Retribution

Chapter Ten

I noticed Sephiroth leaning against my door as I came out of the bathroom, having cleaned up my face from the nosebleed that broke out on the way back from the beach. I was now wearing a pair of short shorts and a crop top as it was still quite hot.

"Calm down it was only because of the heat." I sighed, sitting on the bed, knowing it was a lie.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to try and lie to me? I know that that wasn't a simple cough before. And that you didn't cut your foot on a rock before. You really think I'd fall for that simple act?"

I flopped so I was laying on my back. "I was kind of hoping that you would."

"It may of worked on your brother and Genesis, but it won't work on me." He stated, coming and sitting next to me. "However, in your defence, you are quite a good liar."

"So what exactly do you want me to tell you?"

"The truth." He said clearly.

I glared at him. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't spill the truth to the other two?"

He met my gaze evenly. "You have my word I will not tell them. If I break my word you may kill me."

My glare softened and I stared at him for a moment before sighing. "It's one of the... More serious side effects of my sickness." For some unclear reason, I felt like I could trust him with my secrets, and with my life.

"What is?"

"Internal bleeding. The blood leaks into my lungs, and I cough it up. It's one of the symptoms that I haven't told anyone else."

"Does the bleeding stop?"

"Yes. But it always starts again, and soon, it'll get worse. Instead of just coughing up blood, I'll be throwing it up in bucketfuls."

"How do you know this?" His eyes were wide.

"There's this one doctor that I found. She.... She was the one who discovered the illness. Her daughter had it. And she was the one who named it."

"I thought it didn't have a name." He said, his brow furrowing

"It does. It's called the Runi disease, named after the doctors daughter. Anyway, so as I was saying, her daughter had it, and was the first ever diagnosed with it, so her mother didn't know the symptoms or what the hell to give her. So the daughter got worse and worse. She showed the symptoms I have now a few months before she died." I went quiet at the end, debating on how long I had left. How many people would be affected by my death? Did I help enough people that I'd go to heaven?

"A few months?" He was asking a lot of questions, not that I minded.

"I'll last a lot longer than that, trust me. When I first went to the doctor, she immediately knew my symptoms, and had already experimented with medicine. However, when she told me what I had, she also told me I had precisely 1 year to live. That was 10 years ago. I got the news a week before I got my application response back from Shinra."

"And you have told nobody else this?"

I laughed, although it held no humour. "Do you really think that if I told Shinra this, that he'd let me go on going as a 1st Class Soldier? Or do you think that he would send me to toddle off home to help my mother around the house? I love my mother with all of my soul, but could you imagine me being cooped up in a house all day? In the short time you've known me, since when do I ever stay still if there's a dangerous, potentially deadly, mission?"

He laid down next to me with his arms on his stomach, which was still bare, his elbows just grazing my ribs every time he breathed out. "You do have a point."

I smirked.

"But..."

I rolled my eyes. "There are no buts. If I die, I die. Simple as that. Don't you remember what I said you a while ago?"

He chuckled. "I do."

"Then don't make me repeat it."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna keep on doing what I'm doing." I replied with a small smile on my face. He was silent, so I stole a glance at him. His brow was furrowed in thought. "You're wondering why." I chuckled. "I suppose I can understand that. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing because I love my job. I love helping people. I love the speed and grace of a battle. I love having the knowledge, that even though my life is going to be shortened, I've done as much as I possibly can for peace. It's my dream, after all." I said the last bit softly.

"You're quite different from anyone else I have met, Aimee." Sephiroth observed. "You're so very calm even though you know your death could be just around the corner."

Shrugging, I replied "I try. I need to start taking my meds again. Just pull it out a little longer, you know? I've still got some things I want done before I go. With my brother especially. Angeal and I have many things to discuss."

"And what about Genesis?"

His name brought a shock to my system. Lately, like outside, I felt as if we could have been better just staying as friends. It occurred to me that I didn't know how to converse with him. I wasn't used to him being like this. "Genesis.... I don't know how to speak to him anymore." I realised with a sigh.

Sephiroth raised himself up on one elbow so he was leaning half over me and stared straight into my eyes. "Oh? Why not?"

"It was just easier talking to him as a friend, in a non romantic type of way. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still really like him, but we don't really...." I stared into his eyes and just got lost. How was it possible that such eyes existed? He was so close that the tips of his fringe were brushing against my forehead, and I was very very aware of how close he was becoming.

"Fit." He finished. "You don't really fit." I watched his mouth as it formed the words and noticed that his lips were shaped delicately, almost like a girls.

"No." I agreed after a moment of silence.

"So you're not in love with him." He said softly, so softly I almost didn't catch it.

I pretended I didn't. I knew that if I made any signal that I did he'd close up and leave. Right now though, I really needed someone to talk to. "So what do you think I should do?"

"Angeal should know..eventually. But the news would shock him too heavily now." He backed away slowly, I missed the close proximity and heat immediately. Even though I knew I shouldn't. "It is up to you what to do about Genesis." With that, he left the room.

Just as he reached the door, I called softly "Thanks Sephiroth. For everything."

He closed the door quietly behind him.

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SEPHIROTH AND AIMEE MOMENT! ONE WHOLE CHAPTER!

I hope that this chapter explained Aimee's sickness a bit more, and just how serious it really is.

I will be updating very soon! :) sorry for the long wait guys, but I'm now officially on holidays for a nice long 2 months!!