World Refugees Final Mix

Josiah felt Namine's hands on his shoulders, but it was as if she was too far away - her voice and her question took sluggish moments connect in his mind. His thoughts were getting less and less coherent, and the exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and only got a wave of dizziness and nausea for his efforts. He blinked wearily at the blonde girl, and tried to remember what the hell had happened. Calum's emotions had made the spell the pirate usually put on him not as effective as it usually was...

...he vaguely remembered talking - there had been lots of it, and then... anger. He couldn't remember why but Calum's cold fury had erupted suddenly. Then... something sweet-smelling, cloying, so much so that even the memory of it made his breath catch in this throat. He had only known her to use it once before - in that final battle against Xemnas.

Poison. Before Calum had murmured the spell that would encase the athame in poisonous magic, Lilith had attacked first.

A part of him was intensely concerned over the affects the poison was having on his body, but a more powerful part just wanted to sleep.

"Lover's spat," he finally managed to say, pushing Namine's hands off his shoulders. "I can't stay here. It's too dangerous."

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Things were worse than she thought. Naminé grabbed hold of Josiah's hand to keep him there, while she asked Aerith, "Should I take him?"

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Aerith administered another quick Cura before turning to Josiah and repeating the procedure. Lilith appeared to be stabilizing, but he seemed to be having his own problems. She shook her head in reply to Namine, casting another Cure for him.

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Damnit, he couldn't stay. Didn't they see that? First Amy, now Lilith... if Namine and Aerith got hurt too because he had been there and hadn't been able to control the pirate...

He pulled back from Namine, shaking his head, fighting back the vertigo that insisted on staying despite the cure magic. "I have to go. If he comes back..." He trailed off wearily. Damn it all.

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"Josiah," she said calmly, turning her attention back to Lilith, "you shouldn't be going anywhere right now. And if you try, I will put you to sleep and make you stay."

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Naminé gently put pressure on Josiah's shoulders, willing him to acquiesce and sit down. She knew if Calum surfaced, or if Josiah fought back, she would not win.

"Josiah, please sit down. Aerith can help you in a moment, just hold on!" She tried to sound more reassuring than scared, but it came out the other way around.

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He caught the look on Namine's face and the gentle warning tone in Aerith's voice and hesitated. By being there, he was putting them in danger, but...

He sank into one of the chairs, exhaustion making him slump. He didn't want to fight anyone physically, but if Calum tried to resurface, he would make him have to fight for it, poison or no.

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"Good," she murmured. Another Curaga, and the wound finally closed. Aerith sighed in relief and rose, casting Cura on him. She couldn't say she knew for sure what was wrong with him, but it was obvious that he had his own problems, and she didn't want to lose him, either.

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He closed his eyes and fought off sleep. Dammit, he was tired. Tired of fighting someone who knew their way around the grimoire more than he did, and tired of other people getting hurt because of that person. He wish he knew a way around the spells that Calum kept casting, a way to keep everyone else safe...

He sighed wearily, not really noticing Namine or Aerith anymore. There had to be a way around it. He knew that much - just... finding it and actually being able to have the strength to pull off such a spell... the thought of it made him want to sleep for a very, very long time.

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Naminé let out a soft sigh. While she was happy that she had a heart...

"I can't help anyone this way," she murmured.

Right now, all she wanted to do was jump into Josiah's heart and beat this Calum to a pulp. She would need Yen Sid's help; she wasn't strong enough to do it on her own. But with a heart, her memory powers had faded. It was done. She couldn't help anyone like she'd helped Cheryle.

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Aerith glanced at Namine in surprise before turning back to Josiah with a smile. She watched him, studying his movements. They were getting more and more lethargic, but for now, she'd done all she could. The rest would be up to him and his demon friend.

"Josiah," she said softly, "I need you to sleep, okay? We'll still be here to make sure you and Lilith are alright, but now you both just need to rest."

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He wanted to protest at Namine's words, at the quiet emotion in her voice, but he wasn't even sure he heard it right.

Aerith's suggestion sounded far away, but it wasn't a bad idea. Even if he had the energy to protest, he was already only half-awake anyway, and her words only pushed him further into a hopefully nightmare-free sleep.

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Naminé watched him drift off, then turned to Aerith. How many Curagas had the poor woman cast? She would probably need rest after this.

"Aerith, do you need a break? I can watch them."

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She nodded in satisfaction when Josiah drifted off. Rest would do him good.

Aerith smiled at Namine's suggestion. "I don't think it's necessary now. They both appear to have stabilized for the time being, so it should be okay. But that doesn't mean you can't stay to watch them anyway, if you want."

She paused, remembering the girl's earlier words. "Namine... you can help people the way you are now, even if you can't do what you used to be able to," Aerith said softly. "You just have to find the way that works for you."

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Naminé thought about it briefly, and then the solution came to her so quickly, she was surprised she hadn't thought about it sooner.

"Aerith, could you teach me to heal?"

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