Nightwatch
Airship Canon
Disclaimer: I don't own ToS characters, plot...ECT... blah blah blah.
Lloyd once again found himself being the night watch for his group. Ever since Kratos left, Lloyd was doing this job quite often, because he was the group's strongest member, also because no one trusts Zelos. It was quite a boring task, that Lloyd didn't particularly like, but he had to do it because even if most monsters are scared of the fire, especially in the frozen wasteland of the Flanoir continent, no chances can be taken because the monsters of the night are far more dangerous than the ones that wander the lands at daytime.
Lloyd yawned as he looked around the campsite. All there was to the north and south was snow. To the east was a snow covered mountain range. Off to the west, the jagged, rocky, wave-battered coastline, even if all that was a sheer cliff. The sounds of the tide-driven waves crashing against that cliff, the howling of the wind over the drifts of snow, and the yowls of wild Lobos all combined to make an eerie serenade that hung over the small campsite. Lloyd didn't like the sound, especially when it was that boring of a night. And the sheer, piercing chill of the frozen air made things worse.
Lloyd sat there, filled with ennui, staring off into the darkness, partially illuminated by the half-moon just waiting for something to happen. His eyes continued to scan the horizon. Suddenly, he saw a ruffling of snow; it was Colette, dusting the snow off of her body. The angel got up, walked over, and sat down next to the fire. She shook and shivered due to the sharp iciness of the night in that region. Lloyd realized that Colette must be freezing.
"Hey… Colette," he said.
The angel turned and looked at the swordsman with a warm, gentle smile stretching across her face. Her deep blue eyes shone with the light from the small campfire, her face illuminated in an orange hue. "What is it, Lloyd?" she asked.
"Do you want to come over here with me?" Lloyd inquired, "It might be a bit warmer together then when we are alone," he continued. A welcoming look was worn across his face.
Colette's grin widened, then she said, "Of course…." She then picked herself up from where she was sitting, and with her blanket in hand she walked over to Lloyd.
Lloyd opened his arms, and Colette fell into his embrace. He grabbed hold of her blanket and wrapped it around the both of them, in an effort to prevent their body heat from escaping into the frigid air, and so they stay a bit warmer. Colette blushed as Lloyd hugged her. Suddenly she had a warm fuzzy feeling surge through her. It made her feel as if she was melting into a gooey puddle. She knew immediately that she was in love, but due to the fact that she was extremely shy, she hid her feelings.
Lloyd also had the same feeling, but he didn't quite know what it was. It comforted him, yet made him also have a feeling of embarrassment. And he knew he only felt it when he was with Colette. He racked his memory, trying to remember times in which he had felt that feeling before. He recalled the time when he had talked with Colette on the terrace at his house before she was to leave for the World Regeneration Ritual. And again when Colette had informed him that he was her favorite person in Iselia. He had felt it again with a tinge of sadness when he hugged her at the Balacruf Mausoleum, and yet again at Hima, the night before the World Regeneration was to take place. When he admitted that he loved Colette, in an attempt to restore her soul, it came again far stronger that time, but suddenly disappeared when she didn't respond. Then a thought came to him. He realized that he just might be in love with the chosen who was resting in his arms.
At first the idea struck him as odd, that his best friend, a girl that he had know for almost as long as he could remember, could be the person that he was fated to fall in love with. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Why couldn't a girl that he had known for seemingly forever be the one girl who he would love? He let the idea that they might just be in love take hold of him. Instinctively, he hugged her a bit tighter, just so he could be a little bit closer to her. With those thoughts in his
Colette felt the change and tilted her head so she could face Lloyd. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the loving look on Lloyd's face. A thought came through the angel's mind. "Could Lloyd be in love with me?" the angel thought. Although the possibility was there, she was still reluctant to let her true feelings for the swordsman out.
Lloyd also didn't want to tell Colette. So he sat there, holding her, looking into the young angel's eyes. While he held her, he realized how nice she smelt. That not-so-strong perfume that she always wore was present, but under that was a smell that always hung around her. Lloyd knew that whenever that smell was in the air, Colette was near him. And that comforted him.
Unable to speak his feelings, Lloyd sighed. He began to stroke the angel's long blonde hair, while filling himself with memories of past tender moments that he had shared with Colette, similar to this one. He knew that sometime in the future he would remember this particular moment just like he was doing at this time. He lost his mind in those thoughts.
Colette looked up, and faced Lloyd. She had made up her mind. She wasn't going to keep her feelings to herself any longer. She also knew that Lloyd did in fact love her, she could feel that in her heart. It appeared as if Lloyd was going to say something, but before he could, Colette kissed him. She smiled and said, "Lloyd… I can't keep this secret anymore. I love you. You've always been there whenever I needed someone to be with… I've wanted to repay your kindness, but… I don't have anything else to give you, except love…"
"Colette… I… really don't know what to say… other than… I love you too…" Lloyd struggled to say, as feelings of ecstatic joy took over his mind, and reassured the reason why he was wandering through that frozen wasteland. He knew he had to protect Colette, no matter what. He was going to save the two worlds and end the sacrifices demanded by the Cruxis. He wasn't about to let them take Colette away from him, even if the legendary hero, Mithos was to be part of them, and was sent to take her away, even in the name of world peace. He knew he had to protect the group, and aid in anyway he could in the formation of the pact with Celsius so they could break a third of the four mana links that joined the two worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, so that the control of the world's mana was no longer in the hands of the cruel Cruxis…
Endnote: Do please review this… yes I know it is just pointless fluff, but still…