Chapter nineteen! Hee, two chapters today.

Raine: Congratulations. -.-

Be ni-i-ice to me-e-e.

Raine: Why? That doesn't seem to go along with you humans' "Golden Rule."

So? I'm your author, and therefore I command respect.

Raine: Good luck with that if you treat all your characters as badly as this.

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"Raine? Answer me. Raine, answer me now."

The antidote to her deadly illness had been administered. She should have been cured. What was wrong? Why wasn't she awake, or at the very least not getting even worse? Her odd-patterned breathing was slowing audibly. Not calming, just..slowing. Becoming more ragged. It sounded as if her lungs were simply going through a shut-down sequence. He held her wrist in his hand, and the pulse was fading as he sat there, watching her. "Please..."

It had been an hour since she had been injected with the counter agent. Why was she getting worse? What had he done? What had he done? He didn't move as the door opened, didn't move as he heard the others enter. "Is she oka--" Genis started, but didn't finish. They were all staring at him now.

"Regal?" prodded Sheena.

"Raine...she..."

"Regal, what's wrong? Did you give her the cure?" Sheena sounded a bit alarmed now.

"Yes."

"And?"

His mouth was dry. His throat was parched. His heart was going a mile a minute, and he felt as though he was getting less oxygen than Raine herself. "She's dying," he managed, after a failed attempt. "It didn't...work...She's dying."

"No!" gasped Colette, as every one of them gave a start at his words. How could it have happened? Sybak had said it was the cure, hadn't they? How could she have been injected with the counter agent, and still be at death's door?

He wouldn't have believed it had he not seen it for himself. But here he was, now holding her feverish hand tightly in his own, trembling one. Regal did, somewhere in his subconcious, both acknowledge and appreciate the fact that everyone was retreating from the room. Everyone, that is, except Genis. The boy had every right to be in the room at so critical a time.

"Raine," murmerred the boy, sounding somewhat light-headed. His voice seemed to be failing him, too, as he approached weakly. While the Duke was on one knee at her side, Genis was too small to do such, and simply stood over her, staring down at her face, flushed scarlet with fever. Her parted lips. The shallow rise and fall of her chest in labored breaths. This scene, he knew, was a hard one for the woman's brother to accept. He knew, because he felt the same.

The only, only thing any of them could hope for to save her now, was nothing short of a miracle. She seemed so close to the end of her life. And yet...she was not awake to at least speak to them. Granted, it would not have compensated for the fact that after this night - or very early morning, as it was around three o'clock in the morning now - Raine would be gone forever. But at the very least...he could tell her that he loved her. Her tame smile would shine just once more. Genis would get the final moments with his sister. But she wasn't concious, and it didn't much look like that would change any time soon.

His throat ached with unshed tears - she couldn't die. He could see Genis out of the corner of his eye, and knew the half-elf's entie body was shaking in...something. Horror. Grief. Fear. Anger...Perhaps a mix of them all. Neither of them wanted to lose her. None of them wanted to lose her. She was...family, even to those not biologically - or maritally - related. She couldn't die.

"Raine...sis," choked Genis, his voice thick as if he were crying. But his face was dry even as he slid to his knees beside the low bed, eyes still wide in horror as he watched her. "I don't believe it."

Regal remained silent, letting the boy have his time to talk it out, to grieve. "You can't go! Raine, I...You can't...go..." The mage fell into a grief-stricken silence, simply staring at the carpeted floor.

Confident the other would say no more, Regal waited a respectful minute, before starting into his own farewells. That word...it sounded so harsh, so hollow. Regal gathered her upper body into his arms, putting their foreheads together as his own body shuddered in a dry little sob, and he closed his eyes. "Raine. I'm sorry," he said, his voice just above the softest of whispers. "I'm so sorry."

He had let her down again. Again. And he didn't even know how it had happened, this time. Her forehead was hot against his, her fever was burning strong. Why did it always happen to her? Why couldn't she be allowed to live normally? Now, she wasn't even allowed to live, period. He switched to laying his forehead against her cheek, eyes still closed.

It didn't matter that Genis was there. This was the last time he would ever get to tell her, and he certainly wasn't ashamed of what he was about to say. "I...Raine...I love you," he said, continuing to hold her through several more minutes.

Regal could hear her breath getting quieter, weaker...Until finally, he didn't hear it at all. The tears that had lurked behind his blue eyes thus far forced themselves to the surface. She was gone...Raine was gone forever. He knew his sudden display of grief had alerted Genis to what had happened, as the latter gave a strangled, "No!"

Still he held her, for another moment or so, not wanting to let go. If he let go, it would all truely end. But the others...had to be told. Sloly, reluctantly, he gradually loosened his hold. His eyes were still closed, but he felt something strange before the solid body had completely left his grasp. Within his chest, the man's heart gave a leap.

He felt...arms loosely folded around the back of his neck. A woman's soft hold. Upon opening his eyes slowly, he found that they met dulled, violet-blue ones, and he gaped for a moment. Just a moment, before rather forcefully renewing his grasp, holding her as close as he could. She was alive... "Raine," he laughed through the tears threatening to spill over again, hand on the back of her head as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"...Welcome back...Raine. Welcome back."

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A very touching scene, wouldn't you say?

Raine: -Lets out held breath-

You didn't actually think I'd kill you...

Raine: ... ...

Yeah, I didn't think so. Oh, well. It's not over yet.