The Second Hand of Fate

By: seraphimstarlight

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.

Author's Note: Oh man, so it took me a while to get this fic out (mostly because I got sidetracked by Nano last month), but, at last, here it is. Just as in And the Clock Struck Twelve, there are endgame spoilers. There are also spoilers for the end of Twelve, but you don't really have to have read it to understand what's going on.

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Tear took a moment to stretch as she stepped off of the small ship that she had spent the last few hours on while she traveled from Yulia City to Port Kaitzur. Ever since the cessation of the Planet Storm, travel had become so much more difficult than it had been before. The Albiore was a luxury nowadays; most people traveled by carriage or by boat when the situation demanded, and things were no different even for the group of heroes who had once saved the world.

Needless to say, she did not look forward to travel nowadays. After becoming accustomed to travel on the Albiore during her previous journey, she found travel by boat utterly vexing and had resolved to travel only when necessary. Still, when she had received Luke's letter informing her that he had decided to travel to Kaitzur and wanted her to meet him there she had put aside her dislike of travel and boarded a small boat bound for Port Kaitzur.

After several hours aboard the tiny ship, she finally arrived and, with a relieved sigh, stepped onto the dock and breathed in the refreshing sea air. While she waited to claim her luggage—two small traveling bags containing food and necessary medical supplies for her trip to Kaitzur proper, she decided to take a look around the port.

The place was pretty much just as she remembered it. The area was still populated by the familiar green and gold huts that had, in days past, housed members of the Kimlascan military. Now, however, with the marriage of the Kimlascan princess to a Malkuth Duke, a new sense of peace seemed to pervade both lands, and war was probably the farthest thing from the peoples' minds.

As such, the Kimlascan military, at the request of the soon-to-be Queen, had withdrawn the bulk of their forces from the port, leaving behind only a small contingent of soldiers to protect the port from the occasional monster attacks. Now, the majority of the buildings in the port city had been transformed from military bunkers to small shops and inns that catered to a weary traveler's every want and need.

She wandered into a nearby shop, drawn in by the delicate scent of baking pastries. Despite the difficult boat trip, she was feeling hungry, and her sweet tooth was flaring up again. She moved over to the counter when the clerk called her forward.

"What would you like, dear?" the clerk, a kindly middle-aged woman asked.

Tear scanned the display. "I don't know," she said at last, "they all look so…cute."

The clerk smiled. "Well, maybe I can help you decide. What flavor do you like?"

She considered the clerk's question for a long moment. She thought of her trip and of how much she…disliked traveling by boat and of the headache that she would probably get when she, at last discovered the reason that Luke had called her all the way out here.

"Chocolate," Tear said quickly. This day would definitely demand chocolate.

"All right," the clerk replied, ducking down behind the counter so that she could pick out a suitable pastry. After a moment, the clerk stood and held out a small pastry wrapped in a paper liner. "How does an éclair sound?"

Tear took a quick look at the pastry and nodded. "That looks good, thank you. Could I get one of those to go?" She hesitated for a moment. "And could I get one for my friend too?"

The clerk nodded politely and grabbed another one from the display case and placed both in a small white box. "That'll be 400 Gald," she said.

Tear took a moment to count out the coins before handing them to the clerk. The woman smiled and passed her the box. "Have a nice day, ma'am," she said with a bow. "May Lorelei watch over you."

The sudden mention of the sentience's name caught her off guard—after all, she hadn't really heard it mentioned in a long time—other than in the context of The Order of Lorelei, that is. She mumbled an appropriate response and, box in hand, rushed from the store. As she stepped back outside, the cool sea breeze washed over her, calming her measurably.

Glancing around, her gaze lit on the ship again, and she decided to check if her bags had been unloaded yet. When she arrived at the dock, she found a uniformed crew member waiting amidst a large pile of luggage. She showed the clerk her two claim tickets, and he quickly produced her belongings. She took her bags from him and thanked him with a curt nod.

Bags and box in hand, she made her way over to a nearby bench and took a moment to pack her purchase away, taking care to make sure that it was not crushed.

It wasn't that she was shocked to hear mention of Lorelei; the general public, for the most part, still seemed to believe in the sentience of the Seventh Fonon even though the Planet Storm had been halted for quite some time. It was just that the name brought back so many memories of her previous journey—so many memories of that time when her brother had still been alive—so many memories of all the times she had tried—and failed—to save him.

She had been reaching to close the tie on her bag, but her hand now hung in mid-air. For years since his death, she had fought back memories of her brother. In the three years immediately following the events on Eldrant she had been so focused on Luke's disappearance that there hadn't been much time to think about anything else. That's not to say that she had forgotten Van—she could never forget him, but worrying about Luke had, mercifully, pushed everything else from her mind.

Someone passed by her, jostling her and breaking her free from her thoughts. She looked up, offering a quick apology to the stranger before turning her attention back to her bag. Truthfully, there had been no reason for her to apologize—after all, she had been the one who was sitting down. But still, she felt some sort of faint gratitude to the person who had broken her train of thought.

