Protection

A tip from the wicked Albel Nox sends Fayt out onto the Irisa Fields very late one night, only to catch a lovely girl in his arms. All she wanted was to protect him, and he thought the same.

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There was the sound of impatient rapping coming from the other side of the door. It was still dark, but the dim light of the moon poured in through the window of Fayt Leingod's guest room at Castle Aquaria; when he opened his eyes, it took him a moment to adjust to the light. The rapping didn't stop.

"Come in…" he said uncertainly.

The door slid open, a pale man's face peeking in through the door. The blonde hair underneath his shag of black glimmered against the light. "Good morning, maggot."

"Jesus Christ," Fayt said through his teeth, his eyes half open. "If this is another one of those, 'Do you hate me?' things, Albel, please leave. I'm tired."

Albel stared at him through wide eyes. "What's a Jesus Christ?"

Fayt didn't respond.

"Anyway, I only came here for you benefit. That long-haired maggot is out there fighting those beasts in the field." Albel told him, shimmying his self into the room a little more. "By herself."

The blue-haired swordsman pushed his self off the bed, grabbing a toothbrush out of the drawer. "You know, "long-haired maggot" could be Mirage, Sophia, or Maria. Be a little more specific." Grabbing his sword, he travelled to the washroom down the hallway. Albel followed, leaving the door wide open.

Albel smirked while Fayt quickly brushed his teeth. "That cute little worm you seem so fond of."

Fayt had just spit the water out after cleansing his mouth when his head shot up. "Wait, what? Sophia just came back a week ago, she hasn't fought yet… she couldn't possibly handle the monsters out there!"

"Eh," Albel shrugged his shoulders. "I've been watching her for a few hours to make sure the girl didn't die on us. She's been close, but she ran away when necessary."

"A few hours?"

Albel chuckled. "Oh, she's been out there since about midnight."

"Did she know you were there?" Fayt asked, storming back to his room and grabbing items and stuffing them into a small item bag.

Albel shook his head. "She's been doing okay, though. She's gone from summoning up a bunch of those measly icicles to getting an Efreet to lash out at those stupid butterflies."

"…" Fayt said nothing, putting on his boots of prowress. He stood up and headed for the door, stopping to turn to Albel before he left. "Thanks, Albel."

Albel grumbled something in response.

The Moonlit Bridge held true to its name, though the sky had gone from a deep purple set with twinkling stars to a lighter blue-black shade. Fayt estimated there was about three hours until daybreak; it was winter in aquaria and the sun rose later. The bridge may have looked more beautiful than when he had destroyed the Vendeen ship, but he paid it no mind. He opted to instead dash across the bridge, trying to see past the gates of town. He saw no sign of the short, brown haired girl he'd grown up with, which made him more nervous.

"T-thunder Flare!" called out the voice that belonged to his best friend, although it sounded tired and hoarse.

Fayt was halfway to Peterny when he spotted her; her back was to him, and she had taken upon a battle stance as she froze while she cast the powerful symbol. There was a proclaimer, beautiful and deadly, standing about fifteen feet away from the symbologist. As soon as Thunder Flare's shock stopped stunning the proclaimer, Fayt could see the virus protector summon up a move: it was ready to speed hack, right to Sophia and possibly wipe her out that instance. He thought and felt nothing except Sophia when he unsheathed his sword, running up behind Sophia. He did not, however, take the full run to where the proclaimer was; instead, he stopped behind Sophia, jumping with an upwards thrust.

He hit the gold: the proclaimer had been right where he knew it would be, sending the proclaimer flying. He proceeded with a kick that knocked the enemy higher into the air, unleashing a hellish combo ending with his deadly air raid. It managed to hit him a few times before he poked it with his sword, ending it.

Thing couldn't have been more dead if Cliff was there to give it an old-fashioned beat down.

"That's it. I got it now," Fayt smirked, feeling his level increase. The proud feeling quickly vanished when he heard the tumble of feet behind him. Turning sharply, he opened his arms just as the exhausted symbologist fell into his arms, her hands trying to support herself against his chest but legs saying otherwise. "Sophia!" he exclaimed, one arm circling her back and the other her waist. "Oh my god…" he turned her over and slid his hands underneath her legs, picking her up with ease.

Sophia's eyes were half-open, gazing up at him through her exhaustion. "Fayt… I'm sorry. I meant to… check your… wound… but… so tired…"

Fayt ignored the twinge of pain in his shoulder as he walked over to a nearby rock and sat her down against it. "Sophia, what were you doing here? So late and by yourself? Albel told me he saw you out here." He conjured a symbol, the bright blue energy ball growing in his hand. "Healing!"

"…I knew he was there." Sophia pouted, the pain lessening. "Wait, no, Fayt, don't do that. I know healing, too."

Fayt's mouth opened slightly in shock. "Sophia, I don't care if you know it. I'm going to heal you. You've been fighting for hours, your MP must be so drained." He opened up his palm again to summon the symbols.

