Chapter 11

The streets and shops were littered with people. Colourful signboards and attractive advertisements, coupled with the busy, excited chatter of customers, brought forth a lively atmosphere. There were plenty of things which could tickle one's sense of smell, hearing and sight, even in normal days. It was in these wonderful streets that Cliff, in an attempt to skip his Chairman duties, decided to walk Fayt, who had been behaving in a peculiar manner of late, home.

Fayt's house was not very far from the school.

"I'm really sorry about before," Fayt apologized, hanging his head low. "It was…not very polite of me to be wrapped up in my own thoughts during a council meeting, was it not?"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Cliff remarked, brushing off Fayt's apology casually. "We're all…humans, y'know. There will be times when we fall sick, we get tired, we feel lazy. Happens all the time."

Fayt smiled. Cliff was a man with a big heart, and Fayt admired him for that. The Klausian had a talent for making people feel at ease despite his incompetence; his visions and goals were bigger than his size, his charisma earned him the Chairman position. Despite his popularity, he was humble, helpful and kind, making him a friend Fayt was most proud of.

"Although…" Cliff spoke thoughtfully, a hand on his chin, "I get the feeling that you're not exactly sick, but actually has problems on your mind."

Oh yes. Cliff also has superb intuitions.

"What makes you say that?" Fayt replied uneasily.

"Eh, call it a hunch," Cliff answered.

Cliff's hunches are right almost all the time. Fayt gazed at brick path ahead of him, a troubled expression on his face.

"Hey, if there's anything on your mind, don't bottle it up," Cliff commented, putting a hand on Fayt's shoulder. "If you prefer to keep it a secret, I promise not to tell a soul. And if it's something I can help with, I'll do it to the best of my ability. Cliff here is a man of his words!"

Maybe it was because he had been hanging around Albel for too long that Cliff's cheesy lines appear to have a more profound impact on him than usual, but whatever it may be, Fayt felt greatly reassured. "T-Thank you," Fayt said, glancing up at Cliff. "…promise not to tell a soul?"

"Promise," Cliff replied, his honest eyes shining like jewels. "And a man's promise is worth more than gold!"

"Well…" Fayt thought for a moment, not knowing where to begin. "I…I think I'm in love…"

His voice grew smaller towards the end of his sentence, and his face became as red as tomatoes.

Cliff blinked for a while before he spoke. "Whaaat, really?!" he cried, astonished but delirious.

Fayt nodded meekly. "I…I can't tell who it is, though…" he went on, "I mean, I'm not even sure of it myself…"

"Well, I don't know how love feels like, but I do know that it turns people soft and mushy like you are now," Cliff pointed out bluntly. "So I guess it's safe to assume that you are indeed lovesick."

Soft and mushy, Fayt thought. Albel wouldn't like the sound of that. "Y-You think so?" he asked.

"Definitely," Cliff nodded gruffly, folding his arms. "Was that what you were troubled about?"

"It goes a bit deeper," Fayt admitted woefully.

"Something wrong?" Cliff asked.

"W-We had a little incident a while back and I-I think he—I mean, she—hates me now," Fayt stammered. "I-I've tried apologizing to hi—uh, her, b-but she didn't really understand where I was getting at, and…"

And Albel didn't even like me in the first place.

Fayt sighed ruefully.

"I see," Cliff remarked, stroking his chin. "Relationship problems, huh. That's tough. I don't really like the sound of someone who doesn't understand apologies, but—oh, hey, there's someone at your door."

Neither Fayt nor Cliff had noticed the passing time, but the both of them now stood near Fayt's small apartment. At a distance, the both of them caught sight of a small-built teenager with silky, shoulder-length hair standing outside Fayt's door. She clutched a school bag tightly with one hand, and knocked on Fayt's door in a distressed manner with the other.

"Sophia?!" Fayt identified, surprised.

"Uh-hurm," Cliff coughed abruptly. "Guess I better get out of here."

