A/N: Sorry for the slightly late update.

In brief reply to Guestmon: You are correct that the two major genres are Angst and Friendship. Despite that, however, rest assured that there is good reason for the last scene's inclusion. This story will not, for example, deteriorate into a teen romance drama. If you still have doubts about why the scene was necessary after the next few chapters, feel free to inquire further.

That said, please enjoy the chapter and consider adding a review. Remember that you can add reviews even as a guest, and it takes only a few seconds.

"Hyaaaah!"

Lloyd twisted through a complicated set of attacks, evading and striking at imaginary enemies. He finished with a precise cross strike, carefully timing two diagonal slashes from each sword as he landed, and paused, dropping the sword in his right hand to wipe sweat from his brow.

Why wasn't it working? Usually, training with his sword was enough to get anything off his mind. But now, that image wouldn't leave - Colette in Rai's arms, crying, in pain - and he hadn't even realized -

Furious, he snatched his sword back up and rolled straight into the next form. "Demon Fang! Tiger Blade! Sword Rain!" He focused on the speed of his movements, transitioning from slash to leap to thrust faster than any novice would be able to. He wasn't actively drawing on his exsphere's power, but he knew it still lent him strength, allowing him to make inhumanly high leaps and impossibly fast twists.

"Lloyd."

He turned, surprised, to see Kratos. The man was leaning against a tree, watching him. How long had he been there? It took Lloyd a few moments to catch his breath before he responded. "Yeah?"

Kratos walked toward him, arms crossed and surveying him through narrowed eyes. "Have you been making use of that manual I gave you on basic sword techniques? You have power and speed, but your movements are all over the place. It might be good enough to take out some low-ranking foot-soldiers, but you won't hold up long against a truly skilled opponent."

Lloyd's grip on his sword hilts tightened painfully. He didn't need this right now. He wasn't training so that he could be criticized on what he was doing wrong by this bastard who was always perfect in everything he did. He just wanted to tire himself out so much that he couldn't think, couldn't question Colette's trust in him, couldn't question Rai's motives, could question why she'd gone to him, trusted him over Lloyd...

At some point Kratos had approached close enough to peer into his face, and the man looked a little taken aback. "What's wrong?"

He realized his face was wet and wiped it angrily with his sleeve, turning away from Kratos. "Can you...can you leave me alone for now?" he managed, and was proud that his voice shook only a little. "I have some things to think about."

Instead of the condescending comment he had been expecting, there was only silence. After a few moments he turned his head and realized that Kratos was gone. For once, the man had actually listened to his request. He wasn't sure how to feel about it.

Abruptly, he collapsed to his knees, breath coming in heavy gasps. He must have exerted himself more than he'd thought; his vision was a bit blurry and his heart was beating so fast it felt painfully constricting. Heaving, he let himself fall onto the forest floor, closing his eyes and breathing in the familiar, earthy scent as his breathing slowed. The only sound was the gentle blow of the wind and the pit-pat of tiny feet somewhere in the leaves; he could almost imagine that he was in this same clearing years ago, as a younger boy, exhausted from playing with his wooden swords.

Immersed in his surroundings as he was, he heard it immediately when somebody else started to make their way toward him, their quiet steps rustling in the grass. He said nothing, letting them approach. After a moment the person settled down next to him, and for a long time there was silence again, so much so that Lloyd almost believed he'd imagined there being someone else here.

Finally, he pushed himself up and looked. It was Rai, staring at him with indecipherable jade eyes. "Want to spar?"

Lloyd stared at him. "What? But you don't use a sword..."

"Do you mind if I borrow one of yours? Don't worry, I'm not as bad with it as you might think."

Lloyd shrugged and easily tossed him one of the blades, letting it arc through the air before he remembered that the half-elf might not be as used to sword-juggling as Lloyd was. Surprisingly, though, Rai caught it deftly by the hilt and took an odd-looking fighting stance, crouched low to the ground. The look in his eyes was suddenly different - relaxed, alert, and catlike. Lloyd was reminded of that time in the Martel temple, when Rai had surprised them all with that move against the spider.