"No!" Sophia cried, taking a hand and attempting to cover his hand with hers. "Stop."

Fayt raised an eyebrow. "Sophia, you're hurt. One more healing spell should patch you up from that last fight." He looked at her; saw the thin and deep cut on her hand, the bruise on her thigh, and the light, crescent shaped cut on her cheekbone.

"…then let me do it." Sophia whispered. She held out her staff and let the blue symbols flare above her staff. "Healing!" he called. Fayt's body filled with relief, but not from seeing Sophia's wounds heal.

"Sophia!" he exclaimed in a scolding tone. He let himself cast the spell before Sophia could object. "Healing!"

The cuts and bruises disappeared but Sophia's eyes became heavier. "Fayt…" she exhaled his name, closing her eyes. "I'm so tired…"

Looking up, Fayt saw the gates to Peterny not far away. "You came so far, Sophia…" he shook his head, picking her up again and running towards the gate, swiftly avoiding any more monsters. Her body, soft and gentle, was colder than the snow in Airyglyph from fighting for so long outdoors.

"Fayt, I can walk." she told him, pushing her small hands against his chest.

"Yeah, well, I'm carrying you. Who in their right minds comes out at midnight, fights by themselves, and doesn't say anything to anyone else?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Why did you come fight all by yourself? Geez, you know better than that." he scolded, running past the guards without a word. He entered the town square, squinting to see in the darkness. Sophia said nothing as he dashed into the inn, pointed at something on a sheet to the innkeeper and ran up the stairs, ignoring the weird look he got. Gently, he opened the door and walked in slowly, the warmth of the room entering his and Sophia's cold bodies. Fayt sat her on the bed, then kneeled as he reached for her bright shoes.

She pulled her feet away. "Fayt… I can take my own shoes off, promise."

Fayt reached for her shoes again, managing to pull the left side off. He looked up at her in annoyance. "What's wrong with you, Sophia?" his words were gentle but one could see the frustration in his face. "It's like you don't want me to touch you or something. I thought we'd gotten over the cooties thing when we were both five."

Sophia reached for her other shoe, then tossed it next to her left. She smiled gently. "You know I never thought you had cooties."

Which was true; Sophia and Fayt had been so close that such a thing never bothered them.

"Me neither. I don't think I realized you had a… you-know-what, instead of a you-know-what-else, until I was seven." He chuckled softly, then reached with a powerful hand around her waist to pull him to her and off the bed. Sophia blushed at the contact, and Fayt lifted the sheets up. He guided her into the bed, and when she lay back comfortably, he pulled the blankets up onto her small body. She didn't close her eyes even through her exhaustion.

"Why'd you come? I would have come back after I finished off that winged thing."

Fayt looked at her through confused eyes. "Of course I came. You were at level one yesterday…" he whispered sincerely. "You could have been hurt so badly, Sophia…"

"I'm sorry, Fayt. I shouldn't have fainted."

"You've been fighting for hours!" Fayt exclaimed incredulously. "Anyone else would, too."

Sophia looked away from him bitterly. "Not Nel or Mirage," she proclaimed, hugging the blanket tighter. "They would have been fine."

Fayt raised an eyebrow. "Did you come back to town at all during the night?" he asked her, getting up and grabbing another blanket from the closet.

"No." Sophia shook her head, shivering.

Fayt spread the extra blanket overtop of Sophia. He leaned closer to her, as if sharing a secret. "No one would have been okay, then."

Sophia pulled the two blankets over her tightly. "Thanks."

"So are you going to tell me what possessed you to do something that stupid?" Fayt asked, going back to the closet to grab an extra pillow and blanket. He tossed them on the floor, and then sat on a chair next to Sophia's bed.

Sophia said nothing.

"Sophia," Fayt said again, frustration apparent in his voice. "Why the hell did you go out in the middle of the night and fight monsters that could have killed you in one instant!?"

"I can't tell you…" Sophia admitted sheepishly.

"Why not? We tell each other everything."

"Yeah, well not lately." Sophia snapped. This shut Fayt up instantly.

It was true that the night Sophia had come back, they'd spent a lot of time together. Mostly because of the death of his father, though. Sophia stayed with him all night, her arms around his shoulders and his head against hers. She knew there was nothing she could say to him, and opted to hold him. He let her. But after that, they began to get so busy with fighting and travelling to spend time together.

"…I'm sorry, Sophia. Things have been hectic. But you should have told me where you were going. I was planning on taking you out tomorrow to level, since we're not leaving Aquios for a few days." And that was the truth.

"…you don't get it, Fayt. I've been lonely, too. I try to talk with the others, but Albel, he is so scary. Nel is always talking with a subordinate, Adray gives me weird looks, and Cliff and Nel or Maria is always fighting with you." Sophia turned her back to Fayt, curling into a little ball on the bed. "Maria and Nel, they're so strong. They fight so well. They can heal you in battle." she whispered.

