Firstly, I sadly do not own these characters. Secondly, I have never played this game. My friend asked me to write it, and she gave me a very brief description of the characters, so if they do or say something that seems out of character for them, I'm Sorry.
Falling…falling into darkness. How slow time feels when the end is near. No visions of his life did he see, only visions of her. Albel looked up. He saw Maria's face, the blue pools of her eyes, aqua hair framing her face. How wonderful that the last thing he would see was her face. He closed his eyes to keep the image of the angelic woman who had captured his heart. Falling, but he stopped. His arm, the claw, was supporting him from above. He looked up to see a small, graceful hand around his cold, metal wrist.
"Grab my other hand!" her sweat voice called to him. He could hear in her voice, pain, fear, a hint of…Love…? No! He heard only tension. She was straining to support his weight. He grabbed the hand she offered him. She pulled him up, surprising him with her strength. He kneeled on the ground, thankful to have another chance at life, a chance to redeem myself. He looked up to thank her, and saw the scratches on her arm, scratches that he had made. Her crimson blood trickled out from her hand, clasped over the wound.
"Maria," he whispered. Albel stood before her, looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry." His words rang in her ears. Sorry, Albel was telling her that he was sorry. He was showing emotion, speaking from his heart. Could this mean…? No! She pushed the thought from her mind. He was shaken from the near plummet into oblivion. He wasn't himself. He could never feel that way for her. It was hard to believe that she felt the way she did. Albel had never been anything but cruel, not to her, but to those around her. Somehow she still believed that there was more to him than the angry façade. Perhaps…somewhere inside of him…there could be love.
Maria suddenly realized that she had been staring into his eyes. Embarrassed, she looked away, still clutching her arm. The pain was a cheap price to pay to keep him near her, even if it was only for a moment. She turned from him sheepishly, knowing he would leave, forgetting her. A single tear glistened on her cheek.
Albel stared at her back. For a moment, when their eyes had met, he had felt so deeply for her, but she had turned from him. He extended his arm toward her, wanting so much to comfort her, but he stopped himself. This was stupid. He was Albel Nox. How could he let these feelings of…love? That was not the right word. Infatuation, foolish love. How could he let this silly infatuation govern his actions. He regretted apologizing, for that display of emotion showed weakness. Albel was not weak. He was not emotional. He was not in love.
Maria wiped away the tear. She was a silly girl for ever believing that he felt anything but contempt for her. She would be glad when he was gone. She would forget about him and let her life return to normal. She would find someplace to stay, to rest. How weary she was, off traveling, of fighting. It would be so nice to rest, even if it would mean an emptiness, a hole in her life, where he would have been.
A second tear traced a path down her cheek. A third, a fourth. The tears came before she could stop them. Her slim frame shook with the effort to hold them back.
A hand on her shoulder, warm and comfortable. Albel threw away the anger and hate he had hidden behind all these years, and took Maria into his arms, holding her against his chest, and wished nothing more than to stay with her forever.