Excalibur {Complete}

28

I woke up with a pounding headache and immediately wanted to go back to sleep. How is it that I always end up waking up like this? Why can't I wake up to something nice like lying in a warm bed with Tristan? I sighed and felt a cold hand against my skin. Turning, I looked over to the one who was touching me. I grinned a bit as I noticed Kilia was the one brushing my hair aside. She didn't smile at me though, only frowned heavily and I swallowed dryly.

"I... always seem to end up here, don't I? I'm sorry," I said softly.

A hand squeezed mine and I turned to my right side. Tristan was leaning against the bed, fear in his eyes as he gazed at me. Lifting my hand, he pressed his lips against the back of my palm heavily. I felt a strange twist in my chest, a burn in my eyes as I watched him. For the first time, I stared at Tristan as he cried.

"T-Tristan?"

He shook his head and refused to answer or say anything, instead Kilia did it for him, "We're worried, Valkyrie. Excalibur is... it's," she choked on her words a bit and I was stunned. My chest was tight as I looked between the two of them. At least she wasn't crying, but it was bad enough that Tristan was as he held my hand. I could feel his trembling through his hands and it only solidified my own fears and pains.

"It's destroying your body, Valkyrie. Every time you use it, it's eating you away, like acid. Breaking your body down bit by bit. I... I don't know," she shook her head a bit, "I don't know if I can stop it."

"S-serious... it's really..." I breathed the words, hardly forming them at all.

I turned to look at Tristan who had opened his eyes and was gazing at me through the tears that flooded them. The hazel color was darker than usual, the eyes reddened from crying. My chest fluttered, my breathing slower as I lay there. I was in shock, probably just as badly as Tristan was. I'm... dying? Excalibur is killing me... Oh, God. It took a moment, but I felt my eyes growing moist, and with a trembling breath the first set of tears ran down my face as I gazed at Tristan. He shook his head, eyebrows curling up slightly in a pained expression as he reached out and took my head in his fingers.

He bowed his head down against my good shoulder, his other hand intertwining the fingers with mine. I leaned into him, my face buried in his soft caramel locks as I cried with him. It was horrible, the feeling that spread through me. I didn't know what to do and I was even more disturbed by the fact that Kilia wasn't sure she could do anything for me. Reaching out with my other arm, I felt tight bandages across my chest and was reminded of the bullet wounds, given to me by none other than Ahmeil. My heart jumped in my throat and I pulled away from Tristan a little bit, anger now replacing my sorrow.

Kilia's hand moved and gently touched my shoulder, "Hey, don't move too much. You're lucky that Alik didn't hit anything vital, but you can't be reopening your wounds."

I paused, confusion flooding my body. Alik? No, no, no... No. It was Ahmeil. Ahmeil had shot me! Ahmeil shot me!! I turned to Kilia, eyes wide. Why had she said Alik? My heart pounded hard in my chest as I lay there, watching her as she turned away to roll over to her computer after patting my shoulder gently. Each breath was painful as it left my throat in short bursts of hyperventilation.

"A-Alik..." I breathed, confused at the situation.

"My apologies, I lost you and couldn't find you until after the fight," it was Ahmeil's voice and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Lying bitch! Lies! What the fuck are you on about! I almost screamed as I stared at her in disbelief. She was leaning against the wall and I hadn't noticed her until she spoke right then. My heart seized, tightening painfully in my chest. For a long while I just lay there, struggling to breathe and wrap my head around the fact that she had essentially lied to everyone. Tristan shifted against me, pulling his head up and kissing my cheek then my forehead.