"You stubborn fool, let me heal you!"

"Keep your filthy Runology away from me." Albel Nox hissed as he used his gauntlet to drag himself across the floor, his left leg broken. Nel Zelpher quickly surveyed the area; the others were still attacking Luther, with Maria acting as a support healer while Nel dealt with this…This ridiculous man.

In annoyed silence, Nel shoved her left forearm against Albel's neck while holding her other hand above his leg. Albel squirmed beneath her in protest, but he noticeably relaxed as the soothing purple light surrounded his leg. After a mere three seconds, the leg was healed and Nel jumped back up from the ground. "Get back in there, Albel!"

He growled as he used his katana to lift himself up, "Don't need to tell me twice, worm."

Before Albel could sprint back into battle, the entire floor turned black. He only had time to look up at Nel, face perplexed, before hundreds of tentacles sprang up from the black. He quickly dodged, one managing to slice his arm. Scowling, he ignored the wound and moved to weave his way back towards the main battle.

Nel's yelp of surprise was what stopped him.

Looking over his shoulder, he found her on one knee, holding her side. A small pool of blood was beginning to form underneath her. "You slow fool, you couldn't dodge?" He meant to be insulting, but his entire body stiffened when she locked eyes with him.

"Go! Fayt and the others need you. I'll be fine." She added as she took her hand away from her side; it was splattered with her blood. Albel's grip on his katana tightened and when he did not move right away, Nel screamed, "GO ALBEL!"

"Bah." Quickly, Albel stalked over to the wounded Crimson Blade and pulled out some berries from his stock. In record time, he mashed the berries into a spread and used his good arm to apply it to Nel's side.

"You…What are you doing?" Nel pushed him away after the medication was applied, "Our lives are on the line here!"

Albel stood, but also yanked her up with him. "You stupid wench. We need your magic to stay alive. If you die, we all die." Nel blinked up at him before scowling and removing her arm from his gauntlet's grip.

"Let's go."

"Don't need to tell me twice."

"We've been at peace for two years, Your Majesty. Airyglyph has not made any attempts to break that peace. I believe they can be trusted now." Queen Romaria of Aquaria looked down at the kneeling Crimson Blade before glancing at her advisor.

"Lasselle, I agree with Lady Nel. Aquaria shall allow Airyglyph trade in the country." The queen turned back to Nel, "You shall travel to Airyglyph to report this. I will write an official letter, as well as the guidelines to this agreement. I will summon you when ready."

"Me? But, I thought Clair…"

"Yes, normally Clair would go. However, there have been rumors of a conspiracy floating around in Peterny, as you know. She is to remain there to keep watch over everything, so you shall go in her place." Queen Romaria looked down at her most valued spy expectantly, "You have been there countless times in the past, no? It will be just as it was."

Nel Zelpher, who had been kneeling throughout the entire audience, lowered her head in obedience. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Nel sighed when she finally made it to the privacy of her own room in the castle. She looked at her bed, but went for the chair at her desk instead. The desk had nothing on it and she ran a hand over the smooth, glossy wood surface. She remembered when it was littered with papers, all unfinished letters marked to unnamed receiver. That was a year ago; she had long given up on that project.

She blinked and pressed a hand to her forehead; she wasn't looking forward to this trip. She hadn't been to Airyglyph since she returned from defeating Luther. She wasn't avoiding the country; at least, not at first. Her Majesty had thought it would be wise for Nel to rest for a month or two, which the spy vehemently protested. However, the queen's word was final and she had spent the next two months training her subordinates at Aquios and writing unfinished letters.

During this time, Clair was sent to Airyglyph to act as a mediator instead. In response, Airyglyph sent Count Woltar as a representative, instead of the usual…

It was unimportant. What matters was that Clair had worked wonders regarding the relationship between Airyglyph and Aquaria, so the queen saw it fit that she would continue to be the mediator instead of Nel. So there had been no point for her to travel to the snowy country in the past two years. None at all.

Nel brought a thumb to her mouth and bit down lightly; she was nervous. Sure, she had been on good terms with Airyglyph soldiers in the past, but how would they respond to her after two years of silence? In particular, one man stood out in her mind, but she forced herself to disregard him.

It won't matter. This is strictly professional.

She glanced at her desk again and reluctantly opened a drawer, revealing all of the letters she had attempted to write. Why would it matter? This is foolish of me. Nothing has changed. Nothing.

