To The Death

a/n: Hey you guys! This is my first fic posted here… just kinda figuring things out. Just some notes on the story- this is a oneshot alnel (though it may not seem like it at first) if Fayt and Cliff had not landed and messed things up… and it's my first try at action! Yaaaay! I only wish it had come out as good as it was in my head… isn't that just life? Anyway, I haven't played SO2 in a while (because I beat Luther and then in the FINAL FMV the game freezes up! ARGG!), so the moves might not be completely accurate, and Albel may be a little OC, but that's because I figure he'd be a little more crazy and open when in battle (because he's a BEAST! Okay, done now ). I would really like reviews to help me improve my writing (and to make me feel better), but don't be too hard, okay? Thank you so much for reading (and reviewing, eh? EH!)!

-bucky

Disclaimer: I live in a cardboard box… and I don't even own that.

This is the last day of my life.

Somehow Nel knew it all along, knew from the moment the Queen had called her to the audience chamber. After the official declaration of war, Nel and her best friend/ superior officer Clair walked coldly side by side to their chambers.

"Nel…" Clair murmured, halting her friend in the doorframe.

"Nel, I-!"

The red-haired woman turned without warning to envelope Clair in her arms, but she was to late. Clair was already crying before her head rested on the soldier's shoulder, sobbing into armor.

"I can't! I don't think I'm strong enough for this! If Aquaria loses to Airyglyph… I can't lead the Shield Legion! What will happen… if we fail?"

The warrior silently stroked her friend's silver hair. "Clair," she began softly, but strongly, "we will both- we will all fight for Aquaria as best we can. There is nothing more that we can give." Nel pushed Clair away to look into her eyes, hands on her shaking shoulders. "You will live through this. I promise we will both live through this!"

Clair blinked away lingering tears. "Yes, Nel- promise me you'll live. Please, because apart from my colleague and soldier… you are my best friend! We have been together since our childhood! I have never been without you!"

Tears filled the once-dry eyes of Nel. She was not so sad for her own death; she had been dulled to it countless times in battle… those she killed, those who died beside her. But seeing what her death would do to Clair, to her closest friend… Nel lost her never-ending will to fight in that moment.

Assembling all the Legions in Arias, watching Tynave and Farleen sob quietly, seeing the hopeless look on Clair's tired face-- the cold wind whipping at her hair could not chill the redhead more. Most likely they would all die. Most likely Airyglyph would succeed in taking over. Aquaria was strong from afar, but going into straight-out battle was certain death against the physically stronger Airyglyph soldiers. Plus they were out numbered, and they had not finished the Thunder Arrow-- Aquaria's secret weapon.

All the same, Nel put on her determined face, striding strongly among the weak-kneed runologysts around her. She must at least act strong.

Today is the last day of my life, but that doesn't mean I can't take down a hundred Airyglyph soldiers with me.

One hundred sounded about right for a goal. She hoped it wasn't too small of a number.

Clair, as Commander of the Shield Legion, hollered an order forcing the troops to march out, onto the terrain of the Aire/ Kirsla Hills. A hand on her upper arm stopped Nel. "I have a special assignment for you from the Queen," Clair muttered lowly, "you are to take out as many soldiers as possible before going after Lord Vox- head of the Dragon Brigade."

The runologyst nodded. Of course, the Queen would want to effectively save as many lives as possible. Hers was a suicide mission, yes, but maybe Nel could take out Vox before death too came upon her.

"And-" Clair was not finished, and the worry was now obvious in her voice. "Nel, please… remember what you promised!"

The women looked into each other's eyes, for a moment girls again.

"I promise" Nel said, smiling slightly.

Liar she whispered in her head as she turned to leave.

This battle is to the death.

The dust that covered the terrain did not cloud around her boots as Nel stalked through the battlefield, weighed down by the rain and fog. Rain, fog-- and blood. Already bodies lay, eyes wide, mouths gaping, as water pooled in the folds of their contorted bodies.

An Airyglyph soldier, finishing off a runologyst male, spotted her and charged with a yell.

She stood still until the soldier was a yard away, slicing through his armor with a flourish of her dagger. He stood for a moment--stunned--before coughing up blood and falling to the ground.

One.

Two soldiers not far away heard the impact and turned around to see the woman flick the blood off her blade. "Ready to die!" the bigger one screamed, running towards her with his friends in pursuit. Nel held out the palm of her hand, mumbling things under her breath. Within seconds, the clouds above the men parted, sending out a ray of lightening. The force split above them, forming an orb of pure destructive energy, and shocked them to death. Their bodies let out a faint smoke as Nel stepped over them.