"So can you. If you'd just waited until tomorrow."

"Oooh, Fayt!" he heard the adorable frustration in her voice. "You just don't get it."

Fayt kicked off his shoes. "I'd get it if you told me," he shot back. "C'mon, Sophia." Fayt pleaded, sitting on the edge of the bed and touching her back gently.

"…"

"Sophia…" he said, gentler this time.

"Idon'tlikeseeingyouhurt."

Fayt raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, one more time?" he chuckled.

"…I don't like seeing you hurt." Sophia muttered, turning back to him and staring at him through her wide emerald eyes.

"…so…?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. "You really are dense, Fayt." She glanced away from him, sinking deeper into the pillow. "When I see you get hurt and I can't do anything, I don't like it. I want to be in there to heal you. Burn the enemy that's battling with you. Freeze the other one that's trying to hit you from behind."

Fayt's eyes widened just a fraction. "Oh."

"…sorry."

Sophia shifted away from him, clutching the top of the blankets with her frozen hands. With a sigh, Fayt reached and grabbed Sophia's hands in his. Despite all the fighting, her hands were softer that butter. His, once soft, were toughening up slowly from the daily use of a sword. "Sophia… why didn't you tell me that?"

"There's been no time," she told him, her voice muffled slightly by the two blankets. "Isn't that why you haven't let me level?"

To her surprise, he shook his head, his blue hair swaying. "No…" he started. "That's not why." he let go of her hand and rested back against the chair.

"Then why?" Sophia asked him, her green eyes incredulous.

"…I don't want you fighting. It's totally against your nature."

Sophia scoffed. "You're lying."

Fayt smiled absently. "How did you know?"

"How long do you think we've known each other?" Sophia smiled softly; the same smile that soothed him since he was young. "Now tell me."

Fayt exhaled deeply. "I don't like it when you fight, because you can get hurt. I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt."

Sophia opened her eyes in agitated shock. "Oh… Fayt! Don't you understand, that's exactly how I feel. Seeing you fight and not being able to help you."

The swordsman shook his head, taking his sword off his belt and unsheathing it. The blade glimmered against the moonlight. "It's not the same. When I know you're on the sidelines with someone, I know you'll be okay."

"Okay, so it's like the same thing except different. Fayt… you can't just keep me out on the side. Or is it because you think I won't help in battle?"

Fayt looked at her and shook his head vigorously. "Of course not. You'd probably turn out to be the most powerful symbologist of us all. You'd be amazing in battle."

"Then I think it's about time you let me fight."

"I think I'll have to," Fayt's mouth twitched up into a slightly sardonic smile. "Or else you'll run off and get yourself hurt again."

Sophia sighed softly. "I just… the one thing worse than seeing you hurt, is seeing you hurt and knowing I could have stopped it."

Fayt and Sophia both said nothing as they listened to each other's steady breathing, the moonlight bathing both of them in it's luminescent light. For as long as Sophia could remember, she and Fayt were best friends, and couldn't be more different. He was tall, strong, and liked physical sports. His eyes shone a deep forest green, shades deeper than Sophia's emerald. She was short, and for most of her life, delicate, enjoying things traditionally considered feminine. They'd known each other so long she always knew what he was thinking.

For once, she had no idea.

"I don't want to see you hurt, either, that's why. Which is why I'm telling you to sleep now." he leaned over and kissed her delicately on the forehead.

Her forehead burned from the intimate contact. She ignored it. Sophia felt the objection of sleep on the tip of her tongue, but exhaustion silenced her. "…fine."

Fayt proceeded to lay out the blanket and create a makeshift bed on the floor, exhausted as well.

"…Fayt?"

He looked up from his position on the floor. "Yeah, Sophia?"

"…I'm cold. You can't be comfortable down there."

"I..."

"…I… I don't want to be alone."

Fayt could have done many things. But without a word, he got up, and lifted the covers off Sophia, who slid closer to the wall to make room for him. He laid down gently next to her, pulling the blankets over both of them. She smiled as his warmth covered her cold body. "Thank you, Fayt…" she whispered, snuggling her head onto his chest. Smiling, Fayt wrapped his arms around her smaller body, pulling her tight to him.

"Goodnight, Sophia."

If he couldn't protect her from the pain of fighting, he would hold her now, and protect her from the pain of loneliness; something he should have done every night since she had come back.

fin.

Umm… okay yeah. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Tell me.. But none of your mindless flaming, that's just stupid. Constructive criticism accepted (: . Anyway, lol, it took me all the soft piano pieces out of the SO3 soundtrack to do this o_o .. please review! Hehe. I am a Fayt x Sophia lover, YES.

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW… I use Sophia in every battle, she's pwnage if you set her tactics and skills right =)

I kind of rambled in some parts. My bad…