This is the first chapter of what will hopefully be a long series. The characters mentioned in this piece of fiction do not belong to me. They belong to the many different corporations that, together, produced Kingdom Hearts. Ace of Hearts was not written to procure any sort of . unless you count reviews! (hint, hint)

Note: If you have never played FF VII ( . I don't think this applies to many of you) the characters Vincent Valentine, Hojo, Lucretia, and Jenova may not be familiar to you. I don't know how many people this applies too, but if you would like an explanation of who these people are and how they are all connected to one another and to the other various characters from FF VII, I'd be happy to post a character bio chapter. Just tell me so in your review.

The last note, I swear!!!: This note applies to everyone who has played FF VII. First. I just wanted to say that it kind of creeped me out to see Cloud dressed up in Vincent's clothing. He even has the claw!~ I don't know if any one else noticed that. But anyway, I wanted to note that, in this fiction Vincent's claw is just a glove. I do this 1) because Cloud wears one in KH so I am assuming that his is also a glove and 2) I'd enjoy seeing him work without it. ^.~

~Ace Of Hearts ~

00-Drawing the Joker

It broke his heart to see such a strong man writhing in unspoken pain. The demons within him were ravishing the pale form, and despite the other man's attempts to control them, the monsters threatened to consume his soul and finally lay claim to his wrecked body. Palled skin- already flushed in an unhealthy light- looked all the poorer under the sickly candles. The ragged strips of cloth that wrapped loosely around this forehead , used more to conceal his visage and restrain his unruly, raven locks than to protect, now served a new purpose as they attracted the cold sweat from that ivory brow, keeping it from running over shut lids.
One hand clenched and unclenched the moist sheets while the other, covered in familiar armor which his protector dared not remove in his feverish state, was reluctantly restrained to the headboard in an attempt to keep him from harming himself in his wild thrashing. Cid bit his lip as, with each violent toss from the pale man, the frame of the bed trembled and the fine musculature in his shoulder shook along with it. He had considered untying him, or trying to undo the complicated series of buckles which held the golden gauntlet to his friend's wrist, but he feared that the claws would maim him, or their owner, during their uncontrolled jerks and spasms. Cid just didn't know if he'd be able to hold him still long enough to undo the complicated series of buckles that held the glove on, so he left it restrained and winced privately as each movement twisted and tore at the other's frame.
Cid sighed, taking a damp rag from the bedside and dabbing lightly at Vincent's forehead. With any luck, the man would recover soon and his now frequent fits would cease. But if Cid knew anything, lady luck had never been nice to Vincent Valentine. No. With all likeliness, the incidents would only worsen until he could no longer control the four demons that shared his body. And when that happened. Cid shuddered. He'd hate to see what would happen if Chaos was set lose on the already damaged world. So for now, he hoped that Vincent would pull through this attack, as he always seemed to. The tinkle of bells in the front hall alerted the mechanic and pilot to visitors. He stood up, casting one more glance at the trembling figure on his bed before stepping outside into the hallway and heading towards the front of the building where he had his shop. Maybe once, he hoped, Lady Luck would smile down upon the two of them.