Two. Three.

The dull thunder of screams and orders reached Nel-- she must have been close to the middle of the battlegrounds. Bending her body low to the ground, the redhead dashed towards the noise. She reached the top of a hill, and looking down through the thick mist saw the source of the most gruesome noise. One man, not armored like the other Airyglyph soldiers but a soldier nonetheless, fought six Aquarian runologysts- and was winning easily.

She could not help but stand up straight as she watched the struggle. This man fought so gracefully-- completely different from anyone from Airyglyph she had met through her many infiltration missions in the Secret Legion. It was like a dance; the way he handled his katana, how his two thin braids twirled behind him, his manic smile through the whole performance. He was so thin and his skin was so fair, yet the way his face contorted in pleasure she was sure he was not so innocent. If his face weren't splattered with blood, Nel contemplated, he might be beautiful.

She had never seen him before, yet she knew who he was.

He is Albel the Wicked, she thought, and I want to fight him.

Nel's back shrunk forward as an unbearable heat enveloped her body from behind. Shit! I let down my guard! She gritted her teeth as she whirled around, crouched and her dagger came up in front of her face to defend against the next attack. A mounted soldier from the Dragon Brigade had snuck up on her. How stupid and weak I must have looked, staring with my mouth open at the Captain of the Black Brigade-- a perfect target! Nel accused in her mind.

As she had foreseen, her opponent swung his heavy sword down at Nel, connecting with her raised dagger. Nel's legs trembled with the sudden weight as she pushed it off. With the opportunity made from such a distraction, Nel side-rolled away before flipping onto the low-flying dragon from behind. When the soldier recovered his balance and realized what had happened, Nel had already slipped her dagger around his throat, effectively slicing it open. His crimson blood dripped lazily onto his steed and stained the saddle.

Four.

The lifeless and messy body hit the dust with only a low, hollow thud. Uncertainly, Nel took the dragon's reins in her hand. The dragon, realizing what befell its master, began to shake and screech in an attempt to get rid of the imposter. "You stupid dragon! This is why Aquarians hate riding these Apris-forsaken beasts!" Nel cursed at the dragon through her teeth and dug her boots into its sides with all her strength. The Crimson Blade knew a dragon would reach Albel the fastest, maybe saving several more Aquarian soldiers from certain death.

With several more kicks, the dragon slowly rose to the air. It shook its head wildly and swerved from side to side. Nel had little control over it, but luckily it was going the right way.

No. It was going too far.

Now how to make you stop, you FLYING PIECE OF CRAP! Nel was not enjoying her ride in the wind and rain as the dragon barrel-rolled to get her off itself. With an evil smile, Nel plunged her dagger into the dragon's neck. With a piercing scream, it spiraled downwards. Thirty feet from the ground, Nel jumped from the dragon and dropped into a roll to avoid further injury. The dragon hit the ground ten feet from her, instantly dead. She stood to her full height to face the stunned soldiers from both sides around her, brushing the dirt and dried blood from the front of her uniform.

Five. Wait, do dragons count?

As she glanced up, the soldiers around her scattered, revealing Albel Nox, crushing a female runalogyst's throat with his gauntlet. He let her lifeless body fall in a pile, nudging it away with his foot. He looked up.

His crimson eyes stabbed her own with their pure blood lust.

Six.

His bloody gauntlet dripped as he looked down at his kill: another piece of Aquarian scum. A snort of disgust caused him to look up.

All he could see were huge pools of emerald, filled with hatred.

I… want them.

Such an illogical, strange thought… but Albel wasn't one for thinking in battle. He just acted on what he wanted, which was always more blood. He never tried to restrain these urges on the battlefield; it was the only place where his true self was free.

So he didn't question himself and set out to make them his. Albel smirked at his prey, taking her in completely before he destroyed her. The wind blew her tussled hair across her beautiful face, the dried blood blended with its crimson color. A spatter of blood crossed her cheeks and the top of her nose like freckles. Her uniform was barely torn, but dirty and a little disheveled, revealing red painted runes carved all the way up her fair legs. She stood in the ready position, untrusting and prepared to attack. And her eyes- they radiated hate and determination, but more than that. Her eyes held every emotion in that moment, and yet were calm…

This is complete nonsense. I don't care what she looks like; I just want the maggot's eyes on a plate.