Quickly, Lloyd dashed forward, opening with a forward slash.

To his surprise, Rai actually blocked it. It was obvious he wasn't used to training his muscles this way, and he wasn't overly fast, but his form was pretty impressive. Lloyd, on the other hand, was trying to adjust to the unusual feeling of fighting with only one sword. At some point Rai actually got in some hits on Lloyd's unguarded side with the flat of his blade. Where Lloyd was fast and full of movement, Rai seemed to be trying to move as little as possible while still blocking and attacking, trying to use Lloyd's momentum against him. Despite himself, Lloyd was impressed. Since when had Rai known so much about physical combat?

Eventually they both collapsed into the cool grass, both sporting multiple bruises. For a while there was no sound except for their heavy breathing.

After some time, Lloyd opened his eyes. He hadn't felt the resentment he'd been expecting when he saw Rai earlier, and that fight had been surprisingly cathartic. Rai was now stretched out on his back in the grass, head pillowed on his arms and his eyes closed. It looked like he'd fallen asleep, since Lloyd had never seen this open expression on him when he was awake. His features were chiseled, strangely sculpted, and Lloyd couldn't help but be reminded that this boy wasn't human. How could he be? He looked like some kind of doll, with his clay-like paleness and his perfectly symmetrical face. In a way, it was a little creepy.

Lloyd realized he was staring and blinked, letting his gaze flit away from Rai's face. The half-elf was oddly still, the rise and fall of his chest almost invisible, and Lloyd couldn't help but feel surprised. Rai didn't seem like the type to show up and fall asleep next to someone else. He was the kind of person who didn't like to let his guard down.

He placed a hand on Rai's shoulder, meaning to wake him, and the half-elf's eyes flew open immediately. His green eyes were hazy as he blinked, adjusting to the light. Had he really been sleeping?

Rai didn't sit up, and after a moment Lloyd lay back as well. Presently the half-elf spoke.

"God, you took so long that I almost fell asleep. Why'd you exhaust yourself that much? It looked like you'd been training even before I showed up."

"You know why. What was up with that just now?" Inwardly, he was a bit surprised. It seemed like Rai was intending to keep to his promise to be more civil from now on. He was like an entirely different person this way.

Rai blew out a soft breath and closed his eyes again. "Are you talking about Colette?" He talked like he already knew the answer.

Just the mention of her name was enough to send Lloyd's heart rate back up again. He felt sick with self-guilt and jealousy. He'd always been good at pinpointing his own emotions, but knowing what he was feeling didn't make it any better. "What was wrong with her?" he managed, trying not to sound angry. Rai was being friendly enough, and his interaction with Colette could be totally explainable. There was no point jumping to conclusions...

Rai chuckled a little. "You're jealous." Before Lloyd could deny it, he continued, "It's okay, it's not like I blame you. The situation was a little misleading, I suppose."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd saw Rai turn his face towards him. "You aren't thinking we're romantically involved, are you? Don't worry, I wouldn't steal someone else's girl." His voice was slightly mocking, but the undertone was serious.

"She - she's not my girl. Colette doesn't belong to anyone but herself," he growled. And then - "Wait - you don't feel that way towards her, right?" He blushed a little. So much for being subtle. Rai laughed.

"No, Lloyd. Do you want me to tell you why she came to me, and why she acts happy whenever you're around? It's because she cares about you. She doesn't want to burden you."

Lloyd groaned and slapped his hand to his face. "God, I should have known. That sounds just like her...that idiot, how many times have I talked to her about this...?"

Rai was already continuing, almost as if he hadn't heard Lloyd speak.

"Anyway, she asked me not to tell you, but basically she has something that's bothering her and she doesn't want you to be involved because she thinks it'll hurt you. It's probably better for you to wait for her to bring it up to you herself. The best thing you can do for her right now is to let her know you're there for her as a friend, and do your best to keep her spirits high."

