Lullaby
Disclaimer - Sophia is still in the game, so, unfortunately, I do not own it.
Notes - Oh, this fic is so old. O.o From when I started Star Ocean. I just never got to uploading it.
Hope the pairing isn't too weird. 3 Personally, I prefer Arbel x Fate, but yeah.
You can even tell how old it is, because now I write Fate and Arbel and Nokia. :shot:
--
It all started when Meena found a man lying outside our village.
"Niklas… Niklas?" she called me as I exited the general store her regarding him with curious, large eyes, and circling him like a vulture. "There's a stranger here."
He was strange indeed. His hair was colored a pale blue, like the sky, and was clothed in a white vest open at the top, the space baring his breastbone. Even after I had taken the time to carry him back, they did not want to keep him here. None of us had ever seen clothes like this before. They were most certainly not native to Whipple, or any other nearby village, but his general appearance closely resembled Lord Norton, sparking great fear in the others.
Their only thought was to shun him, hide from him, take his weapons, in fear that he might try and take over as well. Meena did not seem to want to, holding closely to the man and pulling at my arm. The chief nodded at my sister, who glanced pleadingly back at me. I sighed and made to heave the man onto my back.
His warm, steady breath tickled my neck, making me feel slightly lightheaded and warm. He was not heavy at all, despite the fact that he was almost twice my size. When we reached the house (our village is not very big) I set him down on my bed. Meena and I stood watching him for a while. I guess we were curious about the person who was so different from ourselves. I wondered if he could understand us.
The man slept until morning, when Meena went in to see how he was faring. She called me over when she found he was awake.
He introduced himself to us- Fayt Leingod, and knew nothing about Lord Norton. I still did not trust him completely after he answered my questions, but Meena took to him quickly. Fayt was quite determined… he wanted to get up immediately, but I made him stay. His wounds were not completely healed, so he would be very vulnerable alone in the woods. Dejectedly lying back after he discovered his own disabilities firsthand, he sank back into his sleep.
Meena went to her friends house to play while I stayed back to take care of our guest. Fayt was so peaceful-looking as he slept in my bed; pale chest rising and falling evenly, azure hair covering his eyes and moving ever so slightly with the his controlled, gentle breathing. His hair was so soft and silky against my fingers as I stroked it lightly, hoping he would not wake up while I was by his side. My hand moved down to his cheek. It, too, was soft- warm and smooth. His head leaned into my touch, a smile forming on his lips, making my breath catch in my throat. Suddenly, I felt uneasy.
At first, I thought I might be sick, so I went to the villages doctor to ask if there was anything wrong with me. I returned to our house with a completely bill of health, the kind lady telling me that I was probably just going through some emotional stress, and asking me what I had been doing the preceding days. I shook my head and thanked her, escaping back to the house. Meena was back already, asking me why I had been gone. I reassured her calmly, telling her that I had only gone to the doctors for a bit.
I was feeling uncomfortable, knowing that Fayt was still in our house, his mere presence making my stomach flit, so I told Meena that I was going for a walk to clear my head. She did not even turn to look at me as she spoke her understanding, taking our parents broken music box from the shelf and studied it closely, trying to make it work. I smiled and walked out the door.
For a while I wandered through the woods, evading monsters and taking moments to glare down the road to where I knew Lord Norton was hiding. A trio of corrupted Whippilians guarded the path. I shook my head disapprovingly and soon went back to the house. Meena was still studying the box, as she does almost every day, and I went to join her. I was back just in time for Fayt to awaken once more. He could get up now, and found the two of us with our box.
"What's that?"
I explained it to him and more, telling the stories about the box, my parents, and Lord Norton, wondering all the time where he came from. I received a surprise at the end of my speech.
"Let me see it."
It took me a few seconds to process what he had said, though Meena understood and automatically handed him the music box. He looked inside, muttering a bit to himself, and---
"I could fix it for you."
I stuttered, asking where he could get the parts, telling him how it was much too expensive and begging him to not go through the trouble for us. He disagreed, replying and saying that it was in return for his salvation.
Besides, Meena's eyes were sparkling, the expression almost completely mirrored in Fayt. He seemed happy to do it for us.
His smile was wonderful as he waved to us and told us he would be back shortly, after he had fetched the parts. I watched his retreating back, clad in the slightly dirty, white outfit he donned. Fayt's back was slim, fit, and almost girlish. His hips seemed to taper out, similar to a woman's, and his hair was longish and straight, gasping across his neck in the most feminine way. My fingers ached to touch it once more.
I wonder if it was… how to say… love at first sight.
A while afterwards, I finally came back to my senses. My mind was screaming at me, Niklas! You can't just let him go out there and get parts himself! He's helping you, right? You should help him too. Having him try to find the right pieces to fix your possession alone, when he's rebuilding the very thing that you hold dearest for the person you love most…
I pulled on my boots, told Meena to go back to her friend's, and ran out the door.
--
Vaguely I could recall getting caught in a fight with some of Lord Norton's henchmen, Whippilians who had turned to their side. I had been jailed, and then rescued by Fayt, who had laid me to safety (with many an odd, pleasurable feeling for me in my chest) as he began a fight with Lord Norton as I drifted off into unconsciousness.
And I was still half-asleep, feeling the weight of Meena resting on my body as she sobbed in her sleep, dreaming nightmares that I couldn't soothe at the time. I felt weak and tired, the strain of my harsh treatment at Norton's hideout finally setting in. I could sense Fayt nearby, hearing strange clicking and snapping sounds coming from the bedside table.
"I'm sorry we couldn't say goodbye." I could hear him say softly.
And then-
There were only footsteps, and the faint melody of a music box…