With a deft twist, she tied her bag shut. As she did so, the sunlight glinted off the golden ring on her left hand. She stopped and stared at the ring, momentarily distracted. Luke. He was probably waiting for her at Kaitzur. Now was not the time to get distracted by old memories. She would think on them later when there was time for such things. Maybe she could talk to Luke about it.

She stood and picked up her two bags and started on her way out of the port city. As she approached the gate, she noticed a small crowd gathered there—probably travelers banding together to travel to Kaitzur. She thought momentarily about joining them, but decided against it. Even without most of her fonic artes, she still had enough fighting experience to hold her own in a fight. Quickly, she double-checked her throwing knives in their holster her staff which was secured by a belt to her back. Both were satisfactory, so she proceeded to the gate.

As she passed through the gate, she noticed a tall red-head leaning against one of the columns. Tear shouldered past the crowd, trying to get a better look. She was almost certain it was him.

"Luke!"

The red-head turned at the sound of his name. Tear waved, struggling to make her way through the crowd without jostling anyone too badly. His eyes scanned the crowd for a few long moments. At first, it seemed as though he did not see her, but then his eyes met hers and a wide grin spread across his face.

She thought she heard him call her name, but she couldn't be certain. She was too busy drinking in the sight of him. It felt like so long since she had last seen him that, for a moment, she found herself wondering if he had grown taller, for he seemed to stand far above and beyond the crowd. His hair was still long, but he had pulled it back and tied it loosely at his neck. His outfit had changed yet again. Gone was the long white cloak that he had been so fond of since his return from Eldrant. Now he wore a waist length red coat that buttoned up the front and black gloves, pants and boots. Though this too had changed about him, his eyes were still the same as she remembered—the same vibrant green that was unique to most members of the Kimlascan Royal family.

Before she came to her senses, he had cut through to where she was standing and had wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her to him and had buried his face in the soft slope of her neck and shoulder. All the muscles in her body seemed to relax and once, and her bags fell, unnoticed, from her hands. Curious onlookers backed away, giving them space, if not privacy. She paid them little heed, however, and he, apparently, paid them no heed whatsoever.

"I missed you, Tear," he said quietly, his words muffled by her shoulder. "It feels like forever since I last saw you."

She smiled to herself and brought her arms up around him, returning his embrace. "Idiot," she murmured, "it's only been a few weeks since you were last in Yulia City."

He was right, however; it did indeed feel like an eternity since they had last seen each other. Though they had managed to spend more time together since their engagement, they still occasionally found themselves going their separate ways because of business. A few weeks ago, he had received a summons from—of all people—Jade who had requested his presence in Grand Chokmah. What for, Luke had not said, but from the immediacy with which he had departed Yulia City, she could only presume that it was important. He had been gone since then, and she had not heard anything from him until his letter had arrived. Maybe now that they had met up, he would fill her in on the details of his meeting with Jade. If he didn't, however, she wouldn't push the matter. Everyone had their secrets sometimes.

He pulled back, blushing when he realized that everyone in the area was watching them. "But, still, it's really good to see you. I'm so glad you came after all."

She gave him a look. "Why wouldn't I come to see you when you asked?"

He seemed to think for a long moment before giving a nervous laugh. She could have sworn she felt a migraine rear its ugly head for a moment at that laugh. Something was up—what it was, only time would tell.

"I just thought," he said quickly, as though trying to salvage the situation, "that you wouldn't want to travel—I know how you feel about it."

"True," she said with a smile, "I don't like traveling. But, surprisingly, this trip wasn't that bad."

"That's great," he said. "I'm glad it went well."

"But, I thought I was supposed to meet you at Kaitzur," she said, confused.

His face colored several shades, and he glanced away, coughing nervously. "Ah…I thought it would be better if I didn't keep you waiting, so I figure I'd come and meet you. Besides, we can get to where we're going from here just as easily as from Kaitzur." He hesitated for a moment. "That, and I…reallywantedtoseeyou."

He said the last part so quickly that it took her a moment to comprehend what he had said. When she did, however, she found herself blushing furiously. For a long moment, she couldn't think of what to say, so she ended up silently placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her.

"You must be hungry," she said, "let's go find a place to eat. We can catch up over lunch."

He nodded. "I'm starved!" he agreed. "How did you know? Oh! And I can explain why I wanted you to come here."

She nodded and smiled. "All right. Let's find a restaurant. There are plenty around here."

He brightened up suddenly. "I know this great seafood place around here!" he suggested.

She couldn't help laughing at his enthusiasm. "Let's go then," she said with a nod.

He extended his hand to her, and she took it, letting him lead her through the crowd in the direction of the port.

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Author's Note:

Ah! Here it is! The first part of The Second Hand of Fate! I had originally planned this fic to be a oneshot, but, as I started writing, I decided I should make this a multi-chapter fic. It's probably going to be about 3-5 chapters. I'll try to make the chapters longer than this so that I'll finish in time.

Also, it's been a while since I played the game and since I wrote the last fic, so, if I've gotten any major details wrong, please, feel free to let me know. Also, if anyone knows Luke's favorite food, please let me know. I couldn't remember for the life of me, but I remember vaguely that they mentioned it somewhere in the game.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to writing more of this fic. I intend to finish this story by the beginning of January. I'll do my best to stick to that. Until next time!