Albel regained his composure as he stood up straight and flicked his sword clean of blood.

"Albel Nox!"

Her voice was sweet and determined, and Albel found himself wanting it, too.

"I don't have much time, so I will have to kill you quickly, if you don't mind."

He snorted. What a cocky bitch! But he would not have it any other way. She was Aquarian, after all.

"Worm! Don't be so confident. No one has ever beaten me, let alone Aquarian scum!"

She spoke evenly, unfazed. "Oh? Then where is your arm?"

The Captain flinched and instinctively brought his gauntlet closer to him. How did she-! Oh, of course she doesn't know about the Ascension of the Flame. It's obvious I lost my arm, but she doesn't know how!

"You really shouldn't bluff, you know. I will kill you without mercy, even if you claim to be your silly God in the flesh."

The crimson-haired warrior narrowed her eyes. "How dare you be so cocky as to spurn the sacred name of Apris! Now I will destroy you!"

Albel snorted again. Aquarian scum. "Enough chatter, woman. If you say you will destroy me, do so now!"

Albel the Wicked spread his arms, as if to welcome any attack. The woman glared at him so hard he was surprised two holes weren't burned into his own eyes. Even wishing death on him, Albel could not help but want to hold her cheek in his hand, or to touch her blood red locks as they brushed against her eyelashes. Before I crush her face, anyway.

The shaggy-haired man was so surprised and puzzled by his own head that he almost forgot to sidestep the object of his thoughts as she sent a jet of lightning towards him.

Albel's manic laughter sent chills down every spine, Airyglyphian or Aquairian, within range. "All right, let's play, fool!"

Albel charged at the woman, the fury visible through a green force field surrounding him as he ran. At the last moment, she dodged, cart wheeling to the left before performing her own attack.

"Shockwave!" she yelled as her red fury ripped up through the ground towards Albel. The man, having regained enough energy after his previous attack, blocked it with his gauntlet. However, by the time he looked up, she was gone. He heard a war cry above him and, looking up, he saw her charging at him from the air. He was only just fast enough to catch her outstretched dagger with his gauntlet, then her second with his katana. With no more force to keep her up in the air, she fell face-first into Albel's chest. Ripping her hands free from the man's clutch, she pushed off from him, landing ten feet away in a crouched, ready position. She was barely breathing hard.

For a worm, she sure is fast… Not that I'll let her know that.

"Pft, you retreat so readily. I thought you were going to fight me."

Fire sprung up in her eyes, but the Aquarian soldier did not move more than a twitch of her muscles. "I was giving you a turn to attack, since you have only defended this whole time" she replied coolly.

The sides of Albel's thin mouth curled upwards in a twisted grin. If I didn't hate this wench so much, I might like her. He sighed. "Too bad such a pretty face has to die so early in life."

The 'pretty face' faltered. "Wh- what are you talking about!" Her face blushed crimson and her feet slipped slightly from their footing. In other words, her reaction was exactly what Albel wanted.

He rushed towards her, gauntlet outstretched. The twisted metal gathered so much power that it left a trail of green force behind it, like an arrow heading straight for the crimson woman's heart. "PALM OF DESTRUCTION!" he screamed, almost gleeful. She was only able to partially block the impact, avoiding death, but fracturing her wrist and forcing blood up her throat. She flew a few feet, hit the ground and rolled for a few more, but ended standing. She coughed slightly, letting a thin trail of her blood trail out of the side of her mouth and down her chin.

Her eyes slowly crawled up the form of her opponent, face obstructed by the hair before her face. She looked into Albel's smirking crimson orbs, suddenly turning lustful with the sight of her silent pain. Suddenly, she looked small, scared, and alone. She looked up at him, gaze never wavering, but with a fear he could smell. Albel froze, drinking her in.

"I… if you're going to kill me, Albel the Wicked, I want you to know… my name is Nel Zelpher, daughter of Nevelle Zelpher and Crimson Blade of the Queen Aquaria XXVII's Secret Legion. My mission is to kill Lord Vox, Captain of the Dragon Brigade, and I know that I will die today, either by your hand or Vox's. So please, before you kill me…"

She stepped closer to him, eyes big and innocent. Albel didn't-- couldn't move. I want her to go with those eyes.

"Before you kill me… why don't you go to Hell!"

