A/N: Hello everyone! I have a brand new Tales of the Abyss story for you! This came to me as I was finishing up the game. And as soon as I finished, I busted out my laptop and started to write this. I finished this pretty quickly. I am happy with myself! I am just a little confused about the ending of the game though... Anyways, there will be spoilers in this story. So, if you haven't finished the game or haven't played it yet, then do not read any of my chapters. Let me explain about my story. All the chapters have something to do with the different romances that I picked up in the game. Some chapters will be innocent romance like this chapter, and others will be unrequited love. I currently have twelve chapters planned and half of them are unrequited love. Anyways, this first chapter is Anise and Peony, and I got the idea during a side quest. Oh, by the way, all of the chapters take place either during the game, post game or pregame. I will let you know beforehand. This chapter is post game. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss. Sadly, Namco has the rights to it.

Chapter One: Anise and Peony- The Emperors Love

Six years had passed since the defeat of Van Grants. Anise Tatlin had just turned nineteen and was currently in Grand Chokmah. She was visiting the world as the first female Fon Master, just like she had told Jade six years ago the night before the last battle.

Anise was standing in front of the Palace. It looked the same as always. She smiled to herself as she walked up to the doors. The last time she was here, Peony had hit on her and named one of his rappigs after her. She was only sixteen at the time. But, she wasn't here to visit. She was here on official Fon Master Business. She wanted to make sure the replicas that were left behind were still doing okay. As she walked into the Palace, she was greeted by one of the servants. She was told that the Emperor was in the Audience Hall. So, she climbed the stairs and the doors were opened for her.

She walked up the throne he was sitting on and she bowed.

"Hello, Your Majesty. How are you feeling?" she asked.

She looked up at him and wasn't surprised to see that he hadn't changed much. The only difference was that he had a few more lines and wrinkles. And he still wasn't married. She thought that was a shame. After all, she thought he was so handsome.

"Ah, Anise! How nice to see you again!" Peony said. "My, you are much prettier than the last time I saw you!"

"Emperor, I am not here to visit. I have important matters to attend to," Anise said.

"Why so serious, Anise?" Peony asked, with some concern.

"I am just checking to see how the replicas are doing."

He chuckled when he heard what Anise had come for.

"You traveled all the way from Daath to Grand Chokmah just to check on that? I know as Fon Master, you must be busy. You could have asked in a letter, but you came here to ask me personally. You must have some sort of ulterior motive for coming here."

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes.

"I am actually travelling all over to check on all the cities and see how things are going. This was just my first stop."

The Emperor smiled mischievously.

"Well, how about you stay the night here in Palace and we will go out to eat tonight."

At first, Anise was going to decline, but then she thought about it. If she stayed in the Palace, she wouldn't need to pay for a room at the inn, and she wouldn't have to buy dinner either. Peony would see to that.

"Okay, that sounds good," Anise agreed.

"Great! I will have the servants take you to your room so you can rest! I will come get you when I am ready to eat!"

Anise allowed herself to be ushered to a bedroom with a big bed, covered in the Malkuth color of blue. The sheets were satin, and she loved the way it felt beneath her hands. As she was left alone, she sighed and sat on one of the blue couches in her room. What was she going to do? She was in love with Emperor Peony. But, she couldn't let him know about her feelings. After all, she was the Fon Master and he was the Emperor of Malkuth, and way too old for her. She didn't really care about his age and for once, she didn't care about the money. Ever since she was thirteen, the feelings were growing inside her and she didn't even realize the moment she fell in love with him. It just happened for her. It was different from the way she felt about Ion and the other guys of her group. She only wanted to marry Guy and Luke because they had money. She eventually gave up on Guy because he was afraid of women. So, she set her eyes on Luke, but eventually, she gave up on Luke, too. He only loved Tear, and she could tell that Tear loved him, too. She sighed again as she fell sideways on the couch.

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake gently by Peony.

"Rise and shine, cute little Anise!" Peony said, in a slightly sing-song type of voice. "It is time for us to go eat dinner."

Anise sat up and rubbed her eyes like a little child. It took a couple moments to figure out where she was. Then she stood, and after adjusting her Fon Master robes, she followed the Emperor to a little restaurant located in the middle of the city. It looked like all the nobles frequented this tiny shop.

"I wonder if we will see Guy," Anise wondered out loud.

"Hmm? No, you won't see him. He is on a mission to Kimlasca for me," Peony said.

They were seated at nice quiet table in the corner of the room. When it came time for them to order, she didn't know what to get, so she let Peony order for her. Anise was right in letting him choose for her. The entree he picked for her was so good, that she was sad when she finished. The entree was followed by a banana split.

After they were done eating, they went for a little walk, to let the food digest. They stopped on a bridge and looked at the water surrounding the city. They were quiet for a moment when Peony spoke.

"It has come to my knowledge that you just a birthday. How old are you now, Anise?" he asked.

Anise was a little startled that he knew her birthday was just last week.

"I'm nineteen now, Sire," she said.

They were quiet again before Peony broke the silence.

"Do you remember six years ago when I told you that I may date you when you hit nineteen?" he asked.

Anises heart started to beat fast. Of course she remembered that! How could she forget?

"Yes, I remember that. We had to beg you for a sword. At the time, I thought you were just joking around with me."

"You're right. At the time, I was. But, over the years, something changed. I was able to watch you mature from a vivacious thirteen year old to a beautiful nineteen year old."

Silence fell between them again. Anise was struggling with what she wanted to say to the Emperor. Half of her was telling her to go for it, and the other half was telling her not to say anything. She closed her eyes and scrunched them up tight and opened her mouth to speak.

"Emperor Peony, I have had feelings for you for a long time now. I'm not sure when it happened. But, what you said to me six years ago stayed with me. At night, when I couldn't sleep, all I would here was your voice."

Peony turned to look at Anise. He grabbed her chin and turned her face toward him gently. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I have a gift for you," Peony said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and handed it to Anise. Anise opened it eagerly and found a necklace, with a small scale of the Malkuth symbol hanging from the chain.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" Anise said, unhooking the clasp.

"It was my mothers," Peony said, taking the necklace from Anise and putting it on her. "And now I want you to have it."

Anise grabbed the pendent that was hanging from the chain. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"I will treasure it forever," she said.

A/N: What did you think? Anise may seem out of character, but she grew up... People change as they grow older. I do hope you enjoy my story! Next chapter is Anise and Jade! Please read and review. As always constructive criticism is welcome but flames are not.