MissNox:
I have nothing against Sophia; she's nice to everyone, sensitive, and likes cats. I think I aim to be like that in life, plus… I like cats. I even have a sweet tabby cat called Khan (the betrayer XD). And Sophia's not afraid to be feminine! D
And Albel is my Kamisama! (Hearts rise out of author's head)
Albel: (red in the face) Well, at least I'm not gay in this one… I was getting a little bored with that bluenette. I need a break, he's whiny and needy.
Fayt: Ohh… (Disappointment)
Sophia: I get to be Albel's now! Yey! (Whoops for joy- Albel stares at her thoughtfully whilst Fayt fumes in jealousy).
So even though this is way off my usual stuff, it will complete the spectrum. AlbelxFayt, FaytxSophia, and now Alphia!
Why can't I figure you out?
They were on their way to Peterny again, as Fayt was worried about the guild master and Welch, especially from their last report- at each other's throats over the price of darned socks. Those two really need a break from each other.
Everyone in Fayt's little 'save the universe group' were keeping an eye out for anymore of the creator's foul deletion programmes, which came in the form of dragon and angel monsters, but one member of the group was not seeing as many battles as he would have liked as per his bloodthirsty nature.
(A/N- This was probably because he remained in the back ground in disgust at the prospect of having to speak to anyone in the party, while the melee fighters like Fayt, Cliff and Mirage were positioned at the front making idle small talk.)
After a while, the samurai's thoughts lingered. His eyes wandered. And then laughter came in the form of a delighted giggle. His attention deviated. The brown haired girl- the one that kept close to the Leingod fool.
What was she so happy about?
He watched her dubiously- he suspected her most of all out of the supposed 'aliens' from another planet. She was the most innocent looking, so she had to be the guiltiest. And no one could really be as sweet and kind as her, without an ulterior motive.
More of her laughing came. What did she have to be so happy about anyway! His eyes narrowed in anger, irritation, and confusion.
It was as if she could sense his furious glare, as her head turned to him all the way from the front.
Their eyes met, and she smiled at him happily. She actually had the nerve to be smiling at him like that; like everything was fine, like they were best friends. He gave her a scowl in return for this gesture and turned away with a huff.
Irritating wench.
"Albel!" some one called in surprise, he was half expecting this to be her 'knight in shining armour', Fayt Leingod, defending her feelings from such a display of contempt, but he knew better.
As quickly as a samurai could, he swerved round bearing both katana and gauntlet to the enemy that would ambush him, but his reactive defence was too slow on the mark, and his efforts were rewarded only with a sweeping set of lucid red tentacles, stinging him and then sweeping round to knock him back quickly.
He flew back with a great cry and hit the floor, feeling something break in one of his legs.
He laid on his back, dazed, eyes blurring as his body- in all of its stubbornness- pushed up shakily- to resume fighting. He managed the struggle to his knees in pain, staring up at the foe that had caught up with him, but before it could strike him again, another warrior struck up at the beast, with rising and falling blue lights.
"Air… Raid!" Him. Her knight.
Whilst others would have seen this as comradeship, Albel saw this aide as an insult to his pride, a ridiculous notion, a greater blow than it would have been to let the thing attack him. He had been 'saved'.
Fayt turned. "Are you alright?" he began, but Albel was still on his knees. "Albel?"
"Thank goodness you're alright…"a voice sighed in relief, and she appeared.
That girl Sophia.
Albel scowled at her again, expecting her to hold Fayt's arm in worry the way she always did, when he noticed that her body had moved voluntarily closer to him, that her eyes once again looked to him. What the hell was she worried about him for? Did she know she was just adding insult to injury?
"I didn't ask for your help!" Albel's eyes whipped back to Fayt's, his legs trying to force themselves up relentlessly.
Fayt remained silent, as if staring down at Albel's pathetic form with his strong ocean blue eyes was all the reply he needed.
"Please," her voice was soft as she went down to him, but his eyes, his head, his whole body averted from hers in repugnance, "you've been injured, let me heal you-!" she began, raising one hand, which was promptly whacked aside.
She seemed both terrified and pained at this, her eyes watered in sadness as he struggled in pain- so alone- refusing help from anyone. But she stayed close, this alone kept Leingod quiet.