Albel Nox swung his blade through a wooden dummy effortlessly, red eyes dull. Once the dummy collapsed, he balanced his katana on his shoulder. "Hmph, boring."

"Nothing seems to entertain you now, boy." Albel looked over at the gate of the training field in Airyglyph to see Count Woltar. He scowled.

"What do you want?"`

"Nothing. I am only here on the king's behalf." Woltar looked at the remains of the practice dummy and gave Albel a knowing smirk. The restored captain of the Black Brigade said nothing. "The king has asked Aquaria for the right to free trade between both countries. It looks like our economy will be improving even more in the next few months."

Albel shook his head, "Hmph, that wordmonger is actually requesting aid from Aquaria? I didn't think he was that desperate."

"Expanding our economy is different from asking for aid in military exploits, boy." The elder reminded him sternly, "But of course, I didn't expect Albel the Wicked to understand such complicated matters."

"Then why are you here in the middle of the night?" Albel countered, "If you wanted to gossip, I'm sure the chamber maids would've made better conversation than I."

"Like I said, I am here on the king's behalf. He wants you to meet with the mediator in my place." Albel inwardly flinched; he had met Clair Lasbard before and found her insufferable. Then again, that was two years ago, back when he had been forced to travel with those…

Well, it didn't matter. He was sure that the woman still regarded him as an enemy, but he was used to such reactions. He shook his head, "And why can't you be bothered to show up?"

Woltar smiled, "I am travelling back to my headquarters in Kirsila. The Storm Brigade needs their captain."

"Bah. As long as that Clair wench makes it short, I won't be forced to do anything rash." Albel responded indifferently as he moved towards Woltar to reenter the castle.

"Oh no, boy, she isn't the emissary this time."

"Fine by me. Which Aquarian scum will I be forced to deal with, then?"

"Why, your old companion, Nel Zelpher."

Albel sat on the windowsill inside his temporary room with the lights off and the window open. It was another cold winter night, but he had always run hot. The air soothed him. From his room in the castle, he could watch citizens of Airyglyph slowly return to their homes for the night and ponder on the fact that they had no idea. They had no clue that this entire world was just a fabrication of the imagination of some crazed—what did they call it—computer programmer.

Before Luther was destroyed, nothing in this world was really…real. So, nothing had really mattered until after Luther was destroyed…right? There were no emotions, no feelings, and no real thoughts before Luther's death. It wasn't until after those events that everyone gained their true consciousness, right? Does that even make sense? Albel growled at his own failure to truly grasp what had happened.

If everything that had happened before Luther's death was meaningless…That means…

"Albel!"

"Not you again…"

"If you would be able to actually dodge some attacks, I wouldn't have to keep doing this."

Albel glared up at Nel with the battle against Luther still raging on behind them. He had gotten too close to the 4D being and was struck by a symbology attack; he was being too reckless, and they both knew it. "Just leave me! The other maggots need support!"

"No one here is going to die." Nel replied, a little too softly for a woman who was in a battle against God himself. Albel watched her from the ground as she knelt beside him and proceeded to use her witchcraft on him, surrounding his torso in purple light.

"Hmph, you fool..."

"Albel, I forgive you." He openly stared at her.

"What?"

"In case we are…erased…I want to make my peace with you." She said hurriedly, looking over to see that Luther was finally weakening. "As much as I hate to say it, I have come to respect you. I still find you irritable, cold, and unceasingly cynical, but I just want you to know that…I forgive you."

For the first time in a long time, Albel had no snide remark to say. The healing process on his chest was taking longer than his leg earlier; it would be at least another fifteen seconds. He looked over at the battle and saw that Luther was indeed slowly but surely being defeated.

"Tell you what," Nel looked down at Albel, surprised at his quiet tone, "if we make it out of this alive, maybe I'll actually apologize to you, woman." The healing was complete and Nel stood.

"I won't forget about that." She said and he smirked.

"Neither will I."

Albel pressed the back of his head against the brick and turned his eye away from the moon to look at his bed. It was covered in paper, all accumulated over the last two years. He trudged over and swiped the papers away with his good arm before collapsing onto the mattress. He would need to go to bed early, for he knew he would be getting no sleep tonight.

"Hmph, well that was surely anti-climatic."

"What are you talking about? We just defeated Luther!" Albel shrugged at Nel.

