--- I ---

"Cancer?" Vincent repeated his lover's words dumbly, crimson eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yeah. Both lungs." Cid coughed as he said so, catching trails of thick red with his palm. Grimacing at the blood, he wiped the rest of the stain around his mouth with back of his hand. "...Doc said I got six months at the longest."

The brunette vampire felt the world crumble around him. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. He was never much of a speaker, anyway; at the time like this, he couldn't think of what to say. Silently, Vincent regarded Cid with hopeless eyes.

"Hey, it's not like I'm gonna drop dead tomorrow." Cleaning his hands with tissue, the blonde attempted a cheery tone. "I just thought that you should know. Relax, we still got a long time."

"......" Vincent couldn't stand to watch his lover's fake brightness. He saw tears rimming Cid's sky-blue eyes; after reaching out halfway to wipe the moisture away, he instead kissed the salty droplets off. Soft sob broke out. Whose was it?

"...I don't want to die from a fucking disease."

Large hands clutched at Vincent's back. The black-haired man let the other weep against his chest, drawing the stocky, muscular frame into a gentle embrace. Vincent knew well why Cid cried. It wasn't from fear of dying. No, not fear. Cid Highwind was too strong a man to be afraid of death. It was, rather, that strength which made him cry. Death in battle, death from aging, either one was appropriate for Cid, but not illness. It had been completely unexpected.

Wetness slid down Vincent's cheeks, and he gave in to his own tears. He hadn't cried in decades, not since when Hojo had mutated him. He had long lost most of human emotions; what was left was spent only upon his friends and mainly Cid. The second love of his life was about to slip away from him, and it made him feel helpless. How he wished that he could share his cursed eternity with his beloved.

"Cid..."

***********

Vincent Valentine woke up to the sound of soft mewling. Small fangs nibbled at his clawed hand; sitting up, he saw a trio of flame-red pups chewing on the metal fingers. Somehow, the young wolf-lions had found their ways up to his bedroom.

"Don't eat me yet, children." Showing the expression closest to a smile that he could manage, the man drew away his victimized appendage.

"Good morning, Vinnie." Rita, the female pup, crawled atop Vincent's lap and climbed up the front of his shirt to lick his cheek.

"Father sent us to wake you up. It's past noon." Watari explained, wagging his burning tail.

"You sleep too much, Vinnie." Giggling, Matori nuzzled against Vincent's chest, trying to follow his sister up the shirt.

"Noon?" Raising an eyebrow, Vincent looked at the window. The sun's light shining through told him that the pups were right. He had overslept, a lot. "I see. Go back to Nanaki, pups. I'll be down shortly." Peeling off the cat-sized beasts from himself, Vincent slid out of the bed.

"...Vinnie, you had a nightmare?" Rita asked worriedly before stepping out of the room. She had tasted salt on the man's cheek.

"No. I'm fine, Rita." Seeing the girl-wolf off with gentle words, Vincent closed the door securely and wiped at his eyes. Yes, there were tears. He was amazed that he could still cry over an event from a century ago. He had cried last night, too, dreaming of the same incident. It was becoming a recurring habit. Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the image of a gruff blond pilot.

"...Cid Highwind." Whispering the name of his long-lost lover, Vincent pushed back his longish black locks. The silken strands were growing again; he had to cut them off. Long hair brought back memories of how Cid used to ran his fingers through it. Memories were only painful.

***********

Nanaki greeted his long-time friend. The wolf-lion was sitting next to the wooden chessboard, surrounded by his cubs and accompanied to the side by his comely mate, Areta. Seeing Vincent, Areta gently urged her children to follow her out of the room.

"Good afternoon, Vincent." The flame-hue beast said once the two of them were alone. "I hope that the pups didn't bug you too much."

"Not at all. They are delightful." Vincent took a seat across from his ex-comrade. He glanced at the board which has been untouched since last night. "Where were we now?"

"Actually..." Nanaki waved one flame-lit tail in dismissal of the game. "There is a matter of importance that I wanted to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"One of the villagers has informed me that tribe of monsters have nested near Cosmo Canyon. They are the winged humanoid types, high-class monsters posing possible threat to the population of the Canyon."

"...I see. It calls for the extermination of vermin." Vincent narrowed his red gaze.

"Yes. Since the monsters can fly and are in a large pack, I need your help."

"Anytime, Nanaki. When do we leave?"

"Preferably today, right now. It might be too late once the second generations are born."

Nodding silently, the black-haired vampire excused himself to go get ready. Battling against the monsters seemed like a good idea at times like this; he might be able to forget the depressive memories of unreplaceable love.

***********

The monsters were new Mako mutations, never seen before around the area. Vincent regarded his enemies coolly, speculating what type of magic would inflict most damage, and decided upon Tornado. Vicious cyclone of razor-air ripped apart many of the winged demons, allowing enough time for Nanaki to summon Bahamut Zero. Before long, the monsters were dead and the eggs were cracked.

"Is this all?"

"Seems so."

Vincent walked over to the broken heap which used to be the monsters' nest. Pearl-white eggs inside were shattered to pieces, killing the chicks inside. He took notice of one that was still intact; it was quivering from side to side, large cracks appearing in the shell.

It's hatching. Without hesitation, the vampire loaded the Death Penalty with new ammunition and aimed it at the egg.

The shell split in two, revealing a gooey bundle of light-tan skin and golden feathers. Vincent's finger stopped to pressure the trigger at the familiar coloring. The newborn shook its small blond head vigorously to throw off the pieces of white upon it.

Ironic coincidence for a monster to have the same complexion as Cid. Vincent stepped closer to the small avian and pressed the nuzzle to its forehead. The monster took notice of the cold metal feeling, and looked up with a whimper.

A pair of vivid azure eyes stared at Vincent. Blue that was lost to him a century ago. Vincent let go of the Death Penalty, and listened to its dull thud upon hitting the ground, frozen where he stood. Gold, light brown, and the unforgettable hue of the midday sky.