This might be the longest speech Lloyd had ever heard from this guy. He'd said it pretty fast, as if he was trying to get it over with.

Rai was probably right, but...this seemed really odd for him to say...or was it just that Lloyd wasn't used to him being friendly? He hadn't gotten the impression that Rai was the type to get involved in this kind of thing.

"Why are you being so helpful?" he asked, and then slapped a hand over his mouth. He had to stop just letting his thoughts slip out like that. Thankfully, Rai didn't seem to be offended. He just looked at Lloyd with an odd look in his eyes.

Then, so quietly that Lloyd wasn't sure he'd really heard -

"I'm sorry."

Lloyd was rooted to the spot, feeling utterly lost as Rai walked away.

"Akira."

He didn't answer. Instead, he shook with barely suppressed fury as he stared at the man across from him, black hair perfectly combed and white lab coat neatly pressed. How dare this man lie to him?

"Hayashi Akira-san!"

The pent-up emotions inside him finally exploded and his vision went black. As it cleared he realized he had moved forward at some point, his hand around the doctor's throat, pinning him against the wall. The man was choking now. "Akira...san...!"

Behind him the two nurses were tugging at his sleeve helplessly. One of them was sobbing; a third raced from the room. He realized with a jolt what he was doing and unclenched his hand, staggering back and collapsing shakily into a chair as the doctor slid down the wall, coughing and wheezing.

When he spoke, he hardly recognized his own voice. "I'm...sorry..." This doctor was his friend, one of his only reminders from Japan. A friend of his father's. He was supposed to trust him.

Dr. Yamamoto had managed to get back to his feet. The look in his eyes was wary, but he lifted a hand in a signal to the others in the room and they stayed back. "It's understandable," he said weakly, "but I'm afraid I must ask you to refrain from physical displays from now on, Akira."

"Can you...can you tell me again? I think I heard you wrong." His gaze was fixed on the other man again. The doctor looked a little wary.

"You have... a neurodegenerative disease," he said carefully. "As I said, the details are here - " he gestured to a stack of papers on the desk between them " - but you'll probably recognize the symptoms yourself. You're a medical student, right?"

Akira hardly remembered the next hour. He'd looked through the papers, realized that there was no way the doctor was lying. It was the same diagnosis he'd have given himself. At some point he must have excused himself from the room, but he had no idea what the doctor had said. Did it matter? He was destined to deteriorate in both physical and mental abilities. There was no cure. It would eventually kill him.

He found himself thinking, I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Did he want to die?

No. He clenched the sheath of papers in his hands so tightly that it crumpled in on itself, offering no resistance. Of course he didn't. Up until now, he'd thought death was the greatest fear of his life ...

Until he realized he was going to slowly lose his ability to reason and think. Slowly lose everything that made him human, until finally, he died. On the disease's terms.

Somehow he reached his home, and found himself in his room. The surroundings seemed surreal and his vision blurry, but when he rubbed at his eyes there was no sign of tears. His head was pounding as if somebody was standing over him with a sledgehammer. His cat wound itself between his legs, purring. He thrust it away.

The phone rang. Once, twice, three times. He tried to go get it out of habit and stumbled, falling to the floor. Pain shot through one leg. He didn't move. His cat nosed at his face, mewing loudly.

The doorbell rang then. He pushed himself up. Staggered to the door. Fumbled with the keys, dropped them three times. Finally he pushed it open and was met with the sight of a police officer. His blood ran cold. It was a testament to how ingrained his acting abilities were that he showed no visible facial reaction. He said nothing, unable to trust his voice.

"Mr. Hayashi?" The voice was smooth, American, butchering Akira's name. He didn't care. His hands trembled around the paper. Had they found out about...? No, there was no way. But...

Wait, why was he so afraid? Wasn't he dying anyway?

He felt the odd urge to laugh, but looking into the officer's face, he realized he hadn't answered and quashed it. "Yes, that's me. Sorry, I've just had some unsettling news..."