"We're still alive. And now there are no worthy enemies to destroy. I'll die of boredom now." Nel shook her head as the two continued to walk. The others had already departed on the Diplo, leaving the two Elicoorians to walk back to their respective countries.

"Perhaps. Aren't you glad to be back in your home world, though?"

"Bah. I live to fight; as long as I can fight, I am home." Nel chuckled behind her scarf and he scowled at her. "Fool, you're the same way."

"I disagree. I live for my country and my people." She eyed him haughtily, "I'm not surprised you feel that way, though. You're not one for compassion or loyalty."

He shot her a glare. "Aquarian scum, I have been more than loyal to my country! And keeping you alive now shows the extent of such loyalty!"

They reached a crossroads: to the left was the way to Airyglyph, to the right was Aquios. Nel turned to face him completely, "Perhaps."

"'Perhaps'? Bah, why do I even bother with you?" Albel shook his head and looked to the left; he had a long journey back to Airyglyph. Nel noticed his gaze and folded her arms over her chest.

"It's been a long day. I can arrange for you to stay in the inn at Aquios if you would like." It was a tempting proposal. The Glyphian looked down at his body; although the Aquarian had done a decent job healing him, he was still reasonably sore. And, he had no money.

"Hmph, just one night of dealing with Aquarian scum shouldn't drive me completely mad."

Albel waited at the gates of the castle, his gauntlet resting on the guard of his blade. He looked like hell, and he knew it. She would make some snide comment about it. He growled and rubbed at the corner of his eye with his good hand; that was the last thing he needed.

Two years. Two fucking long years. He idly wondered if she had gained weight; that would give him some entertainment. He smirked to himself, now hoping that an obviously overweight Aquarian would show up so he could laugh. At least, that would make him feel better about himself.

That last thought was unprecedented and he angrily shook his head with a frown. He didn't need to feel better about himself. This entire thing was messing with his head.

"Hello, Albel." Albel was, embarrassingly so, caught off guard. He straightened up and locked eyes with her, but not before realizing (sadly) that she had not become obese over the years. In fact, she looked…well. His entire body stiffened as he regarded her; she had not changed at all.

Nel Zelpher stood before him coolly, as always. She adjusted the scarf around her neck to hide her mouth; she would not give him the pleasure of letting him see her bite her lip in anxiety. His eyes had not lost any of their fire from the last time she saw him; the only thing that was new were the dark circles that were beginning to form underneath them. She parted her lips to comment, but swallowed her tongue instead.

"Hmph, took you long enough." Albel muttered in response, looking up at the castle. "Let's go and get this over with."

Nel blinked and nodded. "Right."

"I have to report to Her Majesty; try to stay out of trouble." Nel added with a sigh as she showed Albel to his room at the inn.

"I feel like you're implying something." He said, walking in to examine the room: a queen-sized bed, dark green sheets that matched the curtains, and a large window. Modest, but he was never one for luxury anyway. Nel shook her head at him from the doorway. He glanced at her over his shoulder, "I'll play nice…for now."

"If I hear about any disturbances…"

"Hah, you'll do what?" She scowled at him before turning to leave.

"You don't want to find out."

Albel led Nel to the conference room only opening his mouth to bark, "What are you gawking at, worms?" to the soldiers that were stationed inside. He knew what they were looking at; sometimes he cursed himself for knowing exactly what men thought about.

"How have you been, Albel?" She had been contemplating for the past five minutes whether or not to say anything; she managed to sound like the politically correct emissary that she was. He snorted.

"Bored." He replied, painfully honest. "No enemies to fight now because of that damned peace treaty."

"Things have quieted down considerably."

"Tch, not for the better." Albel stopped at a door on the second floor of the castle, "This stupid meeting is the first assignment I've had in three months."

Nel was noticeably surprised, "So…you have had plenty of free time, then?" He wanted to smash his forehead into the brick wall; he knew where she was going with this.

"Hmph, I've been keeping myself busy."

She couldn't stop herself, "By doing what?"

He opened the door and they both stepped inside the room, "Training." He said shortly, closing the door as Nel moved to the oval wooden table. "I haven't gotten lazy."

She jerked her head up at him and glared as he sat across from her. "Are you implying something?"

"Heh, you haven't changed."

She should have known better. Within twenty minutes of her departure, Albel had grown bored and released himself into the streets of Aquios. He had already ignored multiple stares and whispers; no doubt word had gotten out about his involvement in the battle against the 4D beings.

