw him.

"Vincent!" The ninja flew out of the bed and launched herself into his arms. "You're here! I thought I was just dreaming that I heard your voice."

Oblivious to his troubled mood, she pulled his head down and kissed him soundly. When they broke apart, she asked, "Does Chaos know?"

"Yes."

"Well, where is he? I thought he'd want to be here."

"Yuffie, Chaos is leaving us."

"What?" Yuffie wasn't quite sure she had heard right.

"He told me that he was in love with us. Both of us. And then he told me he was leaving because it was wrong." Vincent still wasn't sure how he felt about the demon's confession, but he did know that he didn't want him gone. "He just went on deck. I don't think I can stop him from leaving."

Pulling herself away from Vincent, Yuffie sprinted for the deck.


some of you may have caught my vague refrence to the origonal final fantasy in chaos' backstory. cookies for those of you who did. for those of you who didn't, chaos was the name of the final boss in FF1. no one has ever really made a big deal about it, but i caught the obvious refrence the first time i played FF7. its never really explained in-game whychaos istrying to destroy the world in the first one, so i played with it a little.