His voice sounded absolutely normal, if a little weary. Like someone else's.

Something changed in the other man's face. "You - you've already heard? But how?"

This obviously wasn't what he'd thought was going on, Akira thought wryly through another wave of pain. "...I'm sorry?"

The man averted his eyes. "Your...your parents. They were in a car crash early this morning. I'm afraid...they didn't make it."

What?

There was a flat, ringing sound. And a bunch of white noise, as if he were listening to a bad recording. What had he been doing again? There was another stab to his head, so painful that he was brought to his knees.

"Mr. Hayashi! Mr. Hayashi, are you okay?"

He retched, then vomited up the remains of his breakfast that morning. It seemed so long ago. Ironically, his first thought was, Damn, there goes my carpet...

Then he was laughing, laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes. Because this was all too ridiculous to actually be real. It must be a dream, or a divine prank. A joke? Was this meant to be a joke? Well, he was certainly laughing now. Joke's over!

Someone was leading him to a chair, pushing a glass at him. He shoved it away and heard the tinkle as it hit the floor. More things to clean up. Had he woken from the nightmare yet? Akira blinked hazily as his vision came back into focus and saw the sympathetic and slightly disturbed face of the officer. Who was still there.

Still real.

Akira screamed.

Rai jolted awake, his heart thrumming painfully in his chest and his whole body damp with sweat. His throat felt dry and painful and he realized there were tears leaking from his eyes.

That had been...a dream?

He knew this wasn't the first time he'd had a nightmare, but this was the first time he'd remembered it with any semblance of clarity. That had been...that had been...

Akira gave a maniacal laugh in his mind, and Rai's blood ran cold. A memory, it'd been a memory. Of his past life. Akira's memory.

He swallowed painfully and tried to ignore his past self's crazed ranting. If that was a taste of what his past life had been like, he didn't want to remember any more of it. Maybe there was a reason he'd been reincarnated into this life; maybe some deity somewhere had felt pity for him.

"...ai? Rai!"

Lloyd was sitting next to him, calling out his name. Rai felt a jolt of panic. Shit, shit shit...he'd forgotten he wasn't alone. He wasn't in his own bed at home - this was Dirk's house, and he'd been asleep on the floor in Lloyd's room. And Genis, Genis had been here - ! He turned quickly and felt weak with relief. His brother was miraculously still asleep, dreaming peacefully.

"What happened? You were screaming in your sleep." He felt a touch on his cheek and shoved it away immediately, staring back at Lloyd. The swordsman looked oddly worried. "You're crying..."

The panic was back now, threatening to engulf him. "Did I - say anything specific?" he managed finally. Lloyd looked at him for a long moment, an unreadable expression on his face.

Finally, just as Rai felt he might die from foreboding, Lloyd spoke.

"No. You just woke up screaming."

Why did he feel like Lloyd was lying to him? Did he have any reason to?

"What were you dreaming about?"

A surge of defensiveness. What was with the questioning? "I can't remember," he lied. "Just a normal nightmare, I guess. Sorry to wake you up." He lay back, closing his eyes and willing Lloyd to brush it off and go back to bed.

"You had a nightmare last night, too."

He didn't respond. Maybe if he just ignored Lloyd, the swordsman would go away. Did this have something to do with how Rai had apologized to him earlier? He knew that had been a bad idea. Some part of him had felt sorry for how he was keeping quiet about Lloyd's exsphere and what might happen to Iselia, and for how he'd been treating Lloyd for something that wasn't his fault. So much for that.

"Rai." The voice sounded frustrated. "Why won't you ever talk to anyone? It's obvious something's bothering you."

He didn't open his eyes. "I already told you I don't remember the dream. What more do you want?"

There was only an annoyed huff of breath from Lloyd. Then, "Don't think you've heard the last of this."

As Lloyd made his way back to his bed, Rai felt a rush of helplessness. Akira was still screaming discordantly, and everyone else seemed to want to make it as hard for Rai to act normal as possible.

What was he expected to do?