Title: Raining Red Glass
Author: Ari
Disclaimer: Star Ocean + Ari is ERROR
Warnings: OOCness due to AU...
Notes: This chapter is dedicated to NekuYasha, who's review got me off my ass and made me finally finish this damn chapter! Thanks! Hugs and Kisses to you!
Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari
Fayt Leingod was an exceptionally successful man. He was young, attractive, smart, and most importantly, rich. He was head of the company Elicoor, a company that dealt in the travel bureau and also developed their own line of transporters.
Fayt, as the president, was well respected, looked up to, and look to for any problems. But aside from that, he was friendly and cheerful, always willing to help people in need. That doesn't mean he was soft. Nope. He ran his business very strictly, and dealt with his higher ups and competitors with cold politeness. As long as his employees did their job, all was good.
Unfortunately, all WAS NOT good at the moment.
It seemed his secretary hadn't found time to tell him about a guest that day, so when Fayt entered his office, he'd been rather startled by the strange man in purple sitting on his desk.
'Purple?' Fayt frowned. What kind of person came to a meeting in baggy, black, jeans, and a tattered, purple, shirt? He was wearing black combat boots and a collar and a few chain links hanging from it around his neck. His hair was shaggy and black with gold highlights.
It was not a good first impression. Not at all.
"Excuse me," Fayt smiled in fake politeness. "Is there something I can do for you?"
The man glanced over at him, and then glanced around the room quickly, his red eyes holding a small bit of surprise in them. Yet he didn't say anything, he just continued to stare at Fayt.
"Excuse me…" Fayt said a little more sharply, eyes narrowing. "I asked you a question. Don't make me call security…"
The strange man smirked.
"You can see me?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm looking at you, aren't I?" Fayt frowned.
"And you can hear me?" he also asked.
"Yes! I'm responding to you, am I not?" Fayt began to wonder if this man was really supposed to be here. It was possible he was an escapee from a near by mental institution.
"Well it's about damn time I fucking found someone!" the man scowled at him and jumped off the desk. He started to pace back and forth in a small area of the room. "I've been looking for some one who could see me…"
"I'm not sure I understand. Are you sick?" Fayt asked, wondering if calling security was an actual option. Security was rarely called in his building, it rose too much of a ruckus.
"Nope, but I think I'm dead."
That was the last straw for Fayt; he slammed his hand down on a button on his desk. A woman's voice sounded through the room. "Mirage, get in here now. Bring Cliff with you. Hurry." And he cut off the connection.
"That was a pointless waste of time. They wont see me, you stupid fool."
The door opened just as he finished his sentence. The woman and man glanced around, looking for some sort of trouble. "Did you need something, Fayt?" Mirage asked kindly.
"Yes, can't you see? Please remove this man, and call a hospital while you're at it, he seems sick."
Cliff and Mirage glanced around in confusion. "Are you okay, Fayt? You're not sick are you?" Mirage asked gently. "Because there isn't a man in here."
"I told you, maggot!" the man helpfully yelled from his side of the office.
Fayt stared at him for a moment, the gears turning fiercely in his head. He finally sighed. "Sorry, Mirage, Cliff, I must be over worked. It must have been my imagination." Mirage smiled softly, in a motherly way.
"Go get some sleep, okay?" she turned and left.
"Call if you need anything." Cliff called as he followed her. Fayt nodded and said his goodbye.
As soon as the door was shut and he was sure they were down the hall, Fayt jumped up from his chair. "Okay you! Tell me what you want!" the man snorted.
"Hrmph. I don't want anything. I was just looking for someone who could see me."
"How do you know you're dead?" Fayt demanded. The man rolled his eyes and walked over to Fayt.
"Hold out your hand, idiot." Fayt did as he was told, and the man brought his hand down on top of Fayt's, so their palms were touching. Fayt was startled by how cold it was. "Huh…" the man mumbled, staring at there hands. "So you can touch me too. How odd." He pulled his hand away. "Most people wouldn't feel me. Anyway, my names Albel, and I want you to find out why I'm still here, and why I'm not in hell."
Fayt raised an eyebrow. "Hell? Why would you assume you were going to hell?"
Albel smirked. "Oh trust me, I'm going to hell."
Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari
When Fayt finally returned to his apartment, he dropped his stuff at the door, and rather ungracefully dropped onto the couch, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. Maybe, if he kept his eyes closed long enough the man, Albel, would just go away...He cracked an eye open and sighed. Albel sat cross legged in the air, staring at Fayt. It seemed Albel could fly, or at least float.
"Urgh, I don't believe this!" he cried, mostly to himself.
Albel unwound his legs and touched down to the ground with a scowl. "Yelling and screaming wont change it, stupid moron."
Fayt glared at him and stood up suddenly. He took hold of Albel's upper arm rather harshly and, ignoring Albel's outraged cry, dragged over to the door and shoved him out, slamming it in the man's face and dead bolting it behind him.
Albel stood out in the hall for a few seconds, fuming at the fools rudeness. It wasn't like Albel asked for much! He just wanted some help! He decided that he'd waited in the hall long enough, and walked back into the apartment, going right through the door.
"What the?" Fayt demanded. "Can't you go haunt someone else? I just want to go to sleep, and I have no where to put you!"
