Clive was so close to fully reviving Joshua. It almost succeeded, and would have if only he had the power of all the Eikons. Or so Joshua himself claims, Clive being the only one who can see and hear his spirit. There might still be time, though, if they can somehow find Leviathan before the Eikons have fully faded from the world. And so Clive sets off with the ghost of his brother, and an injured but still living Dion, on a new adventure.

As final sights went, he could have done a lot worse than the sea of stars sprawling overhead, than Metia's gentle glow in its steadfast spot beside the moon. He smiled slightly, able to ignore the curse's pain as he thought of those he was leaving behind, and of those he had lost and would soon be joining. His eyes closed and he waited for death to claim him, knowing he was dying on his terms.

But death did not come for him that night; the stars seemed to have other plans for him. When he awoke, he was bathed in warmth, the first real sunlight he had felt in months. He might have thought he truly was dead, were it not for the increasing pain radiating from his petrified arm, damp sand clinging to his skin, the feel of a soft breeze, and the memory of a voice calling his name; the likely source of his awakening. He winced at another bolt of pain, unable to stop himself from thinking how so many that he cared about had suffered far worse than this. Perhaps he really wasn't dying after all…

"Are you awake?"

The voice again. And it almost sounded like him. Clive almost growled that his brain was doing this to him. He tried to roll away, but quickly ceased his movement with another grimace at the burst of pain. Wrong side.

"Don't do that. Please get up. Oh, you cannot hear me…"

"Leave me alone," Clive managed to croak, and was irrationally pleased by the shocked silence. He covered his eyes with his good arm, blocking the light, hoping that if death wasn't coming for him, at least sleep could return. He felt so unbelievably weary, and sore all over, and in increasing pain. He waited for the sound of his intruder leaving, or moving at all, but could not even feel anybody's presence. Maybe he really had imagined the whole thing.

"Wait. Can you hear me?" The voice tentatively returned.

"Please just leave me alone," he said again, determined to sound forceful and not begging.

"You can hear me! Thank the Founder!" He sounded so much like him, even now that Clive was fairly certain he was fully conscious and aware. "I will not leave. Please, you must get up, let me help you." A long pause, and then, "At least look at me."

Clive removed his arm and finally cracked his eyes open to glare at his tormentor, waiting as his blurred vision swam back into focus. He opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was instantly forgotten. His breath caught, almost choking him.

It was him.

"Wh-what?" He reached out with his good arm, but couldn't quite reach. "No, I… you… how?" Tears again stung his eyes as he looked up into that beloved face. His mind took him back to that moment on Origin, filled with sudden hope that Ultima's power would be enough, that this would work, that he could achieve what even the Phoenix could not. And then the crushing, overwhelming despair when it did not work, when his body remained lifeless on the floor. "Did… did I… Is this because of me?"

"I think so." Joshua smiled, and Clive would happily bear any pain he suffered as a result, just to see that. He had done it. He had lost and regained his brother twice, and perhaps now that he had restored him to life, he had finally, truly atoned for almost taking it the first time. "Now please get up, brother. I can help you."

With renewed desire to live, Clive rolled over onto his knees, grunting at the flaring pain. "A little help?" He waited for familiar gloved hands to haul him upright, but after a long stretch of silence, he glanced over at his miserable-looking brother. Clive blinked against his still-foggy vision.

"I am sorry. You are on your own for now."

"Don't apologize," Clive said quickly, feeling a stab of guilt. He got his feet under him and managed to push himself upright. "I shouldn't have asked." He wobbled a little, but was able to remain on his feet, and smiled at his brother, thrilled when it was returned. He took a step closer, reaching out again, but Joshua backed away.

"Let us hurry, before you get any worse."

"Oh." He looked down at his arm with a frown. Was it spreading? It certainly looked worse. "You said you can help?"

"It is the curse, brother." Joshua leaned forward slightly, still smiling despite the worry in his eyes. "If only you knew somebody who had plenty of medicine on hand to treat the pain of the curse."

"Oh. Right." It was hard to think in general, Clive was feeling so overwhelmed. "Of course. Did you lose it when you fell?"

"Do you remember that you helped make some of that medicine?" Joshua asked, ignoring his question. He started walking forward through the sand, and Clive carefully followed. "You even aided Jote in collecting ingredients for improved tonics."

"I remember." Clive stopped abruptly, and Joshua looked back in alarm. "But no. I can't take any. You need that."

"Not anymore." And with that, he once again turned and strode forward, toward wherever his hopefully sturdy vials had fallen.

Clive hurried after him, grateful that at least his feet remained unaffected. And there was another pleasant shock. Had he truly healed his brother? Not just restored him to life, but repaired all of his ailments that had plagued him throughout his life? That would be worth Clive's life. But if they could both be saved, he would eagerly embrace the chance to finally have a life, a normal life for both of them. They had both grieved and suffered far too much.

The pain in his arm increased steadily, but he refused to slow down, cradling it with his other arm. Joshua occasionally threw worried looks in his direction, slowing down, even once reaching for his brother before quickly withdrawing his arm as if remembering.

Clive should have had a million things to say, but he was still struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened. So he simply followed that familiar slender form, watching him with still-unfocused eyes, comforted in the knowledge that there would be plenty of time for words later.

Joshua came to a stop, but did not turn around, simply pointing to the ground before them. "There," he said, his voice so soft it was a strain to hear. "But please, promise you will not panic. Don't be upset. We can fix this."

"What?" Clive approached him with a frown, a ball of ice forming in the pit of his stomach. "What is it?"

