AN: A fic exchange with Divine Wolfe. Based on the Ion Gaiden, but I took some artistic liberties as well. I actually really liked writing this one (even if it took me forever and a day to finish it). Wish I could expand on it a little. Contains slight stockholm syndrome.

Summary: The domestication of Arietta the Beast. "You are the one who taught the human language to her."

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

Suite- an instrumental piece consisting of several shorter pieces

The room was a mess.

Papers torn from their respective covers were scattered across the floor and the door and walls bore deep lacerations in the shape of claws. Ion eyes the ripped curtains and overturned furniture with a calm demeanor. Perhaps he should have listened when they offered to lock her up in the dungeons and bind her limbs. She was surprising strong for someone of her size.

The object of his curiosity was crouched in the corner, panting like a beast and watching him closely for any suspicious movement. Tangled in her long pink hair, she looks at him with such ferocity in her eyes that he would not be surprised if she bit him again.

"Are you done yet?" Ion asks quietly.

He closes the scratched-up door and notices how she flinches at the sound of the slam. Her guard falters.

"My name is Ion," he continues, "and I would like to make you my Guardian." (But he really wants to make her his pet.) He makes full eye contact with the girl, never blinking or looking away, and focuses all of his attention to her with a expressionless smile on his face.

She shows no signs of understanding at first, having little to no knowledge of the human language, but she can comprehend that he was her only escape. She bows her head in defeat and looks at him with eyes that pleaded, Please, let me out of here. She struggles to speak with lips so accustomed to the language of the beasts:

"...I-Ion."

Ion only smiles and bends down to pat her head. "Yes, but you may call me Ion-sama."