Regardless, he found himself wandering through the side streets aimlessly, examining the houses with no particular interest. The houses were all cozy, cute, and too…balanced for his tastes.

The path he was following was about to make a sharp turn, but he stopped. Someone was talking up ahead; a voice he recognized. He easily pressed himself up against the exterior of the corner house and quickly peered around it, only to prove his guess: there was Nel Zelpher, talking to what looked like her subordinate.

"Good work, Tynave. You've been doing well in my absence." He remembered that name.

"I'm just glad you came back unharmed, Lady Nel." Nel smiled. Albel distantly thought about how she didn't smile as much as other women.

"I was in good hands."

"Oh, we all trusted Fayt and the others. Just, well…"

"What is it?"

"Some of us were…concerned…about Albel Nox." The man in question perked up.

"What do you mean?" Nel sounded caught off guard as well.

"There was speculation on what his true intentions were." He rolled his eyes.

"It's Albel; he just wanted to kill something." Nel said lightly, dismissing the subject, "He was very useful. He's actually staying in Aquios for the night." Tynave's eyes widened.

"Lady Nel, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"He won't cause any trouble. I trust him."

"Tch, never understood why that fool of a king would make me an emissary." Albel said as he looked over the proposed guidelines of free trade as proposed by Queen Romaria. "Always hated politics."

Nel watched him carefully, suddenly aware of how anxious she had been. It was so foolish of her; here she was, hands sweating and foot restlessly tapping, while Albel acted as if they had just seen each other the day before. What had she been so nervous about? Nothing had changed. And yet…

She pushed the thought out of her mind and instead rested her elbows on the table, "I heard that you stopped acting as an emissary. I admit I was surprised that I would be meeting with you today."

His eyes darted up at her from the document. "I got bored. That Clair maggot's voice lulled me to sleep."

She closed her eyes out of anger and he smirked, knowing it was because of him. "So why are you here now?"

For a moment he didn't respond, pretending to be deeply interested in how Aquaria would regulate Glyphian trade inside Aquaria territory. He knew that he wasn't fooling her.

"You can come out now." Albel stepped back into the open, managing to look aloof as always even with that smirk. "Did you really think I didn't know you were there?" Nel asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't think that lowly of your skills." He said nonchalantly. "I've seen that wench before." He said as his eyes narrowed in thought.

She closed her eyes, "She was one of my subordinates…You attacked her." Ah, now he remembered and he couldn't help but let his smirk grow.

"Heh, the one with the copper…If you're the one that trained her, I would be very disappointed."

"Why, you!" She had her blades out just as fast as he drew his katana.

"A worthy opponent." The familiar phrase caused her to inhale and, cautiously, lower her weapons. Albel blinked before frowning, "You disappoint me, Zelpher."

"It would cause you more grief for me not to fight you than to attack." He hated that she was right and reluctantly sheathed his sword.

"You're no fun."

"What are you even doing out here anyway?"

"What, did you really expect me to stay in that forsaken room all day?" Albel sneered. "I need to be entertained."

"I'm not a babysitter, Albel." Nel replied curtly and he shrugged.

"Then don't act surprised if something upsets your little Aquarian city." Scowling, she placed her hands on her hips.

"All right, what do you want?" He smirked; he enjoyed getting his way. He walked past her.

"Tell me something interesting." She reluctantly followed him, annoyed.

"My favorite color is red." She offered sarcastically and he glanced at her.

"Something I don't already know, fool."

"Are you serious? This is ridiculous."

"Would you rather spar?" The truth was that she would, but she knew that would only cause trouble.

"Have it your way. I've been forced to take a few days off." He scowled.

"At least your position in the military is secure. Thanks to that damned Vox, I might not have a Black Brigade to go back to."

"What will you do then?" They came upon a well, and Albel took it upon himself to sit on the edge of it; in Airyglyph, it was too cold to have wells. The water would freeze.

"Work my way back up from the bottom." He idly looked down the well, "The military is the only thing I know." Nel nodded, watching him.

"I understand; I'm the same way." He snorted at her but she ignored it. "I'm not sure what I will do, now that the war is over."

"Hmph, you don't know how long this measly peace treaty is going to last." She shook her head.

"That may be true, but…"

"But what?"

She smiled at him. He blinked quickly and looked away. "I have a hunch it'll last a while."

"Heh, you sound like that maggot. He's rubbed off on you."

