Kissing Blackened Roses

Chapter I: Trois Mots Brûlants ; Three Burning Words

It all began with three simple words and it took only these powerful words to change his life forever. "I hate you."

"What?" He had said, trying to remain his usually emotionless self while deep inside part of him died. This part was called 'hope'. Albel stood staring at his teammate for a second, using all he had in him to not let his jaw drop, his stance to slacken, and his eyes to shed their withheld tears.

Usually, hearing those three words and in that same order never had the same effect as they did at that moment when they spilled forth so easily from his blue haired comrade's lips. He had heard those three words so many times from so many people in the past yet, this time he stood in silence and without the usual witty remark.

He had been a fool to think the boy could do anything else but hate him. He was so foolish to go with the moment and ask the question that had been stirring and simmering in his head for the longest of times. Why had he asked that question when he already knew the answer? Was it hope? Was it a hope that through traveling, the kind hearted and naturally friendly Fayt would accept him in all that he was: a man trying to do his best and make sense of the chaotic world around him?

Or was it something else? A something that had Albel had been trying to lock away and ignore as it was something foreign and even frightening to him: Love? No. impossible, he did not 'love' people, but merely tolerated their existence.

If those two reasons were not what had drove him to wake the younger man from his peaceful slumber at god-awful hours to simply go outside and 'chat', then what did?

It had been many months since that night and Albel still had yet to find a reason for what he did. Instead, he just trained day in and day out at the Lava Caves, his sword growing more powerful with each trust, swing, and parry while waiting for something. What that something was, he had absolutely no idea, but when it came, he would. He knew he would, but until then, he would focus on becoming stronger and stronger.

"Albel…"

Shaking his head furiously and wiping the sweat from his brow using his human hand, Albel tried to force the familiar voice from his mind and make it recede back to the place where memories belonged. That voice kept haunting him, both in the waking and dream worlds.

"Albel, knock it off."

"Albel, what do you think you're doing?"

"Albel put him down!"

"Albel!"

"ALBEL!"

Allowing his sword to slip from his clawed hand, he dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands. He did not understand this. No matter how he tried, that voice, Fayt's voice, kept haunting him.

"Albel, why are you surprised?"

"Bah,"

"If you already knew my answer, then why did you have to wake me up and drag me out here? I'm going back to sleep."

Those where his words, weren't they? Those were Fayt's words as he turned and headed back towards the inn, leaving the older man outside to stare at his retreating back.

"It is the way of the world where the strong conquer the weak and dominate over all."

Yes, he would get stronger. He would become strong enough to take what he wanted, everything that he wanted…

And he wanted Fayt.