Ace closed his eyes as he slid down the tree. His breathing was beginning to feel irregular. Was this his reparation for all the wrongs he did – mercilessly killing people, hurting people, torturing them.

Enough was enough. It was enough living this kind of life. He was sick of it. It made him sick just thinking of living again because finally he could be "free" from his role. There was nothing holding him back. It was enough like this.

Rain began to pour down. The drops felt like bullets being fired at him, but it left a pleasant feeling behind after the hurt. It was different. This was something he'd never felt before.

He lifted his head. It hurt. But, his vision was also going. Was he dying? Was this how it felt to die? A painless death. He laughed. It was too much. He'd rather have a painful death than a painless one because it...

"AAAACE!"

...remind him of her. Of how he doesn't want to leave her alone.

"Ace! Ace!" She dropped down on her knees in front of the wounded man.

His face was turned to his right, but she could see clearly how his eyes were blank orbs of crimson and how blood trickled down his forehead, how his chest was also bleeding heavily from a stab wound. But, it didn't look like he was about to die. That, however, could just be wishful thinking.

"Ace. Ace. A-are you..."

Without even the slightest movement of his head, his eyes moved toward her. "Alice?"

Was it her voice he was hearing? Right before he died. Hearing her say his name over and over again in such a sad voice made him hurt even more. It was funny, he thought, that he could hurt the person he loved so much. He was really distorted.

She let her head rest on his chest, grabbing his bloodied clock. "Don't go. Don't leave me. I…I can't lose you. You can't die, Ace. You can't. Ace...answer me."

He lifted his head to look down at the girl who was sobbing into his chest. He placed his left hand on her head and smiled. It didn't seem to bother her at all that he was covered in his own blood.

"Don't die," she whimpered into his chest.

"I won't."

"You won't leave me?"

"No."

"You won't hate me?"

"For what?"

She looked up at him. "Do you love me?"

Without meaning to, he smiled. Her shaking, scared voice asking if he loved her and the look in her eyes, it was cute. She was so cute. He loved it all, everything about her. She would always be his Alice, even if she did change. "I do."

.

"I really don't know where to start!" screamed Julius. "I leave for a few hours and look at you two! I get a call saying your two are in bad states and look at what I find! Ace is half dead and Alice is a complete emotional wreak! I told you to take care of her, did I not?"

"You said not to leave her alone. She was with me the whole time!"

"I said that so she'd be okay, you moron! Do you realize how worried I was about her!"

"...Her? I'm the one that's hurt. Julius, don't you know how much I love you?"

"Shut up. Shut up right now." He glared at the man.

"Are you two arguing?" asked Alice, walking into the room.

"Alice! Julius is yelling at me, an injured person!" whined Ace.

"And I'm sure you deserve it." She looked over at Julius. "Is there something you want? Coffee? Food? Anything?"

His eyes widened, his face becoming red. "I..I can get it myself," he mumbled, walking off into Gowland's kitchen.

Alice sighed. She walked over to Ace and sat down to the left of him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

A few minutes after she had found Ace, Boris came running over with Peter and Gowland. Peter and Gowland took Ace, while Boris took Alice. While the two men were fighting over where to take them, Boris called Julius, who in a made rage, ordered him to bring them to him, saying that if Ace wasn't dead by then, he'd kill that man himself.

Ace's injuries ended up being minimal. He had to be bandaged on the chest and forehead and had to have a cast put over his broken right arm. The injuries, to Alice, weren't as bad as she had first thought when she seen the man. But, over all, she was just glad he was alive and well.

In the end, it didn't really matter how long she had to wait, what she had to go through, or how hurt she was. What really mattered was that she loved him. Even if in the future she changes, she knows, she'll always love him.

"That's the truth of the matter," she mumbled, fast asleep.

He looked down at the girl who fell asleep on him, a confused look on his face. "Alice, what are you dreaming about?"

-The End-