"Cliff!" Fayt exclaimed, exasperated. As a daughter of the most prestigious Esteed family, the fact that a wealthy figure like her would associate affectionately with a low-class commoner like Fayt was good for gossip. It did trouble Sophia little, but Fayt found the various misunderstandings rather unpleasant. "Cut it out. You know our relationship is not like that."

"Says the boy to whom our little princess showers a lot of affection," Cliff teased.

"Cliff, we're not—"

"Ha, ha, ha," Cliff laughed heartily, slapping Fayt's shoulder a few times. "I was just kidding. But we'll continue our conversation some other time, all right?"

"Thank you for listening," Fayt spoke, beaming. It did feel better to get his problems off his chest.

"Right, right," Cliff grinned. "Now go on before you the princess gets mad."

Fayt nodded and bowed his head in gratitude before dashing off in the direction of his apartment. Cliff watched in amusement as his blue-haired friend sprinted swiftly, waving and calling out Sophia's name.

"Kids nowadays," he shrugged, shaking his head, as he turned and walked back to school.

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"Sophia!" Fayt called out, waving his hand.

Upon hearing her name Sophia turned. Her eyes widened as she saw Fayt running and waving at her. Fayt had a good running form—his steps were light but precise despite his bulky leg greaves, while his slim figure made him adorably attractive. In normal conditions, Sophia would have flushed a little at Fayt's run, but today was different. She waved back and ran to meet Fayt.

"Fayt!" she cried, jumping and hugging her childhood friend. "I-I was so worried! I heard from Mirage that you were sick and thus left the Council Room early. Are you all right?"

"Whoa, calm down, Sophia," Fayt laughed, patting the brown-haired girl's back gently. "It was nothing. I just—"

"Just?"

Fayt paused. Sophia was as big a worrywart as his sister. If he told her he had something on his mind, there was no doubt that she would try to pry in. Like a mother who had not seen her child for months, Sophia's eyes spelt concern in numerous ways; in addition, Fayt had no idea how long he had made Sophia wait. Both Cliff and him had strolled in a most relaxed manner along the way. It would be discourteous of him not to show hospitability to someone who had gone through pains to see you…

"I'm just a little tired," Fayt finished, deciding to go for the usual excuse. Which should work effectively, he thought, as a reason to send her back home. It was not because Fayt disliked having Sophia around; why, she was friendly, thoughtful, sweet—a direct contrast to Albel Nox—why would anyone not want to hang out with her? After talking to Cliff, however, Fayt desired to be left alone to himself, to think about many things.

Good grief, how did Albel come into the picture again?

"Then you must rest," Sophia insisted. "Oh, but thank goodness you're safe! The moment I heard from Mirage that you were ill, I wasted no time in no rushing all the way here and…I was afraid if you had fainted out of exhaustion on your way home, so I kept a close lookout for you—"

Fayt gulped. It was just like Sophia to go to such extremities for him. He sighed and smiled uneasily. "Well…since you're already here, wouldn't you like to come in?"

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Think, Albel, think. What would one do if he wanted to find out where a certain nosy, troublesome brat by the name of Fayt Leingod lived?

Now stop just right there. Why the hell should Albel Nox deliver whatever junk he was carrying right now to that annoying brat's house? After all, he could just eat whatever was in that bag, throw it in a bin, feed it to the pigs or something—that bitch Nel wouldn't know, would she?

She would, if she suddenly called Fayt's house from work, and find out what the truth really is.

Bitch, Albel cursed silently, as he brainstormed further on his next course of action.

He was out in the streets, wandering aimlessly, as if hoping that walking around would help. So he did carry Fayt Leingod once back home, after the cinema incident; but he had Fayt's wallet, which contained his ID card, to check back then. Perceiving no need to keep a copy of the emerald-eyed boy's address, he therefore had nothing to fall back on this time. On top of his memory failing him for some reason, he had walked Fayt home in the night before, when visibility was not too good. The black-haired swordsman realized how different buildings could look in the day and at night.