There wasn't one thing she did which would make any one suspicious in the slightest of her good nature. Even towards him- 'Albel the Wicked'- she was a saint, but this only made him more doubtful of her angelic front.
If she could show kindness to some one with a heart like his, a slayer of over 1000 men and women- even children, that had to mean something was wrong.
She didn't seem to hate him yet- something had to be wrong.
Did she even know? About the truth of Albel the Wicked? Who out of their group was as naively kind to everyone? Not even that doormat Fayt, who helped just about anyone in need, was as stupid as her. And at least Fayt had brute strength. What strength was there in this girl?
Now his eyes blacked out, and for a few moments after he felt his body slump to the floor in disgrace. For a few blind moments after he listened to her voice. Would her mask slip now that he was thought unconscious?
"Fayt! We have to get him somewhere to rest right away!" Sophia's voice seemed closer even than before.
"Alright, Sophia, Peterny isn't that far away now, lets go there as planned," Fayt's voice replied, and as Albel felt something cool flow around his body from the healing hands that touched his right shoulder gently, he fell completely into a non conscious state.
"Oh Albel," came a sweet sigh, as his senses returned.
What the hell!
"Sophia… so… do you hate me?" Albel found himself asking, his head down, his cheeks burning with desire of some kind.
They were alone… together, alone. He couldn't make out the hazy surroundings, but they were surrounded by a few blooming blossom trees. She was wearing a beautiful pink kimono and her hair was dangling around her. She drew closer. Very close. Too close.
"Albel," she sounded kind and sincere as she spoke, "you're right about me," she added, and Albel looked up in shock. After looking around secretively, she wore a cheeky smile.
"About what?" he asked quietly, now unable to control himself- he was being so weak, but no amount of his screaming thoughts could fight away his feelings.
"You think I'd like you? I'm not as forgiving as the others think," she told him, and he looked away in shame. "Why would anyone like a murderer like you?" she was frowning now.
"I know that." Albel was nearly silent.
"Murderer- you demon!" Sophia yelled suddenly, in his face, her cheeks a hot red. "No one in the group likes you, we only want you here to fight for us, an extra force- but it turns out you're pretty useless! Look what's happened to you because of your weakness!" she scorned, gesturing to his stomach with disgust.
And as if on cue, Albel felt a huge pain burst through his torso, looking down to his cropped top and exposed flesh to reveal ceaselessly flowing red.
"Ah-!" Albel cried in agony, falling to his knees, the blood spilling to and soaking the floor.
"What's the point in trying to save someone like you?" Sophia shook her head, turning her head away in hate to smile in delight at another figure.
"You're pathetic," the voice scoffed smugly.
"Leingod-!" Albel spluttered out blood now, very little of his fading form was left uncovered by crimson now, as Fayt once again leered down at him in superiority- as Sophia held onto her blue knight's arm in delight, completely ignoring Albel's pain.
"Come on Sophia," Fayt let one last look of repulsion loom over the samurai before his eyes fixed on his pretty Sophia, "let's leave him here, he can't be of any more use to us, he only gets in the way because he's so pathetic." Fayt suggested.
It was all on her, but her eyes never left Fayt's, and as sweetly and innocently as anything she said, she replied.
"Ok Fayt, I didn't think monsters were allowed in the group anyway," she shrugged, and Albel watched with his last fleeting moments as the two partners turned away from him.
Why did he try so hard?
Why couldn't he let anyone help him? Surely he was a practical fighter; surely, if he couldn't see their efforts as his team mates, he could see the need to be healed in battle? But every time she attempted to get close to him, he would dart away or slash pass her dangerously.
"I hope he'll be alright…" Sophia sighed miserably, the colour drained from her face, as she slouched down sadly by his side.
"Hmph, Sophia, don't worry about him, he'll be fine, it's not like he'll appreciate the token of kindness," Nel warned in her practical tone, but Sophia pouted after her.
Nel would say that, the woman couldn't stand Albel, and her eyes glittered with brimming water, which seemed to intensify her vexed expression, as she turned back to his bleeding bandaged form.
"Bah…" his small whispering voice let out in his sleep, "I don't…need…any of…you…" he grimaced painfully, his brows wincing upward, his head moving- her head reacting by moving closer too in anxiousness.
And as ever was the lingering presence of violence and insatiable fury, his implacable anger- even in sleep. When was Albel allowed to rest, when was Albel allowed to laugh and be happy?