"It will be all right," Joshua continued to assure him. Not assured at all, Clive looked down, and froze. He could do nothing but stare down at the body – at Joshua's body – lying so still in the sand. He slowly turned, unable to comprehend, to the one that had led him there. And abruptly, he realized that there had never been anything wrong with his vision at all. He could clearly see the sand and waves through him. Clive reached out, and this time Joshua did not back away, letting his brother wave his hand through him as if he were made of mist.

"You are dead, then," he breathed. And at the spirit's single nod, something broke inside Clive. It was like it was happening all over again. He dropped to his knees, not even feeling the pain, reaching one-handed for his brother's body and pulling it – him – close with an anguished cry. "Why?"

"I am sorry. I did not want to upset you."

"Upset me? Upset me?" He hunched over the still form, touching his cheek to the warm (Warm?) skin. "You lied!"

"I did not lie."

"You said I succeeded! That I revived you!" His heart twisted as he remembered the brief hope he had felt. Again. Dashed cruelly away, again.

"I did not," he said sadly. "I apologize if I deceived you, but I did not lie. You asked only if you had done this. And I agreed with you, because I believe you did. I am here, like this, because of your spell."

"You said…" Clive sat up, angrily wiped his tears away. "You said you could fix this…"

The spirit knelt down beside him, reaching out as if caressing his cheek, though of course he felt nothing. "And I think we can. But please, first, find the medicine."

Clive just nodded, taking a deep breath before reaching in to where he knew the vials were stored, grabbing them as quickly as he could. He held them out, and the spirit pointed to one.

"Start there. We can try a stronger one if it doesn't work."

"Right." Clive eyed its contents with suspicion, and took a sniff, wrinkling his nose.

Joshua did not look impressed. "If I can do it, you can do it."

"Yes, you really were quite good about taking your medicine." It felt familiar and comfortable, the old teasing. Joshua must have felt the same, offering a pleased smile. Clive tilted the vial back and drank the liquid in one quick swallow, grimacing at the bitterness.

"Indeed," Joshua said. "And that's one of the better ones. Now just wait and see if the pain improves." He hesitated, watching Clive stare down at the limp body. "Brother? You can look at me." He scooted closer, which Clive absently noted was interesting, that he had to scoot and not float. "That is an empty ves— shell." He gestured toward himself. "This is my thoughts, feelings, memories, everything that makes me me."

"I would really prefer you be reunited with your empty shell," Clive said, finally tearing his eyes away from the body and turning to the spirit. He could see the mountains in the distance behind him.

"So would I. It will be dreadfully boring if you are the only one I can communicate with."

Clive rubbed gently at his damaged arm. He could have sworn the pain was already lessening. "How can I help? How do we fix this?"

Joshua rubbed his chin, and Clive had another absurd thought, wondering if he felt solid to himself. "Here is what I think. When I first woke up, for lack of a better phrase, I could feel the power of all of the Eikons, that you had used to revive me." His lips quirked. "Mostly revive me, that is. But there was also a feeling of emptiness. Something that should have been there, but wasn't." He leaned closer. It was so wrong, to be this close and not feel his breath, or his warmth. "There was one thing missing."

Clive's eyes widened as he saw where this was heading. "You're not talking about…"

"Leviathan!" Joshua had the same excited look he would have as a child, solving a puzzle or riddle in one of his books. Clive felt another powerful surge of warmth mixed with grief. "You needed all of the Eikons to use Ultima's power. He was even included on the completed mural that I found."

Clive slowly shook his head. "A Dominant of Water has not been born for centuries."

"I know. But maybe there is another way to receive his blessing."

Clive felt what little shred of hope remained crumble. "But where would we even begin to look?"

"Where else?" Joshua gestured around them, at the beach, at the bleak mountains. "We landed in southern Ash, after all. It is nothing but deadlands to the south. It should not be too far to where Drake's Horn used to be."

Clive groaned. "It's been gone for five hundred years…" He held his good hand up in frustration, watching as only the barest of sparks struggled into existence. He felt nothing from the curse. "What can I even do anymore?"

"Our connection to our Eikons may be fading, but the Eikons themselves remain. Though they, too, are fading." His excitement also faded, leaving behind grim determination. "So we will need to hurry. I know it has been a long time, but that is our best place to start."

"Then we will start there. There is no way I can lose you again. I…" He frowned. "What will even happen to you if we fail?" Because Joshua's solution was an impossibility. "Will you fade away?"

"And be at peace? Maybe." He pretended to tap his fist against Clive's shoulder. "Or maybe you will be stuck with me like this forever."

Clive managed a small smile. He held his bad arm up again, giving it an experimental flex, and winced at the mercifully muted throb of pain. "Better, at least. Wait." He frowned at his brother. "You said I was the only one you can communicate with. How do you know?"

And Joshua suddenly smiled back, a broad grin that eased the grief a little bit more. Clive would do anything to see that smile. "Dion is nearby!"

That was not what Clive was expecting to hear. He gaped at his beaming brother. "Dion? Here? Alive?"

"Yes! Injured, but alive. He awoke a few times throughout the night, but did not react at all to my presence." Joshua got to his feet, still looking thrilled. "Come! Once you think you are ready, let us go to him."

Hello and thank you for reading! My first fanfic in nearly a decade! I am so rusty. It has been a very long time since anything has grabbed me the way this game has. I love these characters so much and wanted to do something with them! I figure Leviathan is probably not a safe storyline, given the likelihood of DLC expanding on him and rendering this whole thing pointless. But that is a future me problem.