He could go back to school and force the required information from the mouth of other maggots—who wouldn't know our ever-so-popular Fayt Leingod? As Secretary of the Student Council, Captain of the Swordplay Club and an honoured student under a scholarship, Fayt was the ideal role model for many at school. Albel was probably the only student oblivious enough not to know him.

Perhaps he should do just that.

Then again, the Wicked One was equally famous as the most fearsome student around. Who wouldn't shrink back in run in terror after meeting his gaze?

And if I approach teachers, they'll call the cops, Albel thought.

But if I don't go to Leingod's house, Nel would…

He kicked a stone on the ground bitterly, sending it flying.

"Ouch!"

Albel glanced up, the same bored expression still on his face. The stone had apparently hit a dark-skinned little girl, causing her head to throb in pain. Part of her skin was grazed, and it was bleeding a little. Despite the injury, however, she was not crying like how other normal kids would usually do. Instead, she turned to face Albel fiercely, rubbing the sore part hard.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" she screamed heatedly. "Didn't your mommy teach you not to do such things in public?!"

"No, she didn't," Albel growled as-a-matter-of-factly. "Do you have a problem, maggot?"

"M-M-Maggot?!" the girl exclaimed, her face red with fury. "First you injure me with a stone, and now you're calling me names?! Didn't your mother teach you manners?!"

"No, she didn't," Albel repeated grumpily.

"Well, then your mom's a bitch," she spat indignantly.

"That's right," Albel agreed, perking up. No one had ever agreed with him on Nel being a nuisance before. This girl was different from those other maggots. "Girlie, what's your name?"

"Peppita," the girl replied, perplexed. "Peppita Rossetti."

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"Sophia, please, it's all right, really…" Fayt pleaded.

"No," Sophia pouted. "You're tired, so you need to rest. Please don't worry about anything and leave the housework to me for today!"

Although she was a little uneasy about entering Fayt's house initially, afraid of disturbing the latter's rest, it was not long before the green-eyed brunette made herself comfortable at home. She had known Fayt ever since he was a child, after all—he was her first friend. She further pressed on Fayt to let her help with cooking and housework; she changed out of her school uniform to something more casual, put an apron on, and produced ingredients out of her bag. In a pink tank-top and green shorts, the apron was all she needed to make herself appear even more adorable.

"I can't possibly allow that to happen," Fayt protested. "You're my guest. It's not appropriate for you to be working in my kitchen—" His voice trailed off as he saw Sophia casting a morose look on the ground. He stopped. "Uh, S-Sophia?"

"Am I…really that much trouble to you?" she asked miserably.

"Huh?"

"Fayt, is it really bothersome for me to be here?" Sophia went on, tears forming in her eyes, causing it to look glossy. "Would you have preferred for me to go away?"

"W-Why do you say that all of a sudden?" Fayt said, puzzled and astounded.

"Is…is my cooking really terrible?" Sophia sniffed. "I-I know I make mistakes sometimes, but I tried…I tried my best, so…"

"Sophia…"

Fayt stretched out his hand and brushed away a sliding tear. He fished out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the sobbing teenager.

This seems pretty complicated.

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Meanwhile, Albel's mood had improved slightly.

Peppita had to be one of the most agreeable kids he had ever come across. From the very first moment they met each other, her mouth kept shooting insults at Nel as if she herself held a terrible grudge against her. While this was a very strange thing indeed, the fact that she kept a confused and bewildered expression while keeping her mouth running was even stranger—why would someone continue something he does not feel comfortable doing? But who cares about that? Peppita was the first person to seemingly dislike Nel Zelpher as much as Albel does. She was the first to share Albel's sentiments, the first to understand Nel Zelpher's true identity.