They all stared at her in wonderment. It was night time in the city of Aquaria, after getting the sacred orb to allow them passage into the Mosel ruins secret area- access to Luther's space. Since then they had wandered around preparing and completing the last necessary tasks, but at the time Sophia remembered something quite clearly.
As usual, Albel had stalked off somewhere, waiting until everyone else was asleep before he came in to lie down for the night. As usual, this had caused quite a stir within the group, Albel was behaving a foully as he always did, and the usual suspects picked up on this- Fayt, Cliff and Nel.
Maybe it was because the three of them had known 'Albel the Wicked' during the war, and had seen his handy work, and Sophia never had any reason to doubt Fayt- he was never usually prejudice, but for once she seemed sceptical of the whole thing, to which the three in question looked at her.
"I don't expect you to understand, but that man has killed so many people, it's like he's not human anymore, it's like life means nothing to him," Nel stated.
"He's a complete jerk, he's arrogant, spiteful and pugnacious- it wouldn't be so bad if he were civil half of the time," Cliff added.
"It's like he doesn't care about anything anymore, except for fighting…I'm not sure I can agree with that kind of attitude." Fayt folded his arms.
Sophia sighed. But they didn't know him. Not really. Only what others said about him. And the evils he did serving his country apparently weren't enough; he still got blamed by Vox even though he did everything he could to stop three powerful people.
To give it everything you've got, only to lose, must have been hard on him, especially on someone whose strength was most important to him.
"Ah…" Albel's eyes flickered open tiredly, and then shot open.
Sophia had frozen. In her daydreaming, she had completely forgotten how close her face was to his, and now they looked directly into each others eyes. Her face blushed as he shook with fury again.
"What the hell!" Albel sat up quickly, as she flew back to avoid his swiping claw, which was unusually slow, like he expected her to dodge.
"I'm sorry!" she wailed at the same time, now completely red.
What was she doing here!
There was silence between them, as he sat still with the scowl fixed onto her face, and she remained back, head bowed and skin flushing with red.
"Well?" he barked, and she jumped timidly. "What do you want!" he demanded.
She looked up- a pathetically mousey face- pretty, but timid. "O-oh-!" she stuttered, and he seemed less angry at this, rather more confused. "I was just following up on the healing I gave you earlier…making sure you were alright…" when he cut her short in another outburst.
"I don't need a stupid little girl to check up on me!" Albel snapped, waiting for her to fumble back again, but instead her eyes met his squarely, as if this had moved her to confidence somehow.
She actually moved closer, her hand waving down to the soaking bandages. His eyes fell uncharacteristically to look as she spoke a little louder.
"You must have been moving a lot in your sleep," she informed him, now a mere arm length from his side, "the strain has caused your wounds to open again." She added, and he looked up meekly with a scowl plastered over his face bitterly.
"Like I needed you to tell me," he muttered ungratefully, but this didn't seem to faze her, in fact, now she moved in for the kill.
"If you want…I could put some more on and give you more healing," she suggested with a smile, which did not help with his reluctance, the very sight of it seemed to make him edge away in resistance, his red eyes flashing dangerously.
But he didn't say no either, he was acting like a wounded animal. She gulped down fear- courage Sophia. Just have courage.
"I mean," she added carefully, moving down to perch herself on the spot by his side, "the quicker you heal, the quicker you can go back to fighting, right?" she asked- which gave him an excuse to let her near.
He made a short, tight nod quickly in consent, refusing to look at her as her fingertips brushed over the bandage, flickering eyes as the crimson stained her fingers, as she removed the bandage as carefully as if it was Athena's peplos.
Her hand moved under to the archway of his back, following though to the other hand stretching over to the other side of his wound.
All the while she remained silent- could he feel her body trembling over his? All the while he turned his head away from hers. When she did lower her body as far as it could go to fidget with her arms around him, he sat back rigidly; the last person to get this close to him outside of battle was…
She was practically holding him.
When she withdrew he noted with all embarrassment that he had turned a certain colour of red too. And she had only taken the bandage off.
There was much more to come.
Next came…she reached down to the side and took a cloth, which she doused in cool water from earlier when he was first brought in, and slowly applied it to his skin to soak up the blood.
"Umm…" she began; his eyes meeting those sensitive chocolate brown ones, her being timid seemed to restore his confidence.
