So I've got this idea in my head for a long time now and I've finally wrote it out. Please be warned that updates will be slow. Also, I normally write humor one-shots so this is something new to me. I hope that you enjoy this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss.
It started with a boy named Luke.
When he returned home after being kidnapped, his memories were lost and forever gone.
A year later, the headaches started.
A month later, he started hearing voices.
Luke did not like the first voice. It always hurt when it tried to talk to him with disjointed words that made no sense. No doctors could explain it nor could they cure him and nothing could make that pain go away when it came.
But the second voice, Luke liked the second voice.
[I'm Luke, what's your name?]
[I...I don't have one.]
[Why not?]
[It didn't belong to me so I gave it back.]
Luke was sad for the nameless voice but that was fine, Luke was more than happy enough to give it one.
[What do you look like?]
[Well, for starters, I have red hair like you.]
[Oh! I know! Your name can be Red!]
[Like the colour of our hair?]
[Yeah!]
[I would like that.]
The voice became known as Red.
Red was a man with a gentle and kind voice, much like Luke's mother that he loved and cherished so much.
Luke loved the stories Red told, stories of his companions, stories of his adventures and stories of the world beyond the walls of Luke's home.
[Will you tell me the story where you trek through a volcano?]
[The one with a dragon at the end?]
[Yeah, that one!]
[Okay, but you have to finish your math homework first.]
[Aww…]
Two years later, Luke met Red in his dreams. The man stood atop a field of flowers, bluish-white as they glowed under the moonlight. His long red hair stood out against the dark blue sky, like a lick of flame in the darkness. Luke's hair was similar to the man but the man's one was darker at the tips. The man's hair was also much longer and tied up into a ponytail.
Red was gazing out into the sea, his back facing against Luke.
"You shouldn't be here," Red spoke, not turning around.
"S-sorry. I'll leave now," Luke said, looking around for a way out.
Red laughed before turning around to face Luke. "I was joking, it's fine for you to stay," he said, smiling gently at Luke.
'His eyes are so pretty,' Luke thought to himself as he stared into Red's emerald eyes, forgetting about his earlier objective.
"Thanks, I think your eyes are pretty too," Red said, blushing a little.
Luke blinked and realised that he had said it out loud before turning red in embarrassment. He apologized profusely to the man but he waved it off with a laugh, saying that he did not mind the compliment at all.
Red sat down on the field of flowers (Selenia flowers as Luke learned later) and gestured to Luke to sit beside him. Luke hurriedly sat down beside the man and they both stared at the ocean waves.
"Red?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you look like me?"
"Hmm, maybe it's because we're somewhat related."
"Are you my big brother then?"
"Not exactly…"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'll explain when you're older."
"What? No fair!"
Red laughed and the two of them talked about various things until Luke woke up from his sleep. Fearing that it wasn't real at all, Luke tried to talk to Red.
[Red, are you there?]
[What's up?]
[That wasn't a dream right?]
[Nope, did you wished that it is?]
[No! I'm really glad I met you Red. Let's meet again!]
[I look forward to it.]
Luke frequently visits Red in his dreams after that.
A day after one of their meetings in the dreams, Luke found out that Red could share his feelings with Luke. It was during Luke's history lesson when he could feel Red's amusement when he kept complaining about the usefulness of history.
[I expected it to happen eventually. Our fon slots are the same and we are both connected. Our emotions were bound to leak out.]
[What's a fon slot?]
[Well...if you finish that chapter you're on, I'll explain it to you, okay?]
He did explain it but Luke still did not understand, but what he did understand is that it means that he's closer to Red now.
The people surrounding Luke did not believe in Red's existence. They thought that it was due to Luke's loneliness that he had created an imaginary friend. He would get over it as he gets older they all said. Luke did not like those people.
[Hatred is a strong emotion. Hatred without controls grows over time and eventually it infects everything and soon, it wouldn't just be hating one thing but hating everything.]
[Red, have you ever hated anyone?]
[No, I've never hated others. Dislike yes, we can't always get along with others. But hate? No, I don't hate them. After all, I'm the one who is being hated.]
[But I don't hate you! I like you!]
[Thanks Luke.]
Luke swore that he would protect Red from hatred.
(Even if it meant that people would hate him instead.)
There were a few people Red would react strongly with. One of them was Van.
"I am Van Grants and I will be your sword instructor from now on."
When Luke first met Van, he could feel Red's sadness and anger over their connection and there was nothing Luke could do to help him.
[Van is someone you can't trust. I promise that I will tell you someday...So please for now, will you trust me?]
Luke listens to Red because he trusts Red.
Another person was his personal servant, Guy. Luke felt familial warmth radiating from Red every time Luke interacts with Guy.
[I had a friend who is like Guy. He's my best friend.]
Luke made an effort to get close to Guy, even if he had to argue with the head butler every step of the way. As it turns out, Guy is a really cool person to be around. Luke enjoyed Guy's company and having Red be happy at the same time was a bonus.