In addition, she was friends with Fayt Leingod, and could tell him where the annoying blue-haired brat resided.

I finally made it, Albel thought triumphantly as he stood outside an old, simple building. Parts of paint and cement had cracked and worn off, exposing the dirty bricks underneath. The cement floor was also dusty, having not been swept for a considerable amount of time. It was a far cry from Albel's well-furnished house, but such things weren't on the Wicked One's mind now. Oh no, he was busy feeling accomplished at finding the brat's house by himself, and was looking forward to heading back home as soon as he made sure Leingod had received what he had taken all the trouble to send. He stepped forward and was about to knock on the door when he noticed something amiss.

Leingod's door was not locked.

Albel shrugged. Zelpher was not there to monitor his every activity. There was no reason for him to mind his manners now, was there? He could invite himself inside. So he did.

The interior of Fayt's house was as simple as the exterior. There was nothing fancy around—a sofa, a table and a vase as a living room; a door which leads to a balcony, where he could hang his clothes to dry; rugs and mats to ease walking as the floor was fairly rough---Albel could figure out the layout the sparsely-furnished house easily in a glance. Now all he needed was to find Leingod, leave the bag and head back home. If the maggot was up to it, they could spar, and Albel would then be able to take out his frustration on the blue-haired boy. He was surveying his surroundings when he heard voices coming from deeper inside.

"…Sophia, calm down."

Leingod's voice. From the kitchen, Albel located.

"I-I don't know." A young, female teenager's voice this time. "I-I get the feeling that lately, you're avoiding me…a-and you're spending more time with tuition and Mirage than me…and who knows, if there's another girl staying with your student, a sister or—"

Someone else is with him. His family?

"Sophia, I'm not avoiding you," was the attempt to reassure this Sophia, whoever she was. "I took up the tuition job because I needed the money. I spend more time with the Council activities because we're involved in a project, and Al—my student doesn't stay with anyone but his mother…"

The polite thing to do for most is of course, to stay quiet and eavesdrop until the very end. But Albel Nox wasn't polite. Neither did he like soap opera dramas. By now, he was pretty sick of anything involving Fayt Leingod, and wanted only to return home and sleep.What the hell, he thought, as he walked noiselessly towards the kitchen. I'll just hand him this bag and leave him to continue—

"So, Sophia, don't cry anymore…"

Thump.

Both Fayt and Sophia turned at the sound. At the door stood Albel, a slightly flabbergasted but nevertheless calm expression on his face, witnessing a crying Sophia curled up in Fayt's arms. His bag had slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. It didn't take much out of Albel to understand that no, that girl was most definitely not family. Leingod would not touch a family member's skin in that tender a manner. Neither would a family member offer herself to a mature teenager of the opposite sex that way. The Wicked One thought he was steeled enough mentally for such situations, but perhaps seeing it happen before his very eyes in real life, to someone he once gave his respect to, was a little discomforting…

Fayt, on the other hand, was incredibly horrified.

"I…ah, I seem to have disturbed something important," Albel commented, turning away.

"N-No, wait a minute, A—" Fayt covered his mouth. He can't let Sophia know that this was the rumoured Albel Nox. Whatever would she say upon the discovery of their relationship?

"Zelpher wanted me to pass you this," Albel explained as he signalled to his brown bag. "Good day."

"Uh…" Fayt gasped. Albel, wait, he wanted to call out. But the swordsman was famed for speed, and with that speed he exited Fayt's building in a flash. With Sophia's face still buried in his chest, it was all he could do to watch Albel disappear further and further away.

Great, he thought. Just what he really needed…

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Good grief, I-I failed on my promise to update early again--

I'm so sorry! I've been having problems with my education, so...

I-I feel that I'm not worthy of all the reviews I received. --";; Thank you so very, very much! I've started on the next chapter this time, so hopefully, the next update would be faster than this. Once again, I'm truly sorry for the delay, and thank you for your support.