Albel glanced around the small apartment. "You know, a big corporate guy like you should have more money than this. Why don't you get a bigger house?"
Fayt raised an eyebrow. "I don't need a bigger house."
"That's not really the point, kid."
Fayt sighed. "Look, you can't stay here. I don't have a room for you, hell, I don't even know you!"
Albel scowled, he was very intent on getting this person to help him. He'd waited three years to find someone who could help him, and he wasn't about to leave now. "I don't sleep so I don't need a room, and you can get to know me."
Fayt put a hand to his forehead, massaging his scalp in irritation. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." he mumbled. "Fine. Whatever. Look, I'm going to bed."
Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari
Fayt woke up the next morning feeling groggy, irritated, and dreading the day, and yet, he couldn't remember why. He remembered three seconds later when he stretched his back and glanced at the ceiling to find a man sitting up there, upside down, staring at him. Fayt yanked the covers around his bare torso and scowled.
"What are you doing in my room?" he asked, a touch of irritation leaking into his voice.
Albel shrugged, which looked rather odd when done upside down. "I got bored waiting for you to wake up. Do you know what time it is, you lazy ass maggot?" Albel dropped from the ceiling, and seemed to land on the bed, but it didn't move under him. Fayt inched as far back as he could, was this...man...crazy? Did he not know about personal bubbles? Honestly!
"It's my day off, and I like to sleep in." Fayt glanced at the clock next to the bed, the red numbers were pale in the light, reading 11:42 A.M. and Fayt smiled in content. He loved sleeping, and took full advantage of it whenever he could.
"Oh, that's wonderful! Wonderfully stupid!" Albel hissed at him, rocking backwards and falling through the mattress, unnerving Fayt. Albel's weird habits were going to take some getting used to. The weird spirit seemed to enjoy going through solid objects.
"I'm going out. Don't follow me!" Fayt got up and went to get dressed.
Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari
There was a coffee shop just down the block from Fayt's apartment, and he loved going there on Sunday's. It wasn't ever busy, like most places were, but it still got enough business to make it thrive. Fayt ordered a cup of coffee, a muffin, and a danish after a moment's thought. Spoiling himself wouldn't hurt.
He turned back from the waitress and almost fell off his chair as he gasped in fright. Albel sat in the seat across from him, a wicked grin on is face, as he stared at Fayt. "She was hot, wasn't she?" Albel asked with a smirk.
Fayt didn't rise to the bait. "I have a girlfriend."
Albel frowned at this, but changed the subject. "I only remember one thing about before I died."
"I really don't care." Fayt said simply, stirring in some sugar.
Albel ignored his comment. "It was raining. I know that. I remember seeing rain right before I died."
Fayt was getting slightly irritated. "So then, I'm sure you died in some stupid car crash, driving drunk or something." He was getting slightly irritated again that his Sunday was being ruined.
Albel glared. "I hate alcohol."
Fayt laughed. "You can't even drink it, so how can you hate it?" he was mocking the man's situation, but he found he really didn't care.
"Fine!" Albel snapped, finally getting angry at Fayt's lack of sympathy. "I USED to hate alcohol."
"Thank you for specifying." Fayt grinned. He choked though, when Albel disappeared. He was there one second, and with an icy glare, gone the next. It made Fayt feel edgy, and a little bit sorry for how mean he was being. Only a little bit, though.
Fayt finished his coffee and danish, left some money on the table, and grabbed his muffin. He left slowly, enjoying his time off, and simply started walking down the street. A couple of kids had hit him with a rock, and he turned to glare at their shocked faces. Fayt made a slight detour into one of the book stores on a side street, browsing through the fantasy section, only to have three books topple off the shelf onto his head.
Fayt let out a low growl. "Albel...knock it off!" Fayt had known the man less than 24 hours, but he already hated him.
"Why?" Albel suddenly appeared out of the bookshelf in front of him. "I was having so much fun! Those poor little rug rats were scared to death of you!" And he hopped back into the air, to hover just above Fayt's head. "You should be nicer...it's bad for your skin to frown so much. Did you know that? Or are you a dummy?" Albel let out a predatory cackle that creeped Fayt out more than it actually scared him. Something was obviously, mentally, wrong with this man.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Fayt asked, exasperated. "What in the world did I ever do to you?"
Albel considered for a moment. "Nothing. That I know of. And I wont 'just leave you alone' I need your help, and I'm not leaving, I can't leave, until you help me."
Fayt sighed, resigning to some unknown force and fate. "Fine. What do I do?"
Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari
Hi everyone! Hehe, so, I started this stupid story MONTHS ago! And I finally got around to finishing the first effing chapter. Aren't I horrible? But, the truth is, I REALLY REALLY want to write this story, I don't know why! It's been nagging me this entire time, screaming at me to finish is. So I finally did. Hope you like the rest of Chapter One, Look forward to chapter two, which should come out MUCH sooner than chapter one did. lol.
Anyway! 'I Thought I Knew You' wasn't finished when I started this, but now it is, and I'm still going to be working on the sequel, so don't worry about that. I actually just updated it before I started finishing this. 'Cups Of Emotion' is that one random story that gets updated every time I get a random snippet idea, but it will be continued.
Bye Bye everyone!
Hugs and Kisses for all!
Review? Please! You've waited so long!