The other person was his fiance, Natalia. He felt fondness from Red.
[Natalia reminded me of someone I held close to me. She's like a sister to me.]
Luke always talked to Natalia whenever she came to visit. Even if he disliked hearing her complain about everything he did or didn't know or do.
And Red would always smile in amusement when he complains about her.
As Luke grew older, Red began teaching him about artes in the dream world. Red made Luke promised that he would not use those artes to deliberately hurt others and to use them to protect himself and those he cared about. Red also made Luke promise not to show them off to others.
[Artes are not for showing off, Luke. Yes, they look pretty but these artes are dangerous. And the more people know that you can use them, the more likely one of them is going to use you for them.]
Luke thinks Red is too paranoid but he still listens to him.
Eventually, the lessons on artes began to include sword fighting.
[Van is teaching you wrongly on purpose, he's barely teaching you the basics. Someday, this lack of knowledge is going to get you killed and I refuse to let that happen.]
Luke enjoyed all these sessions. He also made sure not to show off his new skills and knowledge, lest Van found out about them. After all, he promised Red.
Luke was a bad liar however, try as he might, he would be found out one day. His saving grace would be that of all the people to find out about his advanced knowledge of sword fighting and artes, it was Guy.
"Luke, what are you doing here?"
"N-Nothing!"
"Now that's fishy. I saw you fire off an ice arte, since when have you known that?"
"Guy...I wasn't...I can't…"
"Luke, calm down! Breathe. Breathe with me okay? In, out."
"Guy, you can't tell anyone else alright? Especially Van. Promise me that please. Promise me please."
"I...okay. Okay, I promise. I swear that I won't tell anyone, especially Van. Luke, it's okay if you don't want to tell me."
"But I want to, it's so hard not to tell others. Do you know who Red is?"
"Sounds familiar, is he your imaginary friend?"
"He's not imaginary! He's real! How dare you say that of him!"
"I...Sorry, that was rude of me…"
"It's fine…"
"So who's Red?"
"Well, I met him when…"
Guy took it well enough and true to his words, he told no one of Red. Red too, wasn't upset that Guy found out.
[It was bound to happen. You couldn't lie your way out of that cookie jar two years ago, there's no way you could've lied your way out of that.]
[Hey! You promised to forget about that incident!]
[Sorry Luke, I lied.]
[Red!]
Guy soon joined Luke during his arte practices in the real world. He helped divert attention away from Luke during those practice sessions and he helped cover any incidents when Luke inevitably misfires his artes.
"Luke, this is already the fourth time you've set fire to those tulips. I'm running out of excuses as to why the ground around the tulips is scorched and the flowers completely charred."
"But Guy, I almost have this down!"
Guy would sometimes ask about Red and Luke would always be happy to help pass any questions over to Red. However, sometimes he wished that Guy could talk to Red directly.
[It doesn't work that way. Guy and I are two different people, our fon slots don't match since we don't share the same fonon signatures.]
[But you can talk to me…]
[We are special Luke. Someday, I will explain to you so please, can you wait until then?]
[I understand Red.]
(Luke really wants to know why but he will wait until then because Red promised him.)
It was another year later when Luke found out that Red could control his body through their connection.
It was a day after a heavy storm and Luke had not been paying attention, too focused on figuring out how to use fourth fonons with his sword artes. A broken branch came loose when a strong gust of wind blew and was falling straight towards Luke. Luke may not have been paying attention but Red was. With a cry of Luke's name, Red took over Luke's body and leaped away from the spot. The branch fell to the ground and the redhead stared at the shattered piece of wood.
When the adrenaline wore off, Luke was thankful to Red and relieved that he was still alive. Red however, was horrified. He kept apologising to Luke even though Luke kept telling him that it was okay and that he's fine.
Red didn't talk to Luke for two days.
When Red came back, Luke apologised to Red because he thought it was his fault.
[No Luke, it's not your fault. I was in the wrong.]
[But you left and I was so worried that you wouldn't come back!]
[I'm sorry, I won't do that again. I just...I thought that you would hate me too. I took over your body without your permission, I'm sorry.]
[No, it's okay! You did it to save me! I'm glad!]
[Luke…]
[Just...Just don't do that again okay? Promise me that you won't run away please. Talk to me Red. Just don't leave me behind.]
[I promise, Luke.]
Red never asks to use Luke's body, so Luke usually pushes Red into using it.
[I don't get how you're never bored in here, there's nothing to do. You should get out more often, Red.]
Red never liked to be in control but he never complains when Luke forces him to take control. And when Luke finally asks Red for the reason why, he regrets asking after he felt the immense guilt coming from Red.
[I almost killed the people I cherished because someone took control of my body. When I lost control of my power, many people died. It's my fault, it's all my fault…]
Luke may have regretted asking Red that question, but he does not regret the smile that Red shows when Red could finally talk to Guy face-to-face.
On the day of Luke's fifteenth birthday, Red called Luke into the dream world.
"Luke, I think it's time we talked."