PLEASE READ! This is in response to AnnamaeTezuka'a 100-Theme Challenge on Deviantart. I will be doing ALL 100 themes though I will try to do them along with my other in-progress stories. I will not be posting them in any particular order, excluding Theme #100, which will be the last one I post. Each theme will be posted as a separate story, and not all will be in the same fandom. I will try to keep it varied on the fandoms, but these will be mostly based in whatever fandom holds my interest at the moment. It also will take a long time to get each story posted as I am a wonderful procrastinator! ^.^'

Adriannu255: So, I woke up at 4:52 am today, and had the sudden to write. I dragged myself out of bed grabbed my writing materials and stumbled into the living room, sat next to the window, and began to write this… My first Tales of the Abyss fic! And it is about a massively underappreciated and unknown pairing: Jade/Tear! Yes, you read that right! It is not a typo! Jade Curtiss and Tear Grants! This is one of my favorite pairings of all time and I figured it was about time I contributed to their miniscule fan base. I apologize in advance for any OOCness!

Also, this was inspired by LifeEqualsMusic's fic, Your Eyes. If you haven't read it, do so now! It is wonderfully written!

One last note before starting: this is set in Episode 12 of the anime, the morning after Guy has revealed his past, and before the group has gone to meet Emperor Peony. Now, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the 100-Theme Challenge. That belongs to AnnamaeTezuka on Deviantart. Tales of the Abyss belongs to Namco. If I owned TotA, I wouldn't have to worry about not being able to pay off my student loans, now would I!

Theme #3: Sunrise

Grand Chokmah, the Floating Capital…

It was still dark outside, but Tear knew the sun would be rising soon. She had never been able to see the sunrise or sunset over the horizon when living in Yulia City. Such sights were always blocked by miasma and the Outer Lands in the Qliphoth. That is why after coming to the Outer Lands, Tear always secretly admired these wonderful sights when she saw them. Before coming to the Outer Lands, she had only seen pictures, and when she was visiting Daath for the first time at the age of fourteen, she saw her first sunrise and sunset and realized the pictures did not do them justice…

It was for this reason that Tear was leaving the Curtiss mansion at the crack of dawn to go watch the sunrise. The Colonel had graciously allowed them to stay at his home in the city, rather than unnecessarily wasting money at the inn. As an added bonus, they would be getting free breakfast out of it, so no one objected to his offer.

"Leaving so early, Tear?" a smooth voice questioned as she closed the front door. "We won't be meeting with Emperor Peony until after breakfast, you know?"

"Colonel Curtiss," Tear quickly turned and saw Jade standing a few feet away, in front of the mansion. She hadn't seen him at first as he was not wearing his uniform. He was clothed only in the black dress shirt and pants that he wore beneath his uniform and his boots. Considering the darkness of both his clothes and his surroundings, it was no wonder she could not see him immediately. Caught off guard by his appearance, Tear stumbled over her words, "I-I was just…uh…" she hesitated to reveal what she was doing at such an early hour. She had managed to hide it from everyone throughout their travels thus far. She looked away from him.

"…You want to watch the sunrise, right?" Jade questioned. Tear whipped her head back up to look at the Malkuthian Colonel. How had he…? Jade laughed quietly at Tear's shocked expression. "You're easy for me to read, Tear. And, also, you've been discreetly watching the sunrises and sunsets every chance you get."

Tear sighed and, once again, looked away to hide the embarrassed blush that began to spread across her cheeks. "I should have known that you would take notice after finding out that I'm from the Qliphoth, Colonel."

"To tell the truth, I noticed before then. I just took more notice after you and Luke rejoined us," Jade admitted with a grin. His grin slowly faded to a frown. "And Tear?"

"Hmm?" Tear tilted her head slightly, reeling a little from the fact that Jade had been watching her so closely while they travelled.

"Please, call me Jade," Jade sighed. "You don't have to address me so formally." He placed a hand against his forehead wearily. "Especially, when it's just the two of us."

"But, you're-" Tear was quick to object, but Jade turned his back on her sighing again in…was that disappointment? She cautiously approached him and when she reached his side, she took a moment to study the Malkuthian's features. He certainly did not have the look of a 35-year-old. He had the look of a man in his mid-twenties, at most. Tear had to admit, he was very attractive man. If only his personality was as pleasant as his appearance… As he leaned against the railing, Tear moved her gaze from his face to his arms, noting how well-toned they were. His work in the military definitely kept him in shape. She found herself wondering, to her embarrassment, how it would feel to have those strong arms holding her against his hard chest… Stop it, Tear! she yelled inwardly at her racing mind. In an effort to stop thinking about that she looked back at his face and saw the rather frustrated look in his blood-red eyes, gazing to the east from behind his glasses, and remembered his request. "Alright…Jade…" she finally relented, "but only when it's just the two of us. Is that acceptable?"

Jade's young-for-his-age features softened as he smiled, a genuine smile for once, as he answered, "Yes, it is."

A small amount of light caught Tear's eyes. She turned her head, following Jade's gaze with her own. A yellow glow was outlining the horizon, beginning to push back the navy blue of early dawn. Tear smiled unconsciously as she watched. It seemed to take an eternity for the sun itself to appear. But as it did, Tear was surprised when she felt a cold wind rush in from the sea, chilling her bare arms and hands and through her uniform. She shivered, though she tried to hide it, by wrapping her arms around herself. She was startled, yet didn't protest, as Jade placed his arm, rather hesitantly, around her shoulders. She moved closer to him in an effort to get warm. Her mind immediately rushed back to its earlier train of thought… This does feel nice… she admitted to herself, as her blush intensified to such a degree she was certain Jade would be able to feel it through his shirt. Trying not to focus on how close she was standing to Jade of all people, she returned her gaze to the sunrise.

By now, the top half of the sun was visible over the sea, its brilliance reflecting off the surface of the water and painting it various shades of yellow, gold, and orange. The sea and sky seemed to blend into one creating the illusion of a wave of fire towering over them. The horizon was glowing beautifully, and the Floating Capital began to glow just like to sea, the water surrounding and flowing throughout the city causing the light of the sun to be reflected into every corner, every alley, and every home.

She did not know how long they stood there, silently watching the sunrise together, but the sun had fully risen by the time Tear came back to her senses. She quickly backed away from Jade who, sensing her discomfort with their current position, allowed his arm to fall from her shoulders. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few moments.

Faster than tear could react, Jade approached her and gave her a very brief, chaste kiss on her cheek. Without a word of explanation or a glance back, he walked back inside.

Tear stood frozen staring after Jade. She slowly lifted her hand and placed it against her cheek. She could not imagine how red her face must be now, considering how hot it felt against her cold hand. She briefly entertained the idea that she had imagined the kiss. It was so brief and fleeting, but the feeling his soft lips left on her skin felt real enough. She knew she had not imagined what had just transpired. Colonel Jade Curtiss, Jade the Necromancer, had kissed her cheek in the light of the sunrise…

Adriannu255: Okay, before you yell at me, yes I know Jade was OOC! I have plans to explain that in another theme! I will also be doing a continuation of this with another chapter and then again with another theme! We seriously need more Jade/Tear on this site! Please review! I love reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy! I especially appreciate constructive criticism, but not flames!