"What?" he asked abruptly, indignantly.
"D-do you mind if I…" her other hand over his cropped purple top, to which he tutted, maybe she was just too naïve for her own good, she didn't seem like she was capable of a single devious act… so was this shy girl just unbearably full of kindness after all?
He simply nodded, and sat back after her faintly shaking hand pulled up the soft material gently and the other hand applied a freshly soaked cloth to the freshly bleeding wound.
"Bah…" he let it escape from his mouth, and she stopped instantly in concern.
"Are you-!" she started.
"Don't worry about it," he dismissed quickly, and she continued until the blood was gone.
Now fresh bandages were taken from the kit by her side, he looked to her interestingly as she unravelled part of one and held it out- the whole healer role- suited her, he thought. What, like killing suited him? He looked away again moodily.
"Okay," her voice calmed him slightly, "this might hurt a little," she warned.
"Just do it already," he instructed.
Wasn't he bothered by pain? Or was the pain he suffered from, pain that couldn't be seen? Pain that healing couldn't take away; pain that wasn't physical. He took in a breath quickly, either to keep in the pain this time, or the surprise that she went so close again so instantly.
He looked down to see her eyes just below his own, carefully concentrating on the bandage that wound around him. And no longer was she uncertain or nervous- she was determined and serious.
The last turn of the bandage and he had to conceal his focus on her as she drew away and closed it over, leaning back for a fastening clip and some bandaging tape. She could hold the material down, place the tape in her mouth, take a sufficient portion and tear it off without error. Then the secure fastening felt like the slightest tap on the chest and stomach.
She sat back with another smile. "There," she concluded, taking the equipment away. "Is that ok?" she asked pleasantly.
His eyes were scrutinizing and narrow. "It's fine," he replied flatly, looking away hastily again.
"Oh…oh ok," she smiled weakly at this, silent for a long time, as he stared out of the window.
"What? I don't need any more medical attention, you can leave now," he told her, to relieve her of obvious uncomfortable feelings.
She stood up, startled by this. "Oh…okay…well…please try to be careful with how you move, or they'll just open up again, I mean, the dream you were having seemed pretty bad but-!" she stopped dead as he turned to her sharply with a repugnant look.
"Oh I see, you were watching me, were you? Felt 'sorry' for me? You needn't bother," he snarled unappreciatively, and she twitched, " well now you've made sure I can still fight, so you can go!" he snapped angrily, when the palm of her hand met the right side of his face and forced it to the side, leaving a red mark.
"How could you think I would be so selfish! I've been worried sick about you! And yet I don't feel sorry for you one bit, Mr. Nox," she frowned, "you should have been paying more attention to the things around you!" she added.
"Is that so?" Albel was quiet, he refused to look up, "it's all very well you saying that when you have the perfect Fayt Leingod to baby-sit you during battle," her eyes widened "or maybe you don't notice when your comrades take hits for you or keep you out of harms way only to get hurt themselves. Besides, this is your fault anyway," he frowned.
"My fault!" Sophia gasped in outrage, and now he looked up.
"Yeah, your constant laughing distracted me," Albel explained, with a sour face, and she stepped back, anger fleeing in her own fear at what he meant.
"I…distracted you?" she bleated quietly.
"Yeah, you did, wench," he nodded, and he looked over her insecure expression, suddenly apprehensive at what he had perhaps confessed to, "don't flatter yourself, you were just really annoying me," he huffed, now faced with a hurt face instead.
"That…wasn't a very nice thing to say…" Sophia trembled, a tear falling from her cheek.
Albel forced a smirk. "So you regret helping me now?" but she shook her head obstinately, and he seemed slightly impressed that she wasn't sobbing like a whiny girl, as she kept away any more tears. "You should listen to those 'friends' of yours little brat, nothing good will come of being involved with me," he warned her finally, turning away grudgingly.
Sophia was holding her hand over her chest in a desperate longing not cry in front of this man, to not let him beat her. Sensing this, as he looked up at the ceiling, Albel grinned, and watched from the corner of his eye as Sophia fled the room quickly.
Then, in the regular fashion, he licked moisture onto his dry lips delectably. There, he was hated now, order was restored and he could go on not caring in the slightest. Couldn't he?
I had most fun writing th nurse Sophia part. XD
I-I Need sleep. zzzzzzzzzzzz.