Nel's healing spell had finished without detection, thanks to her professional-grade acting ability. Albel the Clueless was still frozen, watching her with a mixture of expressions that made him look like a confused panda-- a confused STUFFED panda. "ICE DAGGERS!" she called, giving Albel little warning to pick up his pride and get out of the way. Of the three frozen weapons, only one hit, but that was good enough to freeze most of the bloodthirsty soldier's precious gauntlet.

He grimaced with pain. I've been living in Hell my whole life. You know nothing of it!

"Hah. Who would have thought Albel the Wicked was so full of shit?"

"I'll kill you, you bitch!" Albel roared and lunged at her, readying his sword. As he swung, she jumped up into the air, throwing her legs above her to look down on him. She unleashed a dagger-sharp blade of red fury upon him. If it had hit his frozen gauntlet, it would have been broken beyond repair and Albel would have been left with even less of an arm. However, the Wicked One was lucky as he turned so it hit his other shoulder, slicing it open. Nel landed neatly behind him, grinning evilly. Gripping his sword tightly, Albel swung around, shouting "Shockwave Swirl!" as he did so. Nel carefully defended against the green fury of the attack, but Albel, in momentum, let his blade continue and cut a thin opening in his opponent's left leg, running along the outside of her knee. She gasped in sharply with pain, but showed no sign of slowing down. Instead, she fell to her knee, releasing fury along the floor in her Shadow Wave attack. Albel legs flipped out from beneath him and fell to the floor on his back.

Shit! If I don't do something right now, Nel will be able to keep me on the ground easily.

As Nel rushed forward to ready an overhead, finishing attack, Albel glared up at her, meeting her eyes. As if by magic, Nel froze with her daggers raised over him. He smirked and stood up without trouble, wiping off his clothes just to mock her. He took his time preparing his sword against her as she remained frozen, barely able to twitch. He slowly laced his sword between her scarf and her neck, deciding at the last moment to cut the fabric instead of her skin. The pieces of the scarf fell to the dirt, revealing deep red marks where the sword had made contact. Blood trickled slowly from her wounds. Finally, Nel regained her movement capabilities, stumbling away from the monstrous young man.

"How… is that possible!"

"The same way a predator strikes fear into its prey before he kills it." He chuckled humorlessly and shrugged his shoulders, walking away from her. "It's a talent of mine, I suppose."

He turned suddenly, pointing his katana at her. His feeling was right: she was readying a spell, but he was too late. He could not dodge the fire bolt as it hit him squarely in the left shoulder, singeing his clothes and skin, but thawing his gauntlet. He looked from his dripping-wet arm to Nel, eyebrows raised.

"Now I don't owe you anything." She sighed. "I suppose I'm too nice. I always take pity on wounded things."

Albel's face twitched. "Pity, eh!" With an upward swipe of his katana, green fury raced towards Nel. She was able to dodge it easily, as Albel had expected, but at least it had gotten the fight going again. All of a sudden, Albel was hit from the side with a furious multi-swipe attack. Nel, blades charged with elemental power, hacked away at him, finally jumping back only to electrocute him with lightning runology. She rushed back at him with a final hit, cutting him deeply with a fiery blade with her whole weight behind it. "Mirror Slice", she whispered the name of her attack in his ear before withdrawing her blade forcefully from his chest. His blood splattered her clothes, her dagger drenched.

She was smiling at him, her eyes dim with malice. She looks… like me. Heh, how ironic. Albel fell to his knees, coughing up more blood and catching his breath.

After a moment, he began to slowly draw himself up, head last to rise. He looked completely calm and relaxed, much to Nel's annoyance. Silently, he raised his gauntlet before screaming "Vampire Flash!"

The blood of the soldiers previously killed around the couple slowly began to gravitate towards Albel, before the entire ground was a pulsating, vibrant red. Albel's own blood flowed back into him, and his wounds healed slowly. Nel, panicking, charged up her own move. "Earth Glaive!" she called, clapping her hands together as spikes of rock and earth pierced through the ground, heading towards Albel.

Move interrupted, Albel stood and glared death at Nel, but she would not look into his eyes. Heh, she's learning, not that she will live to use it.

"Your runology is a joke. What a complete waste of time. No wonder Aquaria is so weak."

Nel did not answer the temptation to glare at his face. "A pretty useful waste of time it seems to me, since I interrupted your attack."

"Hmm… it served its purpose."

Albel ran at Nel, jumped into the air three feet away from her, and copied her aerial attack from earlier. Nel, recognizing her own move, quickly released an Ice Needles attack from the palm of her hand at him, but it easily missed him. He touched ground once before pushing off again, launching a Double Slash attack. The first Nel was able to parry, but the second slashed her down the middle of her chest. Her uniform was cut thinly, but more worrisome was the trail of blood that dripped down her skirt and legs.

Albel took a moment to watch the blood streak across the runes on her legs before looking back up at Nel with a cold smirk. His blade was still stuck into her chest.

Nel, breathing hard, looked quietly into Albel's glimmering eyes. She was in pain, obviously, but she was not crying or screaming as most of Albel's victims did.

Interesting, Albel thought, Nel, you have made me respect you in our duel unlike any other opponent I have fought. And now, you must die.

But as Albel went to plunge his sword deeper into her heart, Nel began to twirl away. Only then did Albel notice the green smog that had been seeping out of her palm as he looked into her eyes. Only then did he hear her whisper without breath, "Whirlwind!" Like a dance, she spun, weaving purple fury around her in a tornado. It cut into him. It took his breath away and tossed him from her. He could only watch it happen.

His heart hurt every time it beat, his head ached in waves, and it all seemed like a strange dream. Somewhere, his mind told him that it was the poison; the Poison Cloud Nel had released from her palm, taking effect because he was weak. She is… a worthy opponent; the only worthy opponent. As Albel watched her steady herself and tear his katana from her own chest, as he saw his sword bathed in her blood, he knew what he wanted more than anything. He wanted to kill her, even if it meant his own death.

He stood, swaying. Albel steadied his gaze: Nel holding his katana drenched in her crimson blood, with her crimson hair, her crimson runes… everything was so red, with her brilliantly green eyes peering out from it all. He could hear her breathe.

Albel straightened, looking straight into her eyes blankly. "You are going to die now."

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, his pupils were completely dilated. He screamed up into the sky as fiery, bloody red appeared around him. "DRAGON ROAR!"

A giant dragonhead of pure fury rose up through Albel before lunging at Nel. She flipped backwards to avoid it, but more and more came. The first three missed, but Nel was too tired to escape the fourth as it collapsed over her, killing her slowly in every part of her body. She let out a scream, causing possessed Albel to flinch, though the attack continued. Somewhere in her drowsy head, slowly falling into death, she knew the attack could be interrupted. With the last of her fury, Nel clutched Albel's sword, jumped into the air, and released it towards him with a "Flying Guillotine!"

The purple fury ripped clear through Albel's chest, leaving his katana sticking straight through his right shoulder and coming out the other end. The dragonheads collapsed into oblivion, but Albel only blankly pulled his sword from his body with his gauntlet. He held the blade up to his face, watching his own, dark blood mix with Nel's vibrant crimson blood. He flicked it to clean it, but the blade was stained for good. He slowly stalked towards Nel. Her hair was falling down her dirty cheeks and in her ever-bright eyes and she panted heavily. She readied herself with her dagger as he approached, but they both knew that she could no longer fight. With the last of his fury, his arm shot out to catch her throat as he forced her to the ground with his Hand of Doom.

"C-cold…!" she whispered.

"What did you expect?" he breathed.

He kneeled on top of her, gaze not leaving hers as he readied his katana for the fatal blow. "Nel," he breathed as the point of his sword traced the skin above her heart.

"Albel," she smiled slightly back at him. For the first time even her eyes smiled.

And then he stabbed her through the heart. And then she giggled softly. He looked down to see what was so funny.

And then the pain reached him. Her dagger was stuck into his stomach, both of their middles drenched in Albel's blood. He looked down at her.

"You bitch."

"You monster."

"….I want to stay like this."

"We're dieing."

Albel coughed hard, splattering his blood across Nel's pale face.

"I still won, Nel Zelpher."

He leaned over across her, avoiding the katana in her chest. He kissed her gently, staining her lips crimson.

"Albel Nox…"

Nel's emerald eyes faded-- the eyes that belonged to Albel. He knew she was dead.

Albel looked up at the dark sky, the rain slowly clearing. He fell onto her softly. He was dead before he touched the ground.

Seven.

a/n: Sad… they only reached seven… and Nel definitely didn't kill Vox. Anyways, please tell me how I can improve it, because I feel like it could be way better… or like I'm missing something. Maybe I just got lazy in the middle, but I would like advice! Yes, this pairing is the best, and if you don't agree you should go eat a mongoose. I'm done now…

OH! and go see my wee-brother biggestboss in his angsty little world of naruto (that's where he lives)!

Did I mention you should review!

HEARTS -bucky