This is dedicated to my dearest friend Sarah B. She is probably the most amazing person, ever. She asked for a story with Cloud and Vincent, and since I have been reading Twilight, I decided to mix in my fair share of creatures of the night. There's some Akuroku and RikuSora for kicks and giggles. I enjoy this plot. It's easy to write. I think I have a thing for vampires...

...Irrevocable...

Impossible to be retracted or recalled; unable to be repealed or annulled; unchangeable; irreversible; unalterable; as an irrevocable fate...

I never thought he would be the one to die.

That same thought raced over and over in my head.

I was the one in SOLDIER. I was the one supposedly risking my life on a daily basis to better our government and protection. I was the one always gone away from home. It should have been me.

My hands gripped the wheel. I could barely see. Of course it would rain on the day of his funeral. That's how things play out.

Driving from the funeral home didn't take much time. The procession was a short one. Most of the people had just came to the calling hours.

I realized I was starting to swerve. My brother took the wheel. He half smiled at me. I did the same.

Standing there beside the rectangular plot where he would lie for the rest of eternity was about the hardest thing I had yet to do in my life. The priest went over his many accomplishments.

He was a famous scientist. He helped cure diseases.

He was my fiance.

The wind blew the rain horizontally. It smacked against my cheek. I didn't care. I didn't feel it anyway.

The man in black bowed his head. Time to give our final prayers. My eyes closed. They saw only him. His smile. His eyes. The way his black hair shown in the moonlight...

By the time I opened my eyes, people were dispersing. The priest lifted his hand from the black box and shook his head. It looked as if he mouthed the words "too soon" but it may have been wishful thinking.

I looked around. My brother, Sora, stood a few yards away talking to our cousin. A few other friends were turned away, looking at anything besides the bleak death box. My would-be in-laws were now approaching me. I hoped they would pass me by.

My eyes moved from the crowd to the casket. I didn't want to talk to them. I knew I would have to.

"Cloud hunny," a gray, middle-aged woman placed a hand on my shoulder, "he loved you very much."

I gave her a stiff nod and said nothing.

Neither did my "father-in-law." He just looked at me with those unaccepting eyes of his and stomped off.

The woman shook her head. "Pay no attention to him, dear. It's hard for him, too, you know."

"I know," I said.

"He --" her voice cracked. "was a good boy. He cared deeply about you."

I nodded. The response must have been good enough for her because she turned away from me and walk away.

No one else paid any attention to me. The rain started to pick up. The water hit my face, bringing down my spiked hair. The golden locks hid my eye rather well. I didn't feel like moving them. I continued my blank stare. No one could make me move.

The priest put a hand on my shoulder. Who knows how long he had been standing next to me.

"You should say your goodbyes," he said quietly. "The family's meeting at their restaurant in about 20 minutes. They'll want you there."

I nodded and walked toward the casket. My legs touched the cold box. I placed my right hand where his chest would be. I felt nothing but hard metal. The tears were silently falling from my eyes.

I could hear a car pulling up close to the site. Sora had probably driven the car to pick me up. There's no way I could drive like this.

I closed my eyes. My time was limited. This was it. The last time I would be close to his body.

My hand lingered on the black surface. My mouth opened. I knew what I had to say.

"I love you," my voice cracked. "Goodbye, Vincent."