"Perhaps. Cliff, Fayt…I'll miss them." He rolled his eyes again.

"You worms are all the same."

"Don't even try to say that you didn't at least respect them." Nel countered and he shrugged, to which she buried her mouth in her scarf. "You can't fool me, Albel. You risked your life for them."

"I risked my life for you too, that doesn't mean anything." Albel said, pretending to examine his gauntlet so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. Nel lowered her gaze and wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck.

"I see." She straightened her shoulders, "Well, I have matters to attend to. Have a safe journey back to Airyglyph." He peered up at her and when she turned her back to leave, he stood.

"Listen—"

"Why did you do it, then?" They were facing each other again and Nel took an aggressive step forward. "Why bother?" Albel clenched his jaw.

"…Isn't it obvious?"

"I didn't know it was going to be you." Albel responded honestly and Nel stared. "The old man had to return to Kirsila…I'm just filling in."

"…You stopped acting as an emissary around the same time I was reassigned." He glanced at her. Her lips were parted in surprise and he cursed himself. "You knew, didn't you? You knew I was being reassigned."

"So what?" He replied hastily. "You fool, you're babbling."

"You stopped acting as an emissary because I was no longer coming to Airyglyph." He actually laughed, eyes closed so she wouldn't see them.

"Aren't you cocky? I always hated being brought into politics, I quit as soon as possible."

She was acting out of character, but it was no use now: once the dam broke, there was no stopping her. She had been harboring all of this for too long; two fucking years too long. "Why didn't you write me?"

His smug grin was wiped away and he sat, stupefied, in his chair. Her eyes bore into his and he was certain that she could see right through him. "What…What the hell are you talking about?" Her stare turned into a vicious glare.

"You can't fool me, Albel Nox."

Her shoulders fell as she blinked blankly up at him, mouth slightly ajar. He shook his head at her, eyes now half-lidded.

"You truly are a fool, Nel Zelpher."

"I…I don't…"

"I apologize." Albel said bluntly, moving past her. She looked at his back in confusion. "I told you if we made it back alive, I would apologize, didn't I?" He said indifferently.

"Albel…"

"You got what you wanted. I, however, am still in dire need of entertainment. I'm off."

"Albel, wait—" She hadn't meant to, but she reached out to him and her hand found his gauntlet. He looked at her hand before looking at her face, his own face puzzled.

"What now? You won, this time." Nel swallowed and let go of him; he shrugged his left shoulder.

"This will not be the last time we speak." She said forcefully. He rolled his eyes at her, but she saw his grin.

"Of course not you fool."

"You lied."

"I've been busy."

"No you haven't."

"You are insufferable, wench."

"You are a bastard." Albel was caught off guard; he had never heard Nel speak profanity before. "Nothing…for two years. Two years."

"What was I supposed to say?" He hissed. "'Hello, I don't know what to say. I am socially inept. I'm going to go kill more things now to make myself not feel like a complete failure for not being able to communicate.'" She sat in silence and he slammed his fists on the table. "All I do is train, kill, and go on missions that involve more killing. Did you really expect me to write? Did you?"

It was Nel's turn to lower her head. "Well, I…"

"And I was waiting." He glared at her, "I was waiting for you, you stupid, stupid fool."

"I tried." She said quietly, "I just…I didn't know what to say or how to say it."

"My room is littered with half-written letters to you." Albel finally admitted, his shoulders slackening. Nel made eye contact.

"My room is the same way…"

"You are so stupid."

"You're just as stupid, if not more!"

He jumped up from the chair, gripping the edge of the table. She was not concerned; she crossed her arms over her chest and held his stare. The room was getting hot. They both felt it. Finally, he smirked. "Stand up."

"No."

"For once in your damned life, shut up and listen to me." She scowled, but reluctantly stood up from her chair and stepped to the side.

"What are we even doing?" She asked with a sigh as he walked over to her.

"We're making up for lost time due to your idiocy." Nel eyed Albel carefully as he placed himself directly in front of her. She inhaled sharply when he brought his good hand up. He hesitated before pushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear, eyes scanning her face. Her cheeks grew warm.

"I…"

"Hm?" He hummed deep in his throat, his hand lingering on the back of her head.

"I'm not used to this." She admitted and he chuckled.

"Good. I won't feel like a complete idiot then."

And behind closed doors, Albel Nox finally pulled Nel Zelpher